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nThis man was crazy! That's the only thing that came to Nicole's mind. She already let him see her exact situation, her biggest secret. He should already be running far away from her yet he was standing here saying the devil should be the one to suffer!

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"You are crazy! Do you even know how serious this matter is?! It's a situation of life and death. You should -

"

nNicole instantly shut her mouth. No, no one was interrupting her. It's the darkness! There must be a power outage.

nAll at once, her hands started shivering and just a few seconds was needed for her whole body to followed suit. She was paralyzed. She stood still in her place, frozen.

nIt's dark and Aston couldn't see anything but he was amazed by her sudden quietness.

"Nicole, is something wrong?

" He asked but when he heard the sound of her heavy breathing, he quickly turned on his phone light. Then he saw her shivering and barely breathing as if someone choked her. He didn't know why she was suddenly like this! Did she had an illness?!

nPanicked, he wasn't even sure of what to do but he saw her condition getting more severe. He holds her and led her to the bed. Then he makes her sit down.

nWhat should he do? He had no knowledge of medicines! Then he felt her hands on his wrist, grabbing him tightly. With a little light provided by his phone, he could see the sweat forming in her forehead.

"This is not good. We should go to the hospital.

" He uttered and tried to carry her but she tightened her grip on his wrist. She didn't want to go? What's the meaning of this?!

nThen fortunately, the lights returned, lighting up the whole room. Now, he could see her clearly but he was still overwhelmed by anxiety! What if she gets worse?

nMuch to Aston's surprise, her breathing started to be normal, gradually. Her body that shivered non-stop just seconds ago was now in control but it still took minutes to be normal again. She slowly loosened her grip on his wrist and finally, she withdrew her hand.

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"Are you fine now? What happened?

" He asked, puzzled but she was still trying to stabilize her breathing. He was also still holding her with his one hand, observing her worriedly.

nWhat just happened? He tried to concentrate, hoping to figure out the reason. Then one thing suddenly crossed his mind. It's the light! She was like that because the room was dark! She had nyctophobia!

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"I'm fine now,

" Nicole muttered, still breathing in and out continuously. Whenever she was in the dark, she could rarely bring herself to talk! It's like her voice was gone for that period!

n

"You are afraid of the dark?

" Aston asked. His heart pained at her pale face! Less than three minutes and she looked like a completely different person!

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"You end up witnessing my weakness again,

" Nicole murmured.

nAston sighed and take out his handkerchief. He gently wiped away her sweat for her.

"Are you in that much pain? When did you start fearing the dark?

" He asked.

nHis voice was so calm and patient that Nicole couldn't brush him off. Her heart conquered her mind once again.

n

"How long have you been living like this, Nicole?

" Aston added when Nicole kept quiet. He put away his handkerchief and bend his knees before her to have a clear look at her face.

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"Fifteen years,

" Nicole whispered.

"My life turned to hell ever since my father died. When I was first locked up in a room with no light at all, I was 10. Since then, it happened often and my trauma started.

"

nAston tried his best to remain calm, at least on the outside. He was already boiling with anger on the inside! Just how much did she suffer? Fifteen years?! Hell must be an understatement!

n

"Why? Why did she do that? This is not right.

" Aston argued. How can that woman be a Minister of Justice?! How ridiculous!

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"Punishment. That's what she called but her main aim was to instill obedience and fear in my mind.

" She indeed succeeded. She refrained from saying these three words.

nHe holds her hand with his one hand while he tightly clenched the other. He barely stopped himself from gritting his teeth!

"Why did you just endure? Someone step over you with having no right.

" He asked.

n

"I was 10, Aston. Just a child who could be easily exploited. There was no one to help me and all I could do was endure. By the time I reached the legal age, she already has full control over me by her cruel methods and fears that she planted on me.

" Nicole scoffed but it was a way of mocking herself.

"I'm so weak. That's why.

"

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"No.

" Aston promptly disagreed with her statement.

"You already endured 15 years, Nicole. Fifteen years!

" He repeated.

"A weak person will never be able to endure for that long. You can hold on because you're strong.

"

nSomehow, his words warm up Nicole's heart. She met his gaze and she didn't expect what she saw. She thought that he would look at her with pity but he didn't!

nPain. That's what she saw in his ocean blue eyes. Did her sad life pained him that much?!

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"After fifteen years, I finally decided to stop enduring. I made up my mind to break free from her. I plan to wage a war between us. That's why I couldn't let anything hold me back.

" Nicole paused, recalling what Garcia Han said.

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"You heard her, right? Love is a weakness for me. She was right when she said that. That's why I keep on asking you to give up on me. You make me wavered again and again. I don't like that.

" She closed her eyes, thinking of the past.

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"If she knows about you, she will come after you. She will do everything to get rid of you from my life. That's why I said not seeing each other is for the best. I don't want you to be hurt. I don't want you to get entangled in my misfortunes. You don't deserve it but you never listened to me!

" Nicole said to Aston who was listening to her attentively. The tone of her voice was raised again and again yet it was pleading.

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"You don't deserve to suffer either, Nicole. The one who should suffer is her.

" Aston said as he stood up.

"You will not suffer again.

" He firmly said.

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"What do you mean? You should not get involved. She won't hesitate to get rid of you.

" Nicole argued. She lifted her head to look at him.

n

"And so do I,

" Aston grunted. Right now, he was even willing to go against his late best friend's wish! He was convinced that she was worth it.

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"Aston Kang, what is on your mind? Are you also thinking of killing her?

" Nicole snapped.

"Are you crazy?!

" She exclaimed. What's wrong with Leon and Aston?! One was a potter and one was a famous actor but they seemed like a different person these days!

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"Yes, I am. I already told you that you drive me crazy the last time I came here.

" Aston's voice was unyielding. Now that he had known her story, he had no plan to back down again, no matter how much she pressured him!

nHe saw her struggling for words yet he was quite thankful. It was not easy for her too! She wants him like he wants her!

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"I will stand by your side, Nicole. You can fight the war as you planned and I will protect you from the shadow. I can be your shield and you can rely on me if things are hard.

" Aston declared with all seriousness.

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"I never feared death but I'm afraid of losing you. No matter how dangerous it is, I don't care so please, let me be with you. Please don't push me away anymore.

" He added.

nNicole let out a breath. The urge to give in was so much that she felt like she would soon be the one to went crazy!

"What would I do with you, Aston Kang?

" She murmured and narrowed her eyes at the floor.

nAston bends his knees again and looked at her face. There was something different in her and he knew it right away. Holding both of her upper arms, he narrowed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. Nicole's eyes grew wide open at his action!

nHe waited for a while to know if she would struggle but she didn't and a smile plastered his face. A smile of relief and happiness. He made her placed her chin on his shoulder and gently caressed her hair.

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"I'm sorry for not noticing your suffering, Nicole. But you are not alone anymore. I will help you punish her and I will always be there for you.

" He calmly whispered to her.....

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