the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: After

The door closed.

Softly.

Quietly.

Final.

Adrian remained standing in the corridor.

For several seconds he did not move.

The hunting lodge bustled elsewhere.

Laughter drifted faintly from distant halls.

Voices echoed from lower floors.

Yet the corridor remained silent.

And Adrian found himself replaying the moment.

Again.

And again.

And again.

The turn of Marian’s head.

Such a small thing.

A movement so small another person might have ignored it entirely.

Adrian could not.

Because Marian had never done that before.

Not once.

Not in eighteen years.

He closed his eyes briefly.

Perhaps it meant nothing.

Perhaps she had simply been distracted.

The explanation sounded reasonable.

The problem was that this wasn’t the only thing.

The thought arrived before he could stop it.

Cassian.

Adrian frowned immediately.

Not because he suspected anything.

Because he didn’t.

Not really.

Yet somehow the name refused to leave.

The terrace.

The dinner.

The strange awareness that seemed to pass between them.

Small moments.

Insignificant moments.

Moments that should not have mattered.

Yet Adrian kept remembering them.

The kiss had not created the unease.

It had merely made it impossible to ignore.

Something had changed.

The realization settled heavily inside his chest.

And for the first time Adrian found himself wondering whether that change had begun long before he noticed it.

The thought followed him all the way back to his room.

And long after midnight.

Sleep never came easily.

Not that night.

Not when every answer seemed just beyond reach.

Not when he could not stop asking himself the same question.

What had he missed?

And when?

--

Marian leaned against the closed door.

For several moments she simply stood there.

Motionless.

Silent.

Her heart beat far too loudly.

The corridor beyond the door remained quiet.

She wondered briefly if Adrian was still there.

Then immediately hated herself for wondering.

Because that was not the problem.

The problem was that she could still feel the brush of lips against her cheek.

Not because of what had happened.

Because of what had not.

The realization made her stomach twist.

Slowly she pushed herself away from the door.

Crossed the room.

Removed the sapphire necklace.

Then the earrings.

Then the bracelets.

One piece at a time.

As though returning to normal.

As though normal still existed.

Her maid helped her prepare for bed.

Neither spoke much.

Eventually the lamps were lowered.

The door closed.

And Marian was finally alone.

Unfortunately.

Because solitude brought thinking.

And thinking brought memories.

The dinner returned first.

Cassian across the table.

The awareness.

The awkwardness.

The way both of them seemed to notice every glance.

Every look.

Every moment.

It should have been ridiculous.

Instead it felt impossible to ignore.

Marian rolled onto her back.

Staring at the ceiling.

The room remained dark.

Sleep remained distant.

Her thoughts drifted backward.

The forest.

The cabin.

The library.

The terrace.

The gathering.

One memory after another.

Each leading inevitably to the same person.

Cassian.

The realization no longer frightened her.

Not the way it once had.

She knew what she felt.

Or enough of it.

At least enough to stop lying to herself.

The real problem was no longer her feelings.

The real problem was everything that came after.

For weeks Marian had asked herself the wrong question.

What am I willing to lose?

The question had haunted her.

Followed her.

Refused to leave.

Tonight another question finally took its place.

What about Cassian?

The thought settled heavily inside her chest.

Because for the first time Marian realized that if this continued—

if they continued—

eventually choices would have to be made.

Not only by her.

By him.

Would he stand against Adrian?

Would he risk scandal?

Would he risk his relationship with his cousin?

Would he risk his future?

Would he choose her?

Marian did not know.

And somehow that uncertainty frightened her more than any answer.

Because if the answer was no—

she needed to stop now.

Before she fell any deeper.

Before this became something she could not escape.

Yet another possibility lingered stubbornly in her mind.

The one she could not stop thinking about.

What if the answer was yes?

The thought made her heart ache.

Because if Cassian was willing—

if he truly meant it—

then everything became real.

Every impossible choice.

Every consequence.

Every sacrifice.

For the first time, Marian was no longer afraid of her own feelings.

She was afraid of what Cassian’s might mean.

And somewhere in another wing of the hunting lodge—

unaware of the thoughts keeping both Marian and Adrian awake—

Cassian Ashford slept peacefully.

Or at least that was what Marian told herself.

The lie lasted approximately three seconds.

Because if she was awake thinking about him—

Then there was every possibility that he was awake thinking about her too.

The realization was neither comforting nor helpful.

It followed her all the way into the darkness.

And long after the rest of the hunting lodge had fallen asleep.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!