Chapter Forty-one

"The Mihai I know isn't a monster," she managed to say, still caged by fear as the many scenarios of Mihai saving and loving her proved his kindness and she forced a small smile. "You have a good soul and I love you regardless. Vampire or not, I love you."

"You can't love me..." His voice shook and his eyes watered.

"Yes, I can." She cupped his cheek and her once tensed muscles were released as her tears ran wildly out of her eyes. "We can run off together, come with me to New York, we could start a new life there."

"No, I can't take away your life." Mihai hugged her tightly and for the first time, she heard him cry and felt his tears, soaking up her shirt. "You'll die."

"No," she objected weakly, getting no reply from him. "Okay, wait." She rushed over to pick the plastic bag then went back and stood in his bubble, saying, "We can talk this out in my house, come with me."

"I can't," he shook his head in dismay, getting a twisty feeling of pain and regret in his gut. "I have to leave to protect you, you have a beautiful life ahead of you, and don't let a monster stop you."

"You're not a monster, never!"

"But we're two different beings. Why do you think I couldn't come into your house and that of Armani's without an invitation?" He questioned and she sobbed with an unexplainable pain that pricked at her heart. "You don't want to be with me, I can't even go out when the sun shines."

"Can we just talk in my house?" She tried to convince him then she held her head and closed her eyes as they pinned, trying to throw her off balance. "This is too much for me," she sobbed, and her tears rolled down into her mouth. She gulped in the salty fluid of feelings and stammered, "Just-just lets go in-

"I-"

"Please," she begged, and Mihai nodded. Gwen snaked her hand into his palm, and he gripped it, trailing behind her. Once they got into the house, she dropped the plastic bag on the floor and faced him with bloodshot eyes.

"You should sit." He guided her to the couch, and she steadied her breathing before looking up at his towering form.

"Wait," she got up and rushed to lock the door as a yellow bulb shined with ideas over her head. "Did you love those girls?"

"I loved Shemica." He croaked.

"Did you have sex with any of them?" She questioned.

"Why are you asking these questions?" He inquired, searching her eyes for answers.

"Maybe if we have sex, it will break the curse." She peeled off her clothes and stood naked in front of him. He raked her body with his eyes from head to toe and she felt a twisty feeling in her stomach when he lingered his gaze on her breasts. "I saw this in a movie."

She proceeded to pull off his clothes, but he opposed, gripping her bare shoulders.

"Yes, I impregnated Shemica against the palace traditions." He looked away in shame and Gwen sniffled. "Life is not a movie, she still died."

"Mihai, we could date forever... We wouldn't get ma-"

"I can't take your dreams away from you." He cupped her cheeks and leaned in, leaving one last kiss that set her soul on fire.

He pulled off his coat and covered her nakedness with it and she squirmed, refusing to accept it. Everything was happening too fast, and her eyes were doing a three-sixty.

"Can I get water?" He requested and Gwen rushed to get a glass of water but when she returned, her heart sank when she saw Mihai standing by the doorway with the door ajar.

"No," Gwen said breathlessly and the glass suddenly slipped from her clutch and smashed on the ground and shattered into pieces, just like her heart.

"Don't come out, you could get killed." Mihai banged the door shut and Gwen struggled to breathe.

"Mihai!" She screamed and sank into a bottomless pit of abject sadness. She slid to the ground and cried with desperation at its peak.

The next morning, she laid under her duvet and peeled her eyes open to her white ceiling. It felt like her body had been pinned to the bed by a thousand needles of pain as she heaved a sigh and felt a clawing feeling in her throat.

The rising sun didn't excite her like it always did on previous days when she had a face to ogle at and a body to hug when she had an exciting reason to wake up every morning. She was alone in the world again, no father or mother, and the love she thought would last forever didn't.

She lay on her side, staring at the window with a series of thoughts running wildly in her head. She blinked slowly, pushing down the lump in her throat as she screwed her eyes tight, and a tear slid down her cheek. Why did she fall in love when all she ever got was a broken heart at the end? She cursed herself for being so foolish and soft, she squeezed her chest, not minding the pain that was slowly overtaking the breast she gripped, wishing she could rip her heart out so she wouldn't feel any iota of pain.

Gwen felt the bed for her phone and pulled it out from under her free pillow. She unlocked it and sat up with a bedhead before dialing her boss' number.

