Chapter 35

I was awakened by the music I heard. My eyes were instantly drawn to the clinic’s white wall, which was incandescent due to the abundance of light.

“At long last, you’re awake.” I looked at the side and saw Seven seated in a chair, reading a book. I examined my entire being and discovered that I was still dressed in my uniform. What time was it? How long had I been lying here?

“I need to go. I still have class.” I removed the needles that was attached to my palm and was about to leave the bed when my stomach churned.

Oh no, not today.

I covered my mouth thinking that I could stop myself from throwing up, but I was mistaken; Seven rushed to my aid when he noticed the blood dripping from my mouth.

The nurse beside me was alarmed; the horror on her face was palpable; it appeared as though she had never seen so much blood before.

“Clean out your mouth.” Seven handed me a glass of water and a tiny basin. I began gargling my mouth and spit the water into the basin.

Seven gasped violently, as if unsure what to do with me.

“If this occurs again, if you pass out, if you get into a fight, or if anything else happens, we’re going home.” He snatched the basin from my grasp and passed it over to the nurse. I remained silent because I was tired of arguing. I knew he would say that, and I was sure I wouldn’t say anything if he brought me home, because he also had a point in our altercation last night. If this happened again, I suppose I’d spend the remainder of my days with my mother.

He began cleaning his hands with a wet towel to remove the blood. The sheets, as well as my outfit, were stained with blood. If an uninformed student entered this room, he or she might believe Seven stabbed me. Or perhaps he believed Sev and I had murdered someone.

“You are excused from class for the remainder of the day, since I spoke with your dean. Do you want to go home?” he asked, still cleaning my face. I shook my head and avoided my gaze; I wanted to wait for Pierre; I couldn’t stop thinking about how quickly his heart was beating earlier.

“What are we going to do here?”

“I’m not sure. Perhaps visit a library and read? I’m not ready to go home yet; I’m going to wait for Pierre.” I heard him sigh once more. He had no choice but to listen to me and continue what he was doing.

The nurse reappeared with a new uniform. I didn’t know where she got that from, but it fit me. Identical in size and length. Seven and I just finished eating before leaving the clinic, and as usual, he was right behind me.

Bodyguard, eh?

There were no students in the corridor. They couldn’t go out yet because it was not yet break time. The wind was brisk, and the shade provided by the trees prevented you from feeling the sun’s heat. If I had known how cold it was out here, I might have skipped class every day.

We were met by a deafening quiet upon our arrival in the library. The librarian was softly writing something; she was unaware of our presence until we approached her.

I signed my name in the logbook; everyone who comes here must do so, regardless of whether they were faculty, staff or teachers. After I signed my name, the librarian made no inquiries; she simply stood and watched us enter.

The entire library was flooded with enormous arched windows, and the light from outside served as the room’s sole source of illumination. Outside, I could hear birds chirping, as the window was open to allow air to enter. A few students were present, sitting quietly and reading at the table.

I took a seat on the side near a vacant table. Seven, as expected, did not sit beside me. Perhaps he was still sulking, or perhaps he was simply honoring the privacy he promised me.

I picked up a book from a neighboring shelf; it was a storybook, but was not sure what was it about. The book was already out of date. Its sweet and musky scent was intoxicating to smell.

I spent the entire afternoon reading the book and it had been rather enjoyable thus far. I didn’t feel sleepy because of my desire to finish the book.

“I hate that.” Panicked, I almost flung the book away. My eyes opened as I observed Pierre bringing water in front of me.

“Why are you startling me?” My heart raced; I hadn’t anticipated his arrival. Was it because the library was so calm and he appeared unexpectedly?

“I didn’t. You’re too focused on the book you’re reading there. Everybody looked at me when I came in,” he answered without a tinge of arrogance, staring at my face. His gaze came to a halt on my forehead, where the bandage I was wearing was located.

“I hate seeing you with that,” he said, pointing to the bandage as if it were a speck of dirt on my face. Even I despised seeing myself with this; I was not used to it.

“I didn’t choose to have this one; I already had it when I awoke. Seven stated that my forehead was bleeding earlier.” He didn’t respond, and he examined various parts of my face. Throughout the weeks that passed, there was never a day when he did not do that. I wouldn’t be surprised if he created a statue of me one day.

“How come you didn’t tell me?”

Tell him what? I raised an eyebrow. To the best of my recollection, I had nothing to conceal from him but my condition. Apart from that, nothing more.

Wait, did he know I was going to die soon? Who told him? Seven? Iris? Dean? Who? I had no intention of telling him that. Whatever he was referring to, I hoped it had nothing to do with my sickness.

“Tell you what?” I asked nervously, biting my lip. I attempted to seem serious to avoid looking anxious.

“The first time you slept at my condo and told me you only passed out, Nellie was the one who ordered your team not to catch you. You fell to the ground and passed out. Why didn’t you tell me?” I was taken aback for a while by what he said. How and where did he learn this?

“Where...”

“The guards have already shown me the cctv camera results from that day in the practice hall. Do you really believe I’m going to fall for your lies? The way your eyes moved that day, I could tell you were lying. I conducted my own investigation without your assistance. Baby, why didn’t you tell me? What’s stopping you from telling me?” He didn’t even smile as he said that; the disappointment on his face was palpable; it appeared as though he didn’t like what I did.

“I-I don’t want you to meddle with my life.” I bent down and averted my gaze. It was true, wasn’t it? That was my reason then why I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want them to meddle with my life because I could defend myself. I was certain that I was capable of resolving my own difficulties without the assistance of others. However, why was that? He was causing me to regret hiding it from him. I should have informed him because preventing bullying was part of his job at this school.

