Vampire's Veil Of Obsession-Chapter 65: Life And Death

Lilia's heart pounded violently against her ribs as the realization struck—this had all been planned. Every detail. Every step.

From the very beginning, her instincts had screamed at her. Those intrusive thoughts she had ignored, those nagging feelings she had brushed aside—all of them had been right. Now it all made sense.

The dress.

That was why the woman had looked so shocked when she had chosen the simpler gown. They had expected her to pick the heavier one—the one they had said Zethan had chosen for her. Something layered and extravagant, something that would weigh her down, restrict her movement. They had counted on it.

And now, she was trapped.

The fire raged, its heat pressing against the car, wrapping it in searing fingers as thick smoke filled the air. The acrid scent stung her nose, burning her lungs with every breath.

Panic surged through her veins, hot and wild, but she couldn't afford to freeze. She had seconds—maybe less.

Her trembling fingers grasped her phone. She dialed Zethan's number.

Ring... ring...

He wasn't going to pick up. She knew that.

But then—

"Hello."

Relief crashed into her. Then fear.

"Zeth... Zethan! Z-Zethan! The car is on fire!"

Silence.

The weight of it pressed down on her like an iron fist.

Then—

The screen flickered.

Went black.

Dead.

'Oh wow, what a day' She had known she should have charged her phone earlier.

Her instincts had been right all along.

But she wasn't going to sit here and wait to burn alive.

Shraaa!

The sound of tearing fabric echoed in the confined space as she ripped her gown from the knee down. She needed to move. Needed to get out.

Without wasting time, she kicked off her heels, grabbed one, and slammed it against the car window.

Bang!

It didn't budge.

She hit it again, her hands already stinging, tiny shards embedding into her skin. The fire outside roared louder, the wind feeding it, making it stronger.

Her jaw clenched.

No time.

She slid back into her seat, shoved her foot into her discarded heel. If her hands weren't enough, maybe her legs would be.

Bracing herself, she lifted her leg and kicked with all her strength.

Crack!

Again.

Crack!

Again.

And then—

Blang!

The window shattered.

Fresh air rushed in, the wind stinging her face, but she had no time to hesitate.

Her escape wouldn't be painless.

She would get hurt.

She would bleed.

But that was better than death.

Much better.

Lilia took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

This is it.

There was no time to hesitate.

The fire was spreading fast, licking at the car with hungry flames. The heat pressed against her skin, suffocating, overwhelming. She could hear the crackling of the burning vehicle, the thick smoke making it harder to breathe.

Her instincts screamed—get out now, or die here.

With a final push, she threw her heels into the weakened glass.

CRASH.

The small unshattered part of the window shattered completely, glass shards raining down. Fresh air rushed in, but with it came more smoke, more heat.

Lilia coughed violently, her chest tightening as her lungs struggled to process air. Her head spun, her vision blurring at the edges.

She had to move.

Had to.

The shattered window was her only escape.

But—

Her upper body could fit through easily.

From the waist down... that was another issue entirely.

Her slim-thick figure—curves more exaggerated than they should have been—meant squeezing through would be a struggle.

Still, she had no choice.

With a shaky breath, she threw her other heel out of the car, hoping to lessen the weight dragging her down. But the moment she moved forward, dizziness crashed over her.

Her body swayed.

She fell back.

Cough... c-cough.

Her limbs felt weak.

Her head is unbearably light.

'Why now?'

Why was she feeling like this at the worst possible moment?

The coughing worsened, each breath more painful than the last. Panic crept in, but she bit down on it, forcing herself to focus.

She couldn't pass out.

Wouldn't pass out.

Not when her life depended on it.

A bitter smile graced Lilia's lips as she stared ahead, her mind already painting the reactions of those she would leave behind.

She could see them so clearly.

Her father, his brown hair streaked with strands of gray, a deep frown etched onto his face. Her mother and sister, their matching brown locks swaying as they stood beside him.

But there would be no mourning in their eyes.

No grief for the daughter they had never truly loved.

Instead, there would be a slow retreat within them, the realization that her death was more of a gain than a loss.

She knew exactly what they would do.

Rather than grieving, they would revel in the compensation from Zethan—blood money for their supposed suffering. And with that would come new alliances, ones forged out of pity rather than genuine loss.

Another bitter smile curled her lips.

It was almost laughable, the irony of it all.

She sat there, bathed in the orange glow of the raging flames, a lone figure in the middle of an empty road. The scene was both breathtaking and tragic, like a painting too magnificent to be real—ethereal yet horrifying, beautiful yet drenched in sorrow.

