Chapter 103: It should have been me

The lounge on the top floor of the bar was so quiet that the hum of the air conditioner could be heard clearly. The curtains had been drawn shut long ago, allowing almost no outside light to enter. A tray of food on the low table before the sofa remained untouched, and even the glass of water beside it was missing only a small sip.

Saraya sat curled up in the corner of the sofa, her legs drawn tightly to her chest and both arms wrapped around her knees. Her golden hair, which was always carefully maintained, was now slightly disheveled. The dark circles beneath her eyes had become painfully obvious, and her eyes were red from many consecutive nights of poor sleep.

This was already the seventh man.

Over the past week, Vylana had continuously arranged new meetings for her. Some of the men came from wealthy families. Some were Awakened. Some were young, and at the very least, not unpleasant to look at. Yet no matter how different their outward conditions were, the outcome never changed much.

The first man had asked Saraya how much real estate she owned the moment he sat down. The second wanted her to promise to hand over most of her income after they paired up. The third had changed his attitude immediately upon learning that Saraya had once been returned by a Partner, beginning to bargain over the conditions as though selecting a used product. The fourth had even acted generous, saying he could overlook Saraya’s "past," provided she paid all future living expenses.

The rest were no better.

The more men Saraya met, the more she thought about Erik.

Vylana stood near the window, her arms crossed over her chest. She had watched Saraya hold that same position for more than ten minutes. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she sighed softly and called out:

"Saraya."

Saraya kept her head lowered, showing no intention of answering.

Vylana watched her for a little longer, the patience in her voice gradually turning into exhaustion.

"Seven men. I found you seven different men. At least four of them had fairly decent conditions by current standards, yet you rejected every one of them."

Saraya did not react.

Vylana frowned slightly and continued:

"I’m not forcing you to choose anyone, but how long do you plan to keep yourself locked inside this room?"

Only then did Saraya slowly raise her head.

That look made Vylana pause, because what she saw was no longer simple sadness or regret. In Saraya’s sleep-deprived, reddened eyes was a very clear hatred. Her hands around her knees slowly tightened until her fingertips were nearly white.

After a long moment, Saraya finally asked in a hoarse voice:

"Why?"

Vylana frowned.

"What?"

Saraya lowered her legs and sat upright, her eyes never leaving Vylana.

"Why can you still stand there, introduce men to me, take me to meet one man after another, and keep telling me that I should start over?"

The more she spoke, the more her voice trembled. There was not only anger in it, but also a sense of betrayal.

"You act as though you truly want to help me, as though everything that happened before had nothing to do with you."

By then, Vylana understood what Saraya wanted to say, and her expression gradually turned cold.

Saraya saw that reaction and laughed, but the corners of her lips trembled so hard that the smile looked worse than crying. She braced herself against the sofa and rose, staring directly at Vylana as she asked:

"Who was the one who kept whispering in my ear every day that Erik was poor?"

Vylana remained silent.

Saraya stepped closer, her voice growing louder.

"Who said he had no family background and no resources, and that if I stayed with him, I would only have to support another useless man in the future?"

She stopped directly in front of Vylana, tears beginning to gather in the corners of her eyes.

"You did."

Vylana did not step back.

Saraya drew a breath, but her breathing had become heavy with anger.

"Who told me I shouldn’t let him touch me? Who said there was no need to rush into signing a trial Contract, because an S-rank Succubus like me could easily find a better man?"

She raised a hand and pointed straight at Vylana, nearly shouting:

"You! Vylana, every one of those things was said by you!"

At last, tears spilled from her eyes, but Saraya did not wipe them away. She stared at Vylana as though forcing her to admit every single thing.

"And now you stand in front of me as if none of it has anything to do with you, pretending to help me find someone new?"

Vylana’s hand tightened slightly.

When Saraya saw that she still did not argue back, her anger erupted even further, her voice nearly breaking.

"If it weren’t for you, I never would have given Erik up!"

After that cry, the room immediately fell silent. Only Saraya’s ragged breathing and the steady hum of the air conditioner remained.

Vylana looked at her for a long time before finally lowering her crossed arms.

She did not deny it. Nor did she look for an excuse. She simply said calmly:

"Yes."

Saraya froze.

Perhaps even she had not expected Vylana to admit it so quickly.

Vylana looked directly into Saraya’s eyes. Her voice was not loud, but she had no intention of avoiding the truth.

"I did say those things on purpose, because I was jealous of you. Erik picked you up every day, cooked for you himself, worked to earn money, then came home and took care of you. I saw all of it."

Vylana’s hand tightened slightly, but this time, she had no intention of hiding it.

"I liked him too."

Saraya’s eyes widened.

Vylana continued:

"So yes, back then, I hoped you would leave Erik. I deliberately made you feel that he was not good enough, because I thought that if the two of you separated, I would have a chance."

Saraya bit down hard on her lip, her eyes filled with both fury and disbelief.

"And you still have the nerve to—"

"But you were the one who rejected the Contract."

Vylana’s cold interruption instantly silenced Saraya.

She took one step forward, leaving almost no distance between them.

"You were also the one who would not let Erik touch you. You were the one who let him work all day, then return home to cook, wash clothes, pay the rent, and care for you for three months, all while feeling that every one of those things was only natural..."

Vylana stopped directly in front of Saraya and looked straight into her eyes.

"...That was you, too."

Saraya’s face rapidly turned pale. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to argue, but in the end, only a tiny sound escaped.

"I..."

Vylana did not allow her to keep avoiding the truth. She took a light breath and said:

"I said things I should never have said. I won’t deny that. If you want to hate me, then hate me. I’ll accept the part of the responsibility that belongs to me."

Saraya looked at her.

Vylana paused slightly, then her voice became even more serious.

"But don’t place all the blame on me just to make yourself feel better."

Saraya immediately shook her head.

"No..."

"If you had truly loved Erik and truly believed in him, then even if I had told you a hundred times that he was unworthy, you would never have thrown him away."

Saraya trembled and immediately shouted:

"Shut up..."

Vylana did not stop.

"You know perfectly well how Erik treated you."

"Shut up!"

"But in the end, you still chose to trust my words over the man who had lived with you for three months."

Saraya raised both hands to cover her ears, tears pouring endlessly down her face.

"I said shut up!"

Vylana looked at her for a long time. This time, her voice lowered, but every word became even clearer.

"I admit that I pushed you, Saraya."

Saraya slowly raised her head.

Vylana stared directly into her eyes and finished:

"But you were still the one who walked away."

Those words were like a direct blow against the last thing Saraya had been clinging to in order to protect herself.

She stood frozen for several seconds. Then her legs gradually gave out, forcing her to retreat and collapse onto the sofa. The moment her body touched the cushion, she quickly curled up again, wrapping both arms around her knees and burying her face deep between them.

At first, only her shoulders trembled lightly. But very soon, she began crying uncontrollably.

The fury and shouting from moments ago seemed to vanish completely, leaving behind only a despair that Saraya herself could no longer escape.