“I want to be a part of your life.”

When I heard his pleading voice, I raised my eyes. When I saw his face, it was as if my heart had been torn; his eyes were full with odd emotions. There was anguish, despair, and many more that I couldn’t even name.

“You are a part of my life,” I murmured, my gaze locked on his. He averted his stare, as though unable to stand looking me in the eyes for an extended period of time. My heart wrenched as I considered the possibility that he no longer desired me.

I put the book down and stood up. I came to his side and gently nudged him.

You couldn’t hate me, Pierre.

“Baby...”

I felt him momentarily freeze when he heard his endearment for me. This was the first time I’d addressed him as such, and I was sure he wasn’t expecting it.

There, there, I knew how to get your attention.

Even when I was sitting next to him, he maintained a sideways gaze. I attempted to confront him, but he remained still.

“Why aren’t you looking at me?” I asked, burying my face on his shoulder. I was at loss on what to do.

“Baby, do you hate me now?” My voice was muffled, and I was not even sure if he understood what I said. I waited a few seconds until I heard his heavy sigh.

“Of course not; who am I to hate you?” I felt him move and embrace me. I smiled privately, he couldn’t resist me, eh?

I kissed his jawline and left a small amount of saliva behind. I saw him smile because of what I did.

“You like that, aren’t you?” I teased. His two brows raised and lowered in unison, as though he agreed with what I stated.

“Yes, do it again.”

Oh, this man.

“No, people are watching us.” I merely looked around; I could feel the gazes earlier. I simply disregarded them since I was preoccupied with coaxing Pierre.

“I don’t care; do it again.” I chuckled and kissed his lips. I was going to break the kiss when he caressed my neck, he pressed his lips on mine even deeper.

His eyes were closed, and it appeared as though he had no intention of breaking the kiss, so I cut it with all my effort. I instantly turned to him and confronted him with what he had done.

Dean might scold us for doing this.

“What? Kissing is not a sin,” he innocently stated, continuing licking his lip. I ceased smiling and locked my gaze on him. I shifted my sight away from his enticing eyes and back to the book I had been reading before. Did he think he could seduce me?

Not today, Cardinal.

“What are you doing here? Don’t you have classes?” I inquired, my gaze fixed on the books.

“Miss ma’am, it is break time.” I remained silent and continued reading.

Pierre said his goodbyes and returned to class after a few minutes. I didn’t force him to stay because I desired to go home as well.

Letting him know that I was awake was enough for me.

I sat silently in Seven’s car, as did he who had yet to speak to me. Without saying a word, he started the car and drove away from EastWood.

“What are your plans for Pierre after this?” Seven asked, frowning. What was he referring to?

“What do you mean?”

“What are you going to do with him once you die? It’s fucking obvious that that guy is whipped for you. What will happen to him after you die?”

I was at a loss for an answer.

My heart ached because of what I had just heard. What would happen to Pierre if I left? It was not as if he wouldn’t find someone more attractive than me; there were plenty of girls who were more attractive and would pass his vibe. I never considered what would happen if I died. Now that Seven had brought it up, I was certain I wouldn’t forget it.

What would happen to him? Simply contemplating him having a relationship with another girl made me want to cry. Was it okay for me to be selfish and inform him that I was the only person he could love in this lifetime?

“I’m confident that he will meet another lady who’s better than me in the future. Seven, I’m not the only girl in this planet.” I diverted my gaze and cast a glance out the window.

“It’s not quite that simple, Aurie. If a man truly loves you, no woman will ever be able to take your position as his love of his life. Let’s say he married another woman, but...are you sure he’s interested in that particular girl? Are you sure that he has already moved on from you? What makes you so certain that he no longer cares about you?”

“If Pierre is still interested in me after I died, he won’t marry another woman. I know him well enough to know that he will never hurt an innocent girl for his personal gain. That’s not something he will do.” Having this in mind, I was confident that Pierre was treating me in the manner of a true gentleman should. If he could respect me as a woman, I was confident that he could do the same for others as well, not just for me.

“That is exactly the point. If he still has feelings for you, he will not marry and love someone else. What if, as time passes, he grows to love you even more? He’ll be alone for the rest of his life, Aurie.”

I squeezed my eyes shut to keep the tears from streaming down my cheeks. I was not ready to talk about this yet, but Seven had a valid point; I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that our relationship would come to an end in the near future. Every time I considered the possibility that he would be alone for the rest of his life, I felt heavy. What was I going to do? I didn’t choose to have this condition.

Pierre clouded my mind until we arrived at our home. When I walked into the bedroom, I immediately fell on the bed. My tears, which I had been holding back, had finally come gushing out.

If I had avoided him in the first place, this would not have happened. I should have avoided showing any attachment to him in order to avoid having such a difficult time.

Stupid, Aurie. It was too late to turn back time; Pierre was already madly in love with you.

“Baby, I’m sorry...” I spoke in hushed tones. I sobbed as I recalled how frantic he had been to find out who I was last night. I was curious as to what his reaction would be if he found out that I was already dead. If he found out that this illness was slowly killing me while I was with him.

I buried my face on my pillow and let go of the resentment that had built up inside me. I was willing to sell my soul to Lucifer in order to extend my life and ensure that I could continue to be with Pierre until I reached the age of old. I didn’t care if he burned my soul in the fires of hell. If that’s what it takes to be with him, then I’m willing.