I responded with a soft hum and hung up the call.
My legs had gone numb from standing outside. After snapping back to my senses, I started to head back into the house.
Connor's Maybach pulled up at the entrance.
When I saw Nadine step out of the car, I froze for a moment. Reflexively, I clenched my fists, and my fingers dug into my palms.
"Nadie has been drinking. I didn't feel comfortable sending her back alone," Connor explained to me.
"Willow, you don't mind me staying over at your place for a night, do you?" Nadine looked at me with a twinkle in her eyes, smiling.
I didn't respond. My gaze was drawn to the emerald necklace around her neck.
Noticing my stare, Nadine lifted the emerald necklace and gave it a little shake. "I heard from Connor that you wanted this emerald necklace too. I planned to give it to you, but Connor said this kind of necklace looks better on young people. Don't you think so, Willow?"
Connor's body stiffened slightly. He frowned and glanced at me.
"Willow, green doesn't suit you," he said.
But five years ago, he had whispered in my ear, "Green suits you best."
I replied, "It's fine. I don't want secondhand goods anyway."
I smiled at them and turned to walk back into the house.
Once I was back in my room, I lay on the bed. My thoughts drifted back to five years ago.
Back then, I was the youngest wish granter in the sect.
Connor had lost a vicious power struggle within his family. He pushed through countless obstacles and knelt before my mentor, Augustus Regnier, and desperately begged him to let me help.
With pleading eyes, he had held my hand tightly and promised, "As long as you help me, I will never let you down."
I was young and naive. Bewitched by his good looks and sincere words, I decided to go with him.
Augustus couldn't dissuade me.
He let out a sigh and lamented, "You'll regret this."
At the time, thinking myself clever, I made Connor swear, believing it would bind him to me for a lifetime. I didn't realize it was nothing more than youthful ignorance.
"Connor, I'm scared of sleeping alone. Can you come keep me company in my room?"
My thoughts were interrupted by voices outside the door. I tilted my head and listened.
"But Willow is…"
"Connor, she's so old. Haven't you had enough of looking at her?"
There was a moment of silence outside. Not long after, I heard suggestive, amorous sounds coming from the room next door.
I stared at the ceiling and couldn't help but laugh. If I had known it would come to this, I would rather have never left my sect.
Augustus was right. I regretted it dearly.
Old people tended to sleep less and wake up earlier. What I didn't expect was for someone to wake up even earlier than me.
"You're up, Willow. Come try my cooking," Nadine chirped.
When I saw the various dishes cluttering the table, I frowned. "You made so much. There's only the three of us. We can't finish all of this."
Nadine froze, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Uh… I just thought…"
"Nadie woke up at 5:00 am to make breakfast to thank you for letting her stay last night. How can you trample on her kindness so cruelly, Willow?"
At some point, Connor had appeared at the doorway. His expression was frighteningly grim.
Nadine ran over and tugged at his sleeve while glancing at me. "Don't be mad, Connor. Willow is probably just getting old. She doesn't have much appetite in the morning and is afraid of wasting food. That's why she said that."
Connor's expression softened slightly. He held Nadine's hand tightly with a gentle expression.
"You've worked hard, Nadie," he said lovingly.
Even though I had already decided to leave, the sight of their intimacy was still an eyesore to me.
"Eat up, Willow," Nadine said, placing a crab cake onto my plate.
I stared at the greasy lump. A nauseous feeling surged in my stomach. Without hesitation, I picked it up and threw it straight into the trash.