"Hello?" She sniffled, trying to free her stuffy nose and sound the weakest she could. "It's Gwen."

"Hello, Gwen," he said dryly like he was expecting it to be someone else. "How may I help you?"

"I wouldn't make it to work today, I'm down with a fever." She lied throatily, awaiting his response.

"Okay, get well soon." He accepted too quickly, and Gwen frowned, wondering what it was all about but she didn't ask in case he would change his mind.

"I-"

She didn't get to finish her words because he hung up and she pulled the phone away from her ear and glanced at her screen in skepticism. She shrugged then swung her feet to the floor, curling her toes in shivers at the coldness of the tiles.

Hoisting herself out of the bed, she waddled to the living room and glanced around for the plastic bag he brought yesterday. She sighed when she saw it laying on the floor then went over to pick it up. Her hands dug into the bag, and she fished out one of her flowery dresses and dropped the bag on the floor to hold the dress up but something else caught her attention, the oddity of the way it sounded when it dropped on the floor. Her eyebrows scrunched up and she crouched down to look inside the bag. She beheld a silvery necklace laying in the plastic and she pulled it out. Her eyes widened when she saw the pendant was made with a sparkly blue diamond, molded into an alluring and expensive engagement ring. She gripped her chest and jogged back into the room, standing in front of the mirror and putting on the necklace. She palmed her mouth and watched her eyes water as the diamond beautified her neck, bringing out the color of her eyes.

Gwen gripped the necklace and light sobs escaped from her lips as all the moments they shared flashed in front of her. She fell beside her bed and formed a wall around her head as she cried, wetting her bedspread.

Suddenly, she released her entire body on the floor, feeling weak in the joints, and slowly, she closed her eyes and was lured into a dark abyss where her past haunted her.

***

"Baby," Armani cooed, rushing into the office and pulling Gwen into a warm embrace. "I came as soon as you told me."

Gwen felt her chest tightening her poor heart and restricting her airflow. "He broke up with me three days ago."

"Why did you wait till this morning to tell me?" Armani pouted, slightly upset but not showing it because her friend needed her at this moment.

"I d-don't know." Gwen stammered, holding her friend like she was life itself.

"Why, what happened?" Marni inquired, brushing her fingers in Gwen's hair and massaging her scalp. Gwen explained between sobs and Armani flinched, terror-stricken at the disturbing discovery of him being a vampire.

"Va-what?" Armani pulled Wendy out of the hug to view her face for any traces of jokes and got nothing but utmost gloominess.

"Vampire." Gwen sniffled and Armani swallowed the rest of her words, not wanting to upset Gwen more.

"Talk to me, baby," she said, pulling her back in for a hug and stroking her back. "Let it all out, talk to mama."

Gwen ranted on and on about how she felt like the world was on her chest and how everything in her house, street, and atmosphere reminded her of Mihai.

"I just want to die, maybe I'll finally be at rest." Gwen shivered and Armani chuckled, instantly regretting it the minute Gwen's shoulders quavered and her sobbing intensified. "I was asked to take the day off because I made a lot of mistakes in today's editing."

"There wouldn't be rest in hell." Armani joked and Gwen paled even more.

"Not now, Marni." Wendy felt a bastard headache making its way up her head, signaling her eyes to quit spilling out tears.

"I'm sorry..." She tightened her grip around Wendy and chewed inside of her cheeks. "How about you move in with me?"

Gwen withdrew from the hug to hold her gaze with swollen and blood-shot eyes, "Can I?"

"Yes, there's less Mihai there, and having someone as awesome as me around would help to cheer you up." Armani orated, flexing what Gwen considered to be spaghetti arms. "Especially Paris," Armani added, winking with a smug grin, and Wendy giggled then set her lips into a grim line, remembering she had abandoned him on her porch... She winced, thinking of how to apologize.

"Thank you for everything, Armani." Gwen pressed her lips into a small smile and Marni hugged her once again. "Just give me today and tomorrow, I'll be with you on Friday after we close."

"Then I'm crashing with you today even if your street is scary as hell." Armani shivered visibly with fright in her eyes and Gwen shook her head in disagreement.

"No, I'll be fine."

"I insist." Armani hushed her friend and packed up their handbags. "We better leave now before we turn to baits."

They sniggered and made their way out of the office. Armani made up an excuse of taking her sick friend to the hospital for a check-up because she almost slumped.