Chapter 16: Chapter 16
“Break up with him.” Willow insisted. “Do it today.”
Elena sighed and rubbed her face, tiredly sitting on the grass in Willow’s garden. “I can’t break up with Steph,” she sighed.
“You keep holding on to him, but you don’t need him at all. He doesn’t treat you well, Elena. Please listen to me,” Willow urged. She held a cup of freshly brewed tea in her hands, taking a sip as she watched her friend attentively.
Willow had moved in with Mark a while ago and now lived farther away from New York than before, but her home was still easily reachable for Elena. Their house was cozy, situated at the edge of a small town. The forest wasn’t far away; the perfect place to live for werewolves.
Elena stared down at her teacup and watched the water ripple when she dipped it a little. “You know how difficult my situation is—and I owe him too much,” she explained.
“Did he tell you that?”
Elena didn’t answer.
“I never liked Steph from the moment I first met him. If he truly cared about you, he wouldn’t have ripped your favorite flowers to pieces. Normal boyfriends don’t do that,” Willow continued. She was stubborn because she could tell that Elena needed a push to change her life.
“But when I break up with him, he might…” Elena trailed off, biting her lip. “I know that he isn’t the kindest person, and his outbursts can be scary, but…”
“His outbursts?” Willow said, setting her teacup down on the grass. “He yells at you? Does he do other things too?” she asked carefully.
“Sometimes,” Elena breathed as she cast her empty gaze on a large willow tree near the forest.
“Oh Elena, why haven’t you told me?” Willow whispered and moved to hug her friend. She let Elena lean against her soft body, and once she felt her relaxing her tense muscles, Willow gently brushed over her hair. “You don’t owe this man anything, no matter what he tells you. It’s your life, and you have to live it the way you want. If you don’t feel comfortable around him, you have to leave.”
“I’m afraid,” Elena answered quietly. Her chin rested on Willow’s shoulder while she watched the tree branches swaying in the wind.
“Of what?”
“I think something bad will happen when I tell him I want to break up.”
“What if you don’t tell him? Pack your bags and go, that way he can’t stop you nor follow you,” Willow said.
“He would find me because he knows where my shop is.”
“Right, that’s true,” Willow sighed. “And your soulmate? What if you ask him for help? From what you’ve told me about him, he values you. I personally find it very cute that he gifted you flowers.”
A pang went through Elena’s heart at the thought of Ryder. Her face fell. She moved away from Willow, ending the hug they had shared. Nervously brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear, she avoided Willow’s curious eyes.
“I won’t see him anymore.” It was hard to vocalize. The unexplainable pain in her chest grew. She felt miserable; she had been feeling that way ever since they had parted ways. Why did it bother her so much? He was a vampire; she shouldn’t miss him.
Her words were followed by a long silence. Willow’s golden eyes darkened, and Elena could have sworn she heard a low growl from her direction.
“You won’t see him anymore? Why?” Willow asked.
“I’m terrified around him. I just can’t help it. I keep thinking he will drink my blood just like…” her voice broke, and her surroundings blurred. “It’s so stupid, but I can’t get it out of my head.”
“No soulmate would ever hurt their other half intentionally. It goes against all logic and reason,” Willow argued. That she would vouch for Ryder was a surprise since werewolves and vampires were like cats and dogs—most couldn’t stand each other. “If there is one person you can trust in this world, it’s him.”
Elena drew in a breath. The weight on her shoulders grew, and the heaviness of her guilt threatened to crush her heart. She should have trusted him instead of pushing him away that evening, but she couldn’t undo the damage she had done. Ryder probably disliked her now—what sane person would want someone like her as a soulmate anyway? She couldn’t even speak to him without stuttering or trembling. She was pathetic and too much of a coward to break up with her current boyfriend.
“Please meet him as soon as you can. I don’t have a good feeling about this, and my intuition usually does not fail me,” Willow said, tearing her from her depressing thoughts.
“What do you mean?” Elena asked and sat up straighter, watching her friend with wide eyes.
“It’s not like that for wizards and witches, but to other supernatural beings, soulmates are an essential part of life. If vampires are anything like werewolves, then you are hurting him with your decision,” Willow explained seriously. “Is that what you want?”
“No,” Elena answered so quickly she even surprised herself. “But he is better off without me.”
Willow shook her head. She reached for Elena’s hand and cupped it with her own because she could tell that her friend was about to break out in tears. Her lower lip trembled.
“You need to be more confident. I don’t know what that Steph bastard has been telling you all these years… You are a good person; stop putting yourself down. You have met your soulmate for a reason, and I believe that it’s time to turn your life around.”
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Elena had a lot to think about when she returned home that evening. She went to bed early, and the next morning, she also left earlier than usual in an attempt to dodge Steph. Her flower shop was the one place where she felt truly at home, so that’s where she went. The sunflowers she had planted recently had grown in the past days, and seeing them bloom one after the other was amazing. Sometimes she felt like a mother around her flowers.
However, today, her mood was not as cheerful as it should have been in the presence of the plants. Her thoughts returned to Willow’s advice again and again—deep down, Elena knew that her friend was right. She had to end her relationship with Steph, but it would not be easy. Only remembering his outburst two days ago made her uneasy and apprehensive. How would he react if she told him she would leave?