Chapter 49

VALERIA.

Everything around me seems to start melting. The walls, the floor… everything. I find myself staring at the golden doorknob in front of me, waiting for it to blend into the background, into a muck of color and odd shapes, so I won’t be tempted to go inside the dorm room.

But it stays there, bright and sharp, as though it’s telling me to grab it so I can see them all.

The problem is, I can’t move. I don’t think I can even breathe. Something is blocking my airways, and I think it’s white-hot anger.

“Investigate?” Auric repeats incredulously, like he’s waiting for the two to tell him that they’re both kidding. “You want to investigate Valeria, our friend?”

“Yes,” Stefano says, and I don’t know how to feel about the fact that he doesn’t seem entirely convinced with his words. Should I be relieved and thankful or should I be livid? Because why on earth would he say these things if he doesn’t believe them? “She’s important to us, and that’s why we have to do this. For her.”

Auric lets out a growling sound. “That’s bullshit, dude. I know you know that’s bullshit. She’s our friend and we should be protecting her.”

I feel a rush of admiration for Auric, but it’s all buried under the pile of hurt and disappointment.

I just don’t understand. Stefano and I have been okay. More than okay. We kissed. We talked about how we feel about each other. We talked about what we are to each other. Aren’t we supposed to be fated mates? Isn’t he supposed to be the one destined for me, written in the stars and all of that?

Why does he not know who I am? Why can’t he just trust that I’m not what everyone thought I was?

“And how about the people who need protecting, Auric?” Celeste demands. “If Valeria really is the killer, shouldn’t we protect the people around her?”

What’s left of my heart is eradicated right then and there.

I know Celeste and I started off at the wrong foot. I know that there was a time when she truly hated me and perhaps I did deserve it. I know that maybe she still has some bad feelings about me, but I really can’t grasp why she would say these things about me.

I feel dizzy just listening to all of this. I want to leave but my body is just not allowing me to.

“What do you mean by that?” Auric retorts. “Do you mean we need protection too? That she will be coming after us? Because trust me, we have been with her. She had every chance to do something bad to us and yet she never did. Try to explain that to me.”

“I do not believe that she is a murderer, let’s be clear here.” Stefano sounds upset now. “But there are things that don’t make sense that she might shed a light on—”

“I can’t believe this.” Auric ‘s voice comes through as a thud echoes in the hall. He either threw or slammed something. “I can’t believe both of you are saying this about a friend. I’m out of here.”

With that, footsteps start to thunder from the other side of the door. I want to step back and run so they would never know that I was here, but before I can even snap out of it, the door opens and Auric steps out.

His eyes go wide. His face becomes almost as red as his face. “Valeria.”

I can’t say anything. My tongue has glued itself to the roof of my mouth.

And as though things can’t get any worse, Stefano and Celeste appear behind him. Both of them look shocked, almost to the point of being shaken by the simple fact that I am here.

“Valeria,” Auric says again, reaching to touch my shoulders. “I’m so sorry.”

That seems to be the trick. The moment his hands land on my shoulders, I snap back into movement. I step away from his touch as though it’s electric. I turn to Celeste, who can’t even look me in the eye.

“You think I murdered them?” I manage to say, my voice shaky. “You think I killed those people?”

Celeste opens her mouth, but the only thing that she manages to expel is a tear down her cheek. “It’s not that, Valeria.”

“I heard everything.” I swallow hard. “The one who did it is the Briggs’ daughter. You would have heard that if you kept eavesdropping. You would have known that it wasn’t me. At the very least you could have waited for proof.”

“Valeria, please,” Stefano puts in, trying to touch my hand.

I back away from him, slapping his hand away from me. “And you think something is strange with me right? Something else is going on with me? Why don’t you tell me to my face? Say it. What’s wrong with me, Stefano?”

“it’s not like that at all,” he tries to explain. “What I meant was you being possessed or something before. And the fact that you were compelled to go back to the tunnel, where we believe everything bad comes from--”

“And you think that bad thing is me,” I finish for him. I look at both of them, my disappointment sharpening into anger. Because anger will shield me from the emotion I don’t want to confront, and that is betrayal. Pain. “Some friends you two are. If this happened to any of you, I would have done everything in my power to prove your innocence. I would never jump to conclusions and accuse any of you. I thought we had an understanding here. I thought we had friendship.”

With that, I turn around and leave, my feet having minds of their own and carrying me to the lower floors so I can isolate myself in my dorm room.

But Auric is running after me. “Valeria, wait!”

His long legs are allowing him to take up more distance than I am. Before I can even reach my room, he’s already by the door, blocking my way.

“Let’s talk about what happened.” He holds up a hand as though trying to stop a rabid animal from attacking. “I’m here. And I want you to know that I never—”

“I don’t you never said anything bad about me,” I cut him off shortly. “Is that all? Can I come in now?”

For a moment, it looks like all hopes are dashed judging by Auric’s face. I can actually see him deflating in front of me. He starts to stand aside, but as I take a step forward, he just captures me in a hug. And it comes so suddenly and so perfectly in time that I find myself melting in his arms.

All the tears that I have been holding back since I listened in to the conversation start to fall. At first slowly, but then it feels like a dam has been broken inside of me and they all just come. I bury my face in his chest out of shame, out of not wanting to be seen in a state like this, but he just holds me against him, tightening his arms around me like he wants to absorb the pain.

“I’m sorry,” he keeps whispering. “I am so sorry this happened…”

But it’s not his fault. None of it was. It’s more so mine, because I trusted those two without knowing who they really are.

I break away from the embrace, wiping my face. He doesn’t let me go. He just holds me at arms length, slowly lifting my face to him until we’re looking at each other. “Don’t worry about anything,” he assures me. “You’re here. And I’m here for you.”

He’s right. I am still here.

With Auric alone.

And I realize that he’s all I have now.