By six-thirty in the evening, Hades was already at the Monteverde residence to pick up Evadne for their first official dinner date.
All week, Evadne had been in turmoil over the strange and sudden shift in Hades's behavior, especially toward her.
And what disturbed her more was the realization that not being able to hear his thoughts wasn't a glitch. Since Tuesday, and up to this very moment, his mind had remained completely silent to her.
He was waiting in the living room, chatting calmly with her father when she descended the stairs beside her mother.
The moment he saw her, his face lit up. He stood immediately and walked toward the base of the stairs to greet her, eyes gleaming with something she couldn't place.
"You look gorgeous," he said with a warm smile, handing her a bouquet of yellow roses before pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"Thank you. You look… fine as well," Evadne replied with a small nod.
"Apologies, Hades," Cielo chuckled. "It's incredibly rare to get praise from our daughter. That 'you look fine' is already high praise."
"Mommy," Evadne muttered in protest, but her parents only laughed.
"Don't worry, Mommy," Hades added playfully. "I'll gladly take a 'you look clean' any day."
Evadne glared at him subtly, almost scowling when he called her parents Mommy and Daddy. She remembered clearly, back when they first met, that he never once thought of calling them that, even when her mother insisted. And now he was doing it freely, like it came naturally.
Soon after, they said their goodbyes and headed out.
"So instead of Japanese or Italian," Hades began as his car rolled past the Monteverde gates, "I found this new floating restaurant. It's beautiful. Great ambiance, and they specialize in seafood. The lobsters are amazing. Is that okay with you?"
"Sure, everything's fine," Evadne said softly.
"And don't worry," he added with a glance at her from the corner of his eye. "The seafood, especially the lobsters, are fresh."
Evadne didn't respond. She stared out the window, deep in thought.
Moments later, her phone buzzed with a message.
It was from Casadin.
Prince Charming Casadin: Okay.
That was all he said.
She had texted him earlier, just before coming down the stairs, letting him know she was leaving for dinner with Hades. It had taken him ten full minutes to reply with a single word.
Casadin had been acting differently lately, cold and distant, and his thoughts betrayed him. She could hear the jealousy, the quiet resentment in the way he processed Hades's every move.
Lately, she had to consciously avoid listening to Casadin's thoughts. Because he was hurting. And she was the reason.
She sighed heavily.
"Everything okay?" Hades asked.
"It's fine," Evadne answered without even glancing his way.
A few minutes later, they were seated in a private floating cottage. Their table was lavish but quiet, the setting romantic without being overbearing. The food had been served, and Hades was casually filling her plate, attempting light conversation.
"Vee, don't you like the food?" he finally asked, concern slipping into his voice.
Evadne looked up and met his gaze. Then she sighed again.
"Do you also plan to take revenge on me," she asked bluntly, "like you're doing with Selena… and the rest of your friends?"
Hades froze. The question clearly caught him off guard.
"Revenge?" he repeated. "Why would I ever do that to you?"
"Because you're acting so… different lately." Her voice was low but firm. "You don't argue with me anymore. You're being too nice. Like you're trying too hard."
She stared him down, eyes searching for a flicker of his usual edge, the sharp sarcasm, the games, the coldness.
"Even though I never understood why you hated me back then," Evadne began, her voice steady but cold, "at least I appreciated that you showed it. You didn't hide it. You fought me openly. Unlike now."
She looked him dead in the eye.
"Now you smile so sweetly. I'd rather fight you head-on than get stabbed in the back."
"Vee…" Hades started, but she cut him off sharply.
"That's another thing. You call me Vee like you mean it."
Hades immediately reached out and held her hand, his grip firm yet trembling ever so slightly. Panic flickered in his eyes, a rare crack in his usual composure.
"Because I do like calling you Vee," he said quietly. "Don't you like it? If it bothers you, I'll stop. I don't want you upset with me." He raised her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles.
But she pulled it back like his touch burned her.
"I don't understand you," she snapped. "What are you playing at, Hades? Yes, I told you to act like this when our parents are around. But we're alone now. There's no one watching. You don't have to pretend that you like me."
"I'm not pretending," Hades said immediately, his voice firmer now. "I like you."
Evadne's brows furrowed even deeper.
