There Is No Paradise Where I Ran Away To (14 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 96

I had pondered for a long time and finally made up my mind. I was even certain he wouldn’t refuse me. All that remained for me to let go of was my last shred of pride. And I had to ask myself this question too:

Was my body worth exchanging for Charlotte’s freedom?

I asked myself countless times and finally arrived at an answer:

It was a deal only possible because it was Edwin.

If it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have even considered stepping directly onto the negotiation table.

But now, precisely because I knew Edwin, I could willingly step up to that table.

He desired something from me, and I desired something from him—it was essentially an exchange. And because I trusted him, knowing he would handle things more carefully and delicately than anyone else, I chose this utterly absurd deal.

Vivian, who had barely slept all night, was drawn from her bed by the faint bluish light of dawn filtering through the curtains. When she flung the curtains open, the stark chill of a winter morning blanketed the garden before her eyes.

With a dazed expression, Vivian stared out at the frosty window and wondered:

Why was I rejected?

No matter how many times she replayed their encounter from last evening in her mind, she couldn’t find a reason for Edwin’s refusal. He had boldly claimed that even if she kicked and screamed, he would take her if he wanted her—but now that the very situation he’d wished for had arrived, he’d turned away instead.

“I’ll let Charlotte out of prison in exchange for you.”

“Think carefully, Vivian. Is Charlotte really worth that much to you?”

“Yes. I’m refusing the deal.”

“So don’t ever bring up that nonsense again.”

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