Rejected 3

“We want you to be happy, Nia. You have our blessing always. May the moon goddess bless you and your marriage.”

The memory of her parent’s words echoed in her mind, their warm voices used to fill her with hope and love. But she let out a bitter laugh, her feet dragged along the dusty road as the sun was starting to go down in the sky. The golden glow casted down on her, but it only deepened the ache in her chest.

They just wanted her to be happy, they thought she would be fine. But here she was—broken….

Her chest felt so tight it hurt to breathe. She clenched her hand into a small fist and hit her chest slowly, trying to ease the tension that gathered there, while her other hand gripped her waist as if holding herself from falling apart. Hiccups tore through her throat as she sobbed.

“Does everything have to revolve around you? You’re such a slut.” Michael’s wicked words played like broken cassette in her head.

She let out a small humorless, tear-filled laugh, more bitter than anything she’d ever felt. As she walked, her teary eyes caught sight of the breeze rippling across the surface of a small pond, dragging her heavy legs, she knelt by the water.

She cupped her hands to rinse her face, but froze at the sight of her reflection. The face staring back was a stranger’s. The once radiant beauty that captivated her pack-the face young men lived to see daily, the face other girls had prayed to the Moon goddess to rival was now hollow, lifeless. Her skin was pale, her eyes dull, her soul weary.

With a sharp cry, she slapped the water, scattering the image that was unbearable for her as tears ran down her face. She buried her head in her palms, sobbing as though the world had totally crumbled around her.

The sound of soft footsteps broke through her despair. She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. His presence was familiar-steady and calming in a yet unsettling moment like this.

Ares.

“Why are you following me, Ares?” she snapped, her voice was sharp and quivered as she hastily wiped her face. She wouldn’t let him see her this way, she couldn’t. “Is there something you want to take from me too? or do you just enjoy watching me suffer? Does my misery amuse you?”

Her word were like sharp accusatory arrows, but Ares stood there silently, unmoving. His calmness only made her anger flare hotter.

“Say something!” she yelled, as she jerked up to face him fully.

His dark eyes met hers, and she wavered. There was no judgment in his gaze, no frustration. Instead, she saw calmness, an apology that he wouldn’t say aloud, and something that looked painfully close to pity .

He had always been the same since high school, hovering around her like a bodyguard, listening to her like a podcast he couldn’t afford to miss and as calm as a dove when it came to her, but she had always been the same person he would always know.

His silence, it irritated her---

“Do you—“ Her voice wavered, “Do you think I’m ugly now? Compared to before?” Her eyes searched his face , hoping for an answer she didn’t even know she wanted.

Ares studied her carefully, his gaze soft but unwavering. He let out a small smile, one so faint she barely noticed it…

“You look the same to me,” he said quietly. “Your beauty could never fade because of people who don’t deserve to see it. you are as beautiful as ever.”

She stared at him emotionless, before a soft disbelieving laugh escaped her lips. Shaking her head, she turned and began walking back to the road.

Ares followed her hastily, his usual calm demeanor hovered around her. she’d gotten her answer, but the walls around her heart were too thick, her soul too broken to believe it.

“If---“ He hesitated but continued, “If you had a second chance, would you—“

The sharp, blaring horn of a lorry cut through his words, sending a jolt of alarm through the air. Nia’s head snapped up, her face twisted in confusion as she turned towards the sound. The truck was barreling down the road, the wheels screeched as it hurtled toward her.

“Die! Die, and I won’t have to hover around watching you steal what should belong to me!” Zora spat behind the wheels, her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, her foot pressed hard on the gas, her teeth gritted which made her intention clear.

Nia froze. Her eyes widened in horror as she caught sight of Zora behind the wheel. She tried to move on, to run, but her body refused to listen. Before she could even process what was happening, Ares moved faster than her mind could register, stepping in front of her and shoving her aside with all the strength he could muster.

“NO!!!!” She screamed as her body hit the hard ground,

The lorry’s impact came too fast, slamming into Ares with devastating force. His body was thrown across the road, and landed with a sickening thud. His head struck the pavement, and blood pooled beneath him, dying instantly.

Nia wasn’t spared either, the lorry’s momentum hit her as well, sending her spiraling to the left side of the road. She hit the ground hard, her body twitched in pain. The bones in her legs shattered, blood tricked down the side of her face from a nasty cut