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Chapter 251
~Snow’s POV~
The words Zara said were the most shocking thing I heard. I never even dreamed she was going in that direction when I asked her.
Now I realised just what she meant and why she needed me calm. I stood frozen, my mind struggling to process what Zara had just said.
"I’m a witch."
"And I am reborn."
"It’s my third rebirth."
Her voice had been calm, almost resigned, but the weight of her confession crashed over me like a tidal wave. My pulse thundered in my ears as I replayed her words in my mind, trying to piece together the impossible.
A witch.
Reborn.
Three lives.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I took a step back, my legs suddenly feeling weak.
Every memory I had of her—the first time I met her, the intensity in her eyes when we argued, the unshakeable strength she carried even in the face of danger—came rushing forward, now coloured by this new revelation.
The impromptu marriage, the way she had insisted we wed so suddenly... Had it been because she was running from something or someone?
I recalled the night she went missing. The faint, foreign scent that clung to her when she returned. Her behaviour afterwards. The way she would look at me sometimes as if she carried a burden too heavy for one person to bear.
It all made sense now.
But at the same time, it didn’t.
"Snow?" Zara’s voice broke through my swirling thoughts.
I looked at her, my gaze locking onto hers. Her expression was hesitant, her eyes brimming with a mix of fear and vulnerability.
She was waiting for my reaction, bracing herself for the possibility that I might reject her.
"You’re... serious?" I finally managed to ask.
"Yes," she said simply, managing to keep her voice steady despite the tension radiating from her.
I ran a hand through my hair, turning away as I tried to organize the chaos in my mind. My thoughts felt like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces.
"A witch," I muttered to myself, pacing the room. "And reborn. Three times."
"Yes," she repeated.
I stopped and turned to her, my eyes narrowing. "How come I never noticed your witch powers? Why did you hide that side of you from me? And why now? Why are you telling me this now, Zara?"
Her lips trembled slightly before she drew in a deep breath. "Because I can’t keep hiding it from you, Snow. Not after everything we’ve been through. You deserve to know the truth. I owe you that much."
The sincerity in her voice struck a chord deep within me, but I couldn’t stop the torrent of questions swirling in my mind.
"You’ve been keeping this from everyone... from me," I said, my voice sharper than I intended. "How am I... I asked you, Zara. I asked you on different occasions to talk to me. But you hid from me that my wife—the woman I thought I knew—has lived three lives and... and is also a witch."
She flinched at my words, but she didn’t look away.
"I didn’t tell you because I was afraid," she explained. "Afraid of how you’d react. Afraid you’d see me as a monster."
"A monster?" I repeated, the word cutting through my frustration. "Do I look like an inconsiderate bastard? Zar, I would never..."
She held her palm. "Yes, you may." Her gaze dropped to her hands. "Being a witch isn’t exactly celebrated in our world, Snow. Especially after what some witches have done. Besides, I found that part out about me recently. And rebirth... it’s not natural. It’s not something people understand, let alone accept. I understood that too, recently."
Her words hit me hard, and I felt a pang of guilt for my initial reaction.
I stepped closer, my tone softening. "Zara... I would never call you a monster. I have no problems with your powers. I am just concerned. And shocked and..." I sighed. I needed to stop saying rubbish, right?
"I’m sorry, love. I... I was insensitive and insane in my reaction. Please, forgive me."
"I don’t know what to say."
My chest rose and fell and I raked my hand through my hair. When I looked at her again, I knew I needed to use a different approach quickly.
"Better not screw this up, Snow," Glacier warned.
"Please, can you tell me why? Why were you reborn? What happened?"
Inhaling deeply, she suggested we sit but I shook my head, deciding it was something better. I also needed her relaxed and a way to assure her that I wasn’t the jerk face of just now.
Yeah, I was hurt she hid from me but more hurt that I lashed out stupidly when she was in her vulnerable state of opening her secrets.
Trust was more than just loving. I needed to show her she could trust me.
And now, she was telling me everything, opening the door to a past I couldn’t have imagined.
I tightened my grip on her hand and met her gaze. "Zara, I need you to tell me everything. Every detail. Please don’t hold back anymore. It hurts me to think you’ve been carrying this alone, with no one to share it with."
Her lips trembled, but she nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Okay..."
I shifted, pulling her closer until she was cradled against my chest. Her head rested on my shoulder, and I felt the faint tremor in her body as she began.
"In my first life," she started, her voice barely above a whisper, "I fell in love with Ivan. He wasn’t always the monster he is now. Back then, he was kind, attentive... everything I thought I wanted. Though it was all my delusion."
My jaw tightened at the mention of Ivan, but I stayed silent, letting her continue.
"We got married," she said, her voice faltering. "But it didn’t take long for things to change. He became cold and manipulative. And then there was Clarissa."
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