Years ago, she lost it just before leaving for abroad, and Sylus had found it and kept it.
With her return, he had eagerly planned to surprise her by hiding it inside a muffin.
However, the plan had gone awry when the maid, used to baking only for me, had mistakenly served the muffin to me instead. And I, unaware of its significance, had eaten it.
When Sylus realized the muffin was missing, panic must have gripped him. His search for me was frantic, not out of concern, but driven by the hope that I had not yet consumed the precious pearl.
But when he found me, it was too late. His only solution was to strike the nape of my neck, rendering me unconscious and sending me straight to Xavier’s cold, merciless operating table.
Seeing Charlotte comfortably seated on what had once been our bed, clutching the pearl that had caused me so much suffering, made a wave of nausea rise within me.
My stomach, still raw from Xavier’s rough handling, clenched with a sickening mix of pain and betrayal.
I covered my mouth to stifle the sickness, only to meet Sylus’s gaze, his eyes reflecting the all-too-familiar look of displeasure.