Chapter 216: Confessions
"I know you’re struggling with a few things. And I need you to hear this."
Adeline’s heart hamred in her chest. She didn’t dare speak, afraid to interrupt.
"You shouldn’t feel bad," the voice said, softer now, almost tender, "About becoming . About gaining the love of Father and my brothers. You’re doing everything I should have done in the first place. All I did was cause trouble. I squandered every opportunity they gave , and I hurt them in ways I can never undo. But you..."
She paused, her voice thick with emotion. "You’ve changed things for the better. You’re doing what I couldn’t."
Adeline’s throat tightened. She didn’t know what to say.
"But there’s more," the original Adeline continued. Her tone shifted, a note of hesitation creeping in. "Right now... I’m in your world."
Adeline’s breath hitched.
"Your parents," the voice said slowly, as though carefully choosing each word, "have beco mine."
The weight of the revelation crushed Adeline. Her parents—the ones she had grown up with in the modern world—were now with the original Adeline? How was she coping with her horrible parents? That was
"I... I don’t understand," Adeline whispered, her voice breaking.
"I know it’s a lot to take in," the original Adeline admitted. "But it’s the truth. Sohow, when you took my place, I was sent to yours. I’ve been living your life—wearing your face, bearing your na. And your parents..." Her voice cracked, and she hesitated before continuing.
Adeline blinked rapidly, how would this Adeline have reacted to them? She ca from a family filled with love and now the transition to this...
"You need not worry about . I am a villainess, after all, I made sure to give them the treatnt they deserve."
"Oh, your parents?" the original Adeline said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "At first, they thought they could dismiss , treat
like a burden, like so... insignificant inconvenience. But they quickly learned otherwise."
Adeline’s stomach churned. She rembered all too well the coldness in her parents’ voices, the way they’d ignored her efforts, the way they’d brushed her aside as though she were nothing more than a chore.
"I made sure they understood the weight of their actions," the original Adeline continued her tone hardening. "Every ti they dismissed , every ti they ignored , I made them feel it. Their indifference? I mirrored it right back. Their disdain? I returned it tenfold. They learned what it feels like to be invisible in your own ho."
Adeline swallowed hard. "But... What did you do?"
"Nothing too dramatic," the original Adeline replied, though her voice carried a dark edge. "I simply stopped caring. They’d grown so used to you begging for their attention, craving their approval. So I gave them nothing. No affection, no effort, no acknowledgent. Do you know how unnerving it is for people like them to lose the power they think they have over soone? It was almost amusing."
Adeline’s chest tightened. Part of her wanted to feel horrified, but another part—a small, vindictive part—couldn’t help but feel a flicker of satisfaction.
"And do you know what happened next?" the original Adeline asked, her voice softening just slightly. "They started to change. Oh, not out of love or regret—don’t get
wrong. But because they hated the loss of control. They hated seeing
live without needing them. For the first ti, they had to face the consequences of their neglect."
"I had enough love for a lifeti. I didn’t care about their attention or love. I wanted to leave as you have planned to do... You were about to move out... I decided against it, I was in your body and as a thanks I wanted to make sure they suffered for how they treated you."
Adeline’s lips trembled. "I... I don’t know what to say." She wanted to say thank you but she was experiencing a big shock that she couldn’t even think straight.
"There’s nothing you need to say," the original Adeline replied. "Just know that I’ve done what I could. And I hope... I hope it gives you so peace."
And with that, the voice faded, leaving Adeline alone with her thoughts and the weight of everything she’d just heard.
The room fell into a heavy silence as the voice of the original Adeline faded into nothingness. Adeline was left staring at the dim ceiling, her mind swimming with too many thoughts to sort through.
"Adeline..."
Adeline’s heart jumped. It was the Goddess—her companion, her guide, her friend. But this ti, there was sothing different about her tone. It wasn’t the calm, slightly teasing voice Adeline had grown used to. It was hesitant. Almost... Guilty.
Adeline didn’t respond right away. She kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling, her fingers gripping the blanket draped over her. The Goddess called her na again, softer this ti.
"Adeline, I am sorry."
The Goddess sighed deeply, her words heavy with emotion. "I am sorry for everything. For all the secrets, for all the lies... For how I got you injured. As for the original Adeline’s voice... I thought... I thought maybe you needed to hear her. I guess what I wanted to say is... This is my way of saying sorry."
Adeline stayed silent, her thoughts churning.
The Goddess hesitated before continuing. "I know it’s hard to trust ," she admitted, her voice growing quieter. "You must feel like I’m hiding so much from you. And you’re right. I am. But it’s not because I want to hurt you, or because I don’t care about you. It’s... It’s because I have to. There are things—" She stopped abruptly as if she couldn’t let herself say more.
Adeline finally turned her head slightly, wincing at the pain in her neck. "Things?" she prompted softly.
The Goddess let out a shaky breath. "Things I can’t tell you. Not yet. It’s my plan—my mission—to keep them hidden. If I reveal too much, everything we’ve worked for could unravel. I promised soone... soone very important... that I would see this through." Her voice cracked. "And I can’t compromise that promise, Adeline. I just can’t."
Adeline watched the faint moonlight streaming through the window, her mind quiet for a mont as she processed the words. The room felt heavy with the weight of unspoken truths, but oddly, Adeline didn’t feel anger. She felt... aAstrange sense of calm.
"It’s fine," she said quietly, her voice carrying more strength than she felt.
The Goddess choked as if she hadn’t heard correctly. "What?"
"I said it’s fine," Adeline repeated, this ti more firmly. She shifted slightly to ease the ache in her neck. "I trust you."
The Goddess gasped softly, the sound filled with disbelief and emotion.
"You’ve always been there for ," Adeline continued. "You’ve guided
through every step of this strange journey. You’ve helped
in more ways than I can count, even when I didn’t know I needed it. And even though you have your secrets, I know you’re doing it for a reason. For . For... For sothing bigger than I can understand right now."
The Goddess didn’t reply imdiately, and for a mont, Adeline wondered if she’d said sothing wrong. Then, she heard a soft, broken sob.
"Adeline," the Goddess choked out, her voice trembling with emotion. "You... You don’t know how much that ans to . I-I was so scared... When you fell unconscious." Her voice cracked again, and this ti, she didn’t hold back the tears.
Adeline’s eyes widened. She had never heard the Goddess cry before. She had always been so optimistic and so quick to tease her... But this, this was a first.
"I thought I lost you," the Goddess continued, her words spilling out in a rush. "When you fell into that pond, when I saw you bleeding and slipping away, I was terrified. I hope you know that you are not just a person who is there to carry out the mission. You are my dearest, closest friend."
Adeline felt her throat tighten, a lump forming as she listened to the raw pain in the Goddess’s voice. She felt like crying too. The Goddess might have been the only constant in life.
"I’ve seen so many things go wrong," the Goddess admitted. "I’ve watched tilines collapse, people break, stories unravel. But you... You’re the one thing I thought I could hold onto. The one person I could believe in. And when I thought I might lose you, I—" She broke off, sobbing quietly.
Adeline’s chest ached at the sound. She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to comfort the Goddess, to tell her it was okay, but the words felt too small for the mont.
"You’re so strong, Adeline," the Goddess whispered, her voice still shaky. "Stronger than I ever was. You’ve faced so much, and yet you keep going. You inspire
in ways I can’t even put into words. And I’m sorry... I’m so sorry for all the secrets, all the things I can’t tell you. But I promise you, it’s not because I don’t trust you. It’s because I care too much. I can’t risk losing you, not now, not ever."
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