"Stop lying. And stop playing with me like this." Her tone was low, but Hades saw it, the hurt in her eyes, masked as anger. The accusation of betrayal.
He stood up abruptly, walked toward her, and without hesitation, dropped to his knees in front of her. He grabbed her hands, even as she tried to pull them away. He wouldn't let go.
"I'm not lying," he said again, more earnestly this time. "And I'm not playing with you." He kissed her hand once more, holding her gaze. "If you don't believe me, read my mind. You always could. You'll know it's true."
"I can't," Evadne said, almost too quickly.
"I'm not even reciting All Things Bright and Beautiful in my head anymore." His voice trembled slightly, searching her expression. "I stopped doing that. I stopped blocking you. If you want to read my mind now, you can. You'll see the truth, I like you. I want to end the deal and make this real. That's what I've been trying to do. So read me. If it'll give you peace, read it."
"I can't," she said again, louder this time.
"Why not?" Hades asked, alarmed now. "If you could, you'd know I'm not lying."
"Because I can't hear you anymore," she finally admitted, her voice breaking at the edges.
Hades froze. "What?"
"I don't know what happened," Evadne continued. "I can still read everyone else. Even Casadin, my anchor, I can hear him just fine. But you?" She shook her head. "You're the only one I can't hear. And it terrifies me."
Hades stared at her, speechless.
"I hate the way you smile at me," she confessed. "Because it's the same smile you give Cieryl. And I know for a fact you're just playing with her. The same way you're playing with your friends. I know you're planning something, revenge, payback, whatever it is, and I get that. I even understand it."
Her voice cracked then.
"But this? You acting like this toward me? I don't understand it. We hated each other. And that was simple. That was safe. But now… now you're making me question everything, and I don't like it."
A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.
She wiped it away quickly, but Hades saw.
His eyes widened in alarm. He immediately pulled out a handkerchief and gently dabbed her cheek, his touch uncharacteristically tender.
"Baby, I'm sorry," he whispered, words that made Evadne gasp.
"Hades, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice trembling. "You can't do this. We had a deal. You like Cieryl. I like Casadin. We agreed on that the very first day. I offered you that deal because I thought it would keep things from getting complicated once we eventually walk away. But now you're changing everything."
Her voice cracked.
"You can't hate me one day and then suddenly like me the next. We had a deal. And you're breaking it. You're ruining me and Casadin."
"I don't want that deal anymore," Hades said softly.
He reached again to wipe the fresh tears from her eyes, but this time she caught his hand mid-air, holding it there. Her gaze locked onto his, full of betrayal, confusion, and disbelief.
"I want you, Evadne," he said, voice rough. "We've always belonged to each other, anyway. I want you back. I love you."
And then he kissed her.
Evadne froze.
Hades had never imagined a kiss could feel like this. Her lips were soft, hesitant, but warm. Everything felt right. When he felt her respond, even just a little, something inside him nearly shattered. He deepened the kiss instinctively.
But just as quickly, he felt the sharp sting.
Evadne bit his lower lip, hard enough to draw blood.
Hades hissed in pain.
A sharp slap followed.
"I'm going home. I'll take a cab," she said coldly, standing up.
She grabbed her bag and stormed toward the exit without a second glance.
"Vee, baby, wait, " Hades tried to go after her, but a waiter blocked his path.
"Sir, you haven't settled your bill yet."
Evadne didn't even look back.
She exited just as a taxi pulled up and its passengers stepped out. She climbed in.
"Where to, ma'am?" the older driver asked.
"Club Nirvana, please," she replied.
By the time Hades made it out of the restaurant, the taxi had already vanished into traffic.
Her phone kept ringing, Hades, over and over, but she didn't answer. After the fifth call, she turned it off completely.
Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at Club Nirvana.
It was her first time here. Casadin had promised to take her once, but never followed through. She didn't even know why she'd come. All she knew was that she needed to see him, needed to.
She wasn't even sure if he was here tonight.
She walked through the club's double doors, and the music hit her like a wave. Lights pulsed. Bodies danced. The party was in full swing.
She approached the bar, heart pounding.
"Excuse me," she said to the bartender. "Is Casadin here?"
The bartender paused, blinking at the sight of her, as if he couldn't believe who he was looking at.
She shifted, growing self-conscious. "Is Casadin here?" she repeated.
"Yes, ma'am. Upper floor. Left wing, last private room," he said.
"Thank you."
Without hesitation, she made her way up the stairs and down the hallway. Loud music leaked from the private rooms, but one in particular echoed with laughter and chatter.
She pushed the door open.
Another party was happening inside, smaller, more exclusive.
At the corner table, she spotted Amanda, Bea, Delvin, and Flynn. All four were watching something in the center of the room with unimpressed expressions, their thoughts clear to her like background noise.
This is pathetic.
I swear, I'm going to slap him.
That girl is dead. I'm going to rip her extensions out.
And then Evadne saw what they were all glaring at.
In the center of the room, surrounded by a small group of strangers, stood Casadin.
Kissing another woman.
"Vee!" Flynn shouted as soon as he noticed her standing at the door.
Everyone turned.
Casadin froze mid-kiss.
His eyes met hers, and widened in horror.
"Princess!" Casadin shoved the girl away from him in a sudden panic, like he had just come to his senses.
Evadne stood frozen in the doorway.
She didn't know whether to stay… or run.
"What the hell, Casadin?!" the girl he had been kissing snapped, clearly offended.
Evadne's eyes darted between Casadin and the woman, confusion, pain, disbelief swirling behind her lashes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper before turning and walking out of the room.
"Fuck, bro!" Delvin's voice cut through the tension, snapping Casadin out of his daze.
Casadin bolted out of the private room and caught up to her just before she reached the staircase. He grabbed her wrist, firmly, but not forcefully.
"Let's talk," he said, his voice cold and controlled, though his mind was anything but.
His thoughts were frantic, loud, and spiraling.
How would he explain this?
That it was just a dare?
That he only did it because seeing her with Hades was unbearable?
That he had been dying inside, helpless and seething, because he couldn't do anything while Hades took his girl on a damn date?
He gently but insistently led her to his office, one of the few quiet places inside Club Nirvana.
The room was spacious, refined, yet laced with a rebellious edge. It screamed Casadin.
Leather. Metal. Dark woods. Heavy scents of whiskey and cologne.
And on the desk, framed carefully among the mess of papers and gadgets, was a photo of the two of them, Evadne and Casadin. Taken on that they in Adventureland. The day he saved her, without even knowing she needed saving.
The same day Hades tried to break her, when he still hated her.
"I'm not even sure if I should offer you a drink," Casadin muttered, voice laced with bitterness. "Since I'm guessing you came here straight from your date with Hades."
There it was, the accusation.
And beneath it, pain. So much pain, raw and sharp. Evadne could hear it even if he didn't say it aloud.
She stood with her back to him, struggling with her own guilt, shame, and confusion.
"Hades confessed to me," she finally said, her voice trembling.
Casadin stilled.
Evadne turned to face him slowly.
"He said he wanted to end the deal. He wanted to make it real," she confessed, eyes locked on his.
Casadin was frozen. Every muscle in his body rigid. His fists clenched.
"He kissed me," she whispered. "And… and I think I kissed him back."
A tear slid down her cheek.
"And I felt so guilty that I did. So I left him… and I came here."
It shouldn't have been a big deal.
They had agreed from the beginning, there might be kisses, there might be moments. The deal was supposed to be free of complications.
But this, her guilt, this changed everything.
If she felt guilty, then it meant something.
"Are you mad at me?" she asked softly.
Casadin wanted to say no.
He wanted to hold her, to wipe her tears, to take away that wounded look in her eyes.
But he couldn't move. His knees were shaking. He was barely holding it together.
Instead, he asked, "Did you feel angry when you saw me kissing that girl?"
Evadne shook her head.
And Casadin snapped.
"Why not?!" His voice rose, cracking with rage. "Do you have any idea how fucking furious I am right now?! Just thinking about you going on a date with him?! Him kissing you?! You kissing him back?!"
He was shouting now.
"Do you know how badly I wanted to find out where you were having dinner, just so I could show up and smash that asshole's face in?!"
He was shaking, fists balled at his sides.
"So why, why aren't you mad?! Why aren't you screaming at me?! Slapping me?! Anything?!"
Tears flooded Evadne's eyes as she stared at him.
"Because I know you're hurting," she whispered, voice cracking. "You're hurting… and it's my fault. I'm sorry."
Casadin closed the distance between them in a heartbeat.
"Why are you apologizing?" he rasped, gripping her shoulders tightly, trembling with emotion. "Why the hell are you the one saying sorry? I'm the one who cheated. I'm the one who messed up tonight. So why are you sorry?!"
Casadin pulled Evadne into a tight, desperate embrace.
"Princess… I'll forgive you," he whispered, his voice trembling as he buried his face in her shoulder. "I'll forgive you, as long as you tell me that kiss meant nothing. That you're not guilty for kissing him back. Just say it… and I'll forgive you. Please."
But she didn't say anything.
She just cried.
Not the kind of crying she did when she wanted to get Hades in trouble. This was real. Raw. Heartbreaking.
"Princess, please," Casadin choked out, tears finally falling. "Just lie to me. Just this once. Just lie, please."
Still, she didn't.
"I'm sorry," Evadne sobbed against him, her voice shaking. "I can't keep hurting you. I don't want to hurt you anymore."
Casadin pulled back slightly, just enough to look her in the eyes.
"What are you saying?" he asked, but in truth, he already knew. Deep inside, he already understood what those words meant.
"I'm sorry for being selfish," she whispered. "I'm sorry for making you stay beside me even though I can't choose you. I'm sorry for taking advantage of your love. I'm sorry for taking so much from you… for making you do so much for me."
Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and Casadin could barely breathe through the ache building in his chest.
"No. Stop. No!" His voice cracked. "Princess, just lie to me! That's all you have to do! Just lie, and everything will be fine! Just lie!"
But instead, she wiped her tears… and smiled.
That broken, soft kind of smile that shattered him more than any truth ever could.
Then she leaned in and kissed him, just at the edge of his lips. A kiss filled with goodbye.
"I'm returning your heart to you," Evadne whispered. "I don't want to hold it anymore. I don't want to break it further. I wanted to say I hope we can still be friends… but that would be selfish of me. Goodbye, Casadin Sinclair."
She turned and walked past him.
But Casadin couldn't let her go.
"No!" he cried out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back into his arms from behind. He hugged her tightly, desperately, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
"Let's forget tonight happened, okay? Princess… let's just pretend it never happened. I'm not letting you go."
His voice cracked, raw with emotion.
"I'm sorry for getting angry. I'm sorry for getting hurt. You can break my heart into a million pieces, but you can't return it to me. I won't accept it."
He turned her to face him, cupping her tear-stained cheeks gently. His thumbs brushed away the tears, and he gave her a trembling smile.
"I think you're just stressed," he said quietly, almost like trying to convince himself. "You're under so much pressure with the upcoming community immersion… and the school workload. Let's take a deep breath, okay? Okay, Princess?"
He forced himself to sound steady. Normal.
"Did you really take a cab to get here?" he asked, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I was supposed to bring you here after the immersion. I planned a party for you… I just didn't want to mess with your schedule. I knew how much you needed rest after school."
He tried to laugh, but his voice was hollow. His heart was breaking in silence.
"For now," he said softly, "I'll ask Amanda and Bea to take you home, okay? Just rest. Let's forget about tonight."
He leaned in and kissed her forehead… then her eyes… then her lips. But she didn't respond. She didn't move. Her tears just kept falling.
"Stop crying…" he whispered brokenly. "I'm sorry for making you cry."
Once again, he wiped her tears. Then, masking the devastation clawing at him, he threw his arm around her shoulders like he always did. Like nothing was wrong.
And led her out of the room.
Amanda, Bea, Flynn, and Delvin were all waiting just outside, their faces tight with concern. They had heard everything.
"Mandy, B…" Casadin said, smiling like his world wasn't crumbling. "Can you take Vee home? She's tired. She needs to rest."
The girls nodded, gently moving to either side of Evadne. They didn't say anything. They didn't need to. The pain on Casadin's face, the silence from Evadne, said everything.
As they led her away, Casadin stood there.
Still smiling.
But his hands were clenched so tightly they were shaking.
And the only thing louder than the pounding music from the club… was the sound of his heart breaking.