Even in her torn wedding gown, she looked stunning.

But what was the point?

This wasn't how she had imagined her life would end.

And yet—

Wouldn't it be better?

She was the daughter with the black hair. The one with golden-brown eyes that never quite fit.

The one who always looked like the outsider.

Like the adopted child in a family of matching brown-haired, brown-eyed perfection.

Maybe, without her, they would finally look whole.

Like a real family.

She had done nothing—achieved nothing. Every dream, every wish she had ever held close to her heart remained unfulfilled. The childhood fantasies, the hopes she had once clung to—they were all fading into ashes, just like the car engulfed in flames behind her.

A deep breath.

A shake of her head.

No.

She refused to let this be the end.

With newfound determination, she pushed forward, forcing herself through the shattered window.

As expected, her upper body slipped through with ease.

But then—

Her waist.

Her plump curves refused to budge.

She gritted her teeth, pushing with all the strength she had left.

The fire had already erupted into the front seats, its hungry flames creeping closer. The heat licked at her skin, and her breath came in ragged gasps.

She was running out of time.

A bitter chuckle left her lips.

So, this was it?

Just as her body began to weaken, just as the fire threatened to consume her, something unexpected happened.

A hand.

A strong, firm hand grasped her waist.

Her breath hitched, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

Then, a voice—deep and quiet, filled with an emotion she couldn't quite name.

"I'm here, my wife. I'm here."

Lilia's eyes widened as warmth spread through her chest.

Zethan.

Before she could fully process his presence, the car door was ripped open with a force she hadn't thought possible.

The moment they were clear, the fire roared behind them, consuming the spot where she had been trapped just seconds ago. Flames crackled and hissed, devouring metal and rubber, sending thick plumes of smoke spiraling into the dark sky. Heat licked at their backs, but they didn't move—couldn't move—as the realization of their escape settled over them.

And just like that, they stood in the middle of the empty road.

Zethan's usual pristine appearance was gone—his black hair, normally sleek and perfectly styled, was now a wild, disheveled mess. His white shirt, once crisp, bore the evidence of the chaos they had just survived, wrinkled and stained. His trousers were rumpled slightly. And yet, even in this state, he remained striking—commanding, as if he had been sculpted to exude dominance no matter the circumstance.

Lilia, in stark contrast, looked as though she had been torn straight out of a tragic painting. Her wedding gown, a once pristine masterpiece of delicate lace and shimmering fabric, now hung in tatters around her legs, ripped at the knees. Her ink-dark hair, which had been so carefully pinned and styled, was now a tangled mess, strands falling around her face, damp with sweat and smoke. And yet, even in their ruin, together, they looked surreal—like a moment frozen between disaster and destiny.

The only source of light in the vast darkness surrounding them was the inferno raging behind them. The burning wreckage of the car cast flickering shadows across the wet asphalt, the embers reflecting in Lilia's wide, tear-filled eyes as she slowly lifted her gaze to him.

And then—

Something in his expression shifted.

For the first time since she had met him, she saw something in his eyes that had never been there before.

Fear.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Zethan—the cold, unshakable man she had come to know—was afraid.

His grip on her arm tightened. His jaw tensed. And when he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper, rough and almost... desperate.

"I'm here."

The words were meant to reassure her, but they sounded more like an affirmation to himself.

Her chest ached.

The dam holding back her emotions finally shattered, and tears spilled freely down her cheeks. A sob crawled up her throat, but she swallowed it down, biting her lower lip—too lost in the whirlwind of emotions to notice the sharp sting.

The taste of blood spread across her tongue.

Zethan'd gaze darkened in an instant.

"Stop hurting yourself, Lilia," he ordered, his voice firm, low, and edged with something she couldn't quite place.

But she didn't stop.

She couldn't.

Her entire body trembled, overwhelmed by the weight of everything—the fear, the relief, the lingering adrenaline, the realization that she was still alive. More blood welled from the small wound on her lip, a single drop trailing down her chin.

Zethan exhaled sharply, his grip tightening slightly on her wrist.

"Lilia," he warned, his tone dipping into something dangerously unreadable. "Stop that. Unless you want me to—"

But before he could finish, she moved.

Without hesitation.

Without thought.

She surged forward, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pulled him down into a desperate, searing kiss.

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Zethan's body went rigid.

His breath caught.

His eyes, usually so sharp and calculating, widened in pure, unfiltered shock.

And then—

Thunder rumbled in the sky above them.

A moment later, the heavens opened, and the rain began to fall.