Dark Romance: A Cruel Obsession

Vivian suddenly woke up, realizing she hadn’t seen Mare today. This was something that simply couldn’t happen. If she was reading in the living room, Mare would be sitting on the single sofa behind her to the left, or in the kitchen. But now he was neither on the sofa, nor in the kitchen.

Luzia was also absent, possibly at her aunt’s place, but where was Mare? Was he still asleep?

Vivian was no longer in the mood for reading. She prepared to go upstairs and knock on Mare’s door to see if he was unwell.

Mare’s room was on the second floor, the first one along the corridor. Wrapped in her blanket, Vivian reached out and knocked on the door. She waited for a while but received no response.

Was he not in? Vivian pondered for a moment, glancing at the next room-her former room, now belonging to Luzia.

Is Luzia not in the apartment?

Vivian walked over and knocked on the door. She didn’t receive a “come in” response, but she keenly heard a different sound-a hurried, ambiguous scream. Without immediately understanding the significance of the scream, she pushed open the door, her abrupt movement bringing regret to Vivian.

Mare and Luzia, who had disappeared that morning, were collectively in that room. Mare lay naked on the bed, while Luzia was straddling him, her movements generating moans that made Vivian’s face flush.

Mare keenly sensed the disturbance at the door and was the first to notice Vivian. He immediately reached out to grasp Luzia’s waist, halting her movements, and cursed under his breath, “Damn.”

Confused, Luzia turned to see Vivian, her scalp almost exploding at the sight, quickly grabbing the nearby sheet to cover her naked body. Vivian could even see the beads of sweat on her back.

“Vivian, please let me explain,” Luzia disengaged from Mare.

Vivian had averted her gaze and stepped out of the room. “There’s nothing to explain.”

Vivian closed the door and quickly ran downstairs. Her heart was pounding fiercely, echoing in her ears. She sat down, clutching her chest and wrapping her blanket tightly around herself.

Unable to focus on reading, she turned on the television, searching for a 1970s old movie she often watched. She had a fondness for the male lead, James. His brave actions in rescuing his comrades amidst gunfire always captivated Vivian. However, this time, Vivian was somewhat distracted.

Sitting with her back to the staircase, she didn’t miss the sounds coming from the top of the stairs.

It was Luzia and Mare.

Luzia sat next to Vivian, taking her hand. “Vivian.”

Her expression was sorrowful. “I’m truly sorry.”

“I like James,” Vivian’s gaze flickered. She wanted to avoid meeting Luzia’s eyes. “If I could, I would marry him.”

“He’s probably an old man now.”

“But he’s a gentle husband.” Vivian gripped a corner of the blanket, studying the patterns on it. “He would be better than Alajos.”

At the mention of Alajos, Luzia fell silent for a moment, looking worriedly at Mare before turning back to gaze at Vivian’s serene profile, as if she had made a resolute decision. “Let’s talk, Vivian.”

Vivian withdrew her hand. “I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”

“We do.” Luzia cupped Vivian’s face, speaking softly. “Let’s discuss what you just saw.”

Vivian looked up, meeting her gaze. “Are you afraid, Luzia?”

“I…” Luzia bit her lip, nodding in admission. “You are my best friend, I don’t want you to start avoiding me because of this, and I don’t want our relationship to become awkward. More importantly…” She glanced at Mare and continued, “I don’t want Mare to face consequences because of this, if…”

“If I were to tell Alajos about this?” Vivian looked at Luzia. Vivian had reasons to do so. Mare was her bodyguard, yet he was in bed with her future sister-in-law…

Vivian covered her heart, suddenly grateful that she was not engaged to Vilem…

Luzia didn’t know what Vivian was thinking, but Vivian’s complexion was indeed not good. This made Luzia extremely uneasy, and she bit her lip, watching her.

Mare, as he had done every day before, stood silently a short distance behind her, expressionless. He did not join in the conversation with Vivian and Luzia, as if the punishment Luzia mentioned didn’t pose any threat to him.

But the truth was, Mare was Alajos’s bodyguard, sent to protect Vivian’s safety. If Alajos found out that he had left Vivian’s side without permission, potentially exposing her to danger, Alajos would not hesitate to kill Mare. Not to mention what would happen if Joseph found out… heavens, she couldn’t imagine the dreadful treatment Mare and Luzia would face.

Vivian pinched the bridge of her nose, realizing the reality was even worse than she had imagined. She didn’t know the exact nature of the relationship between Luzia and Mare. Was it a one-night stand? Or were they a couple? When did they get together? Was it before Mare became her bodyguard or after? How many times had they been together?

Just the thought that while she might have been in her apartment, reading, bathing, sleeping, or at any time she couldn’t see Luzia and Mare, they might have been passionately kissing, moving together, making love, made her feel nauseous.

No, perhaps not nauseous.

Vivian took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Maybe it was envy.

She couldn’t forget the expression on Luzia’s face as she moved on top of Mare. She seemed to hear the sticky sounds between them, the quickened breaths, the tender caresses. Mare was undoubtedly an excellent lover; he could provide Luzia with complete satisfaction, both physically and emotionally.

Vivian felt jealous.

She sighed. On the television, James was handling his Winchester Rifle, ending a battle back-to-back with his closest companion. The deafening gunfire ceased, the smoke had not yet cleared, and the birds had fallen silent.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

“You won’t tell Alajos, I believe,” Luzia said firmly, she truly believed in Vivian. But from her worried expression, Vivian also saw that she genuinely feared that Mare would get into trouble.

Vivian also had to doubt their relationship in her heart, wondering if Luzia had fallen in love with Mare. If she had, Vivian would be very saddened. Joseph would not give up on Luzia.

“I won’t tell Alajos. I also don’t want to delve into what your relationship is, how far it has progressed. Let’s just let it go,” Vivian held Luzia’s hand, trying to banish the imagery of their intimacy from her mind. “You are my best friend, Luzia.” Just as James and his friend found solace in each other amidst the cruelty of war, their friendship brought comfort in similar fates. No one wished for Luzia’s ongoing happiness more than she did.

“I’m so glad to have your friendship, Vivian.” Luzia cried in Vivian’s embrace. She rarely displayed negative emotions in front of Vivian, understanding her hardships and not wanting to add unnecessary pressure.

After crying for a while, Luzia quickly wiped her tears and regained her composure. Her smile was so bright, it could heal many negative emotions. “Let me think, where should we go today to find happiness…”