Chapter 143: Names
"Sol?" Ivan repeated, then shrugged his shoulders, "I don’t know....who is it?"
"So you’re telling me that you don’t know the person whose name you’ve been calling out repeatedly in your sleep while burying your face in my bosom?" she asked in a clipped tone.
Ivan’s eyes widened at her words, completely snapping him out of his sleepy haze. He racked his brain, trying to recall if he had ever met or even heard of anyone by that name. When he couldn’t think of anyone, he said, "I don’t know anyone with that name."
Evelyn stared at him, silent fury simmering beneath her calm facade as she studied his face for any hint of deception. But when she saw the sincerity in his expression, her anger gave way to confusion.
"Then...why were you calling out that name? Also, it’s not the first time," she pressed, her voice tight with uncertainty. "You’ve called out that name before as well. Tell me, Ivan...are you lying to me?"
Ivan was completely dumbfounded at the current situation. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, calling out the name of someone he didn’t even know? What was he supposed to tell her?! He knew there was no easy way out of this situation except through honesty.
"Baby, why would I lie to you?" he said gently. "I honestly don’t know anyone by that name. I’ve never met such a person, I swear on my family’s name."
Ivan slid his hand around her waist and gently tugged her closer until there was no space left between them. He started showering her with soft kisses on her forehead, cheeks, and nose as he murmured, "Please believe me, I don’t know anyone by that name...I would never lie to you, Eve."
His molten eyes looked at her earnestly, pleading for her trust as his hand moved soothingly along her back, hoping to calm her rising fury.
Eve regarded him with keen eyes. Normally, she would have melted under his touch, but this time, she forced herself to stay composed, to scrutinize him instead of giving in. If Ivan was telling the truth, then just who is that person, and why has he been repeatedly calling out that person’s name?
When Ivan noticed her silence, he spoke again, his voice almost desperate, "Eve...please believe me. I’m really not lying."
Eve left out an exasperated sigh and murmured under her breath, "Why are there so many mysteries around us? I don’t get it."
"I know..." Ivan said quietly. "Hopefully, we’ll figure it out with time." He pressed his lips together, then asked carefully, "So...you’re not mad at me anymore?"
Eve sighed once more, her expression softened, "How can I be mad at you for something even you don’t know about?"
"That’s enough for me," Ivan murmured before leaning in again to capture her lips in a deep, all-consuming kiss. And Eve finally melted into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, silently urging him closer.
When Ivan felt her growing breathless, he reluctantly released her lips, only to trail his mouth along her jawline, then lower to the delicate curve of her neck. As he pressed soft kisses there, he felt her shiver and heard a quiet moan escape her lips.
Delighted by her reaction, he was about to proceed further until a sudden memory flashed in his mind, making him pause mid-motion. The frown that appeared on his face broke the moment. He remembered it vividly now, her voice uttering a name in her sleep that night he stayed in her room after the drugging incident.
He pulled back slightly, his molten gaze shadowed by a flicker of suspicion.
Now it was his turn to narrow his eyes at her. Eve blinked, confusion crossing her face as she caught his sudden shift in demeanor. "What?" she asks breathlessly.
Ivan held her gaze, his voice low but edgy, "Who is Kai?"
Eve’s eyes grew wide as her heart skipped a beat. Hearing that Ivan’s gaze intensified at her, which made her throat go dry. She swallowed hard before asking, "H-How do-"
"How do I know?" Ivan finished for her, to which she gave him a slow, reluctant nod.
"Why? Was I not supposed to know?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Well..." she pressed her lips together, her words flattering when his intense stare hardened into a glare, forcing her to bite back whatever she was about to say.
She cleared her throat and parted her lips again to speak, but before she could, Ivan leaned forward, gripping her chin; he pulled her close until their faces were just inches apart.
"You better not lie to me, my Eve," he warned in his deceptively soft voice, "because I will know and when I do...it won’t be good..."
Eve pursed her lips before she let out a quiet sigh, "I wasn’t planning to lie, Ivan," she said gently. "I was just...surprised that you knew about something related to my dream."
The air between them grew thick, suffocating. His glare didn’t waver, and she could practically feel the jealousy simmering beneath the surface, the thought of her dreaming about another man only fueling the fire in his molten eyes.
Knowing he was moments away from losing his temper, Eve met his gaze head-on. She took a deep breath, recalling the man named Kai from her dreams.
She then finally parted her lips to speak.
"Kai is someone I’ve never met in my life," Eve began softly. "But I’ve seen only a glimpse of him in my dreams. When I first came to this academy, I used to dream about this mysterious man shrouded in mist. I’ve never seen his face, and he’s never spoken to me. I’ve only ever seen his eyes."
She paused, hesitating for a moment as she debated whether to share the next part. Biting her lip, she decided to come clean. She didn’t want something like this to cause any misunderstanding between them.
"His eyes...are similar to yours, Ivan..." she admitted quietly.
She saw his eyes subtly widen at the new revelation, though he said nothing. For a moment, the room fell into heavy silence as they stared at each other.
Finally, Ivan broke the silence. He asked in a quiet voice, "How do you know his name is Kai if he’s never spoken to you?"
"I...I’ve never thought about it," she murmured. "But in my dreams, I’m always calling him that. I-I don’t know why I do it." Her eyes darted between his, searching for understanding as she tried to explain herself.
Ivan knew Eve wasn’t lying, yet he was still taken aback by her revelation of this mysterious man with eyes like his. He couldn’t help but wonder just what connection, if any, existed between them.
"Do you...believe me?" she asked anxiously when he remained silent.
Ivan released a slow breath, "Yes...as strange as all of this is, I still believe you, Eve."
She released a sigh of relief and smiled at him.
But Ivan gently lifted her chin and whispered against her lips, "Still, I’d prefer if you didn’t dream of any other man but me. You’re mine."
His words sent a delicious shiver down her spine, and Ivan saw how her eyes dilated before she melted into another searing kiss.
The following days passed by quickly. Classes were in full swing, but one thing had changed; every spare moment Eve and Ivan found between lectures, they simply couldn’t keep their hands off each other. By now, there wasn’t a single quiet corner or secluded spot left untouched where they hadn’t been tangled up in each other. They didn’t know if it was the stress of the upcoming trip to Dartmouth or the irresistible pull between them, or both, which led them to devour each other with passion.
In the expansive library filled with rows of intricately carved teakwood shelves that had withstood the test of time, Cece was returning her issued books when Edward, who happened to be leaving at the same time, noticed her.
"Cece!"
She halted in her tracks as Edward neared her, "I didn’t know you were here."
"I was studying for one of the assignments," Edward replied. "I thought I’d take a break and grab some lunch."
"I was just studying for one of the assignments. I thought I should take a break to get some lunch."
"I see. Well, I was about to head there myself," Cece said.
"Oh, then let me join you!" Edward said eagerly, his eyes brightening.
Cece smiled, "Please do. Anyway, I don’t think Evelyn will be joining me today."
"Right! Where are both of them?" Edward asked, glancing around.
Cece rolled her eyes, "Who knows? Probably disappeared into some corner again. Ugh, I don’t even want to imagine it."
Edward barked a laugh as they headed towards the dining hall.
But what Cece said wasn’t far from the truth. On the second floor, behind the last set of library racks, Eve stood before one of the shelves, her blue eyes scanning the rows of books. After a moment, she raised her hand and pointed at one of them.
"This one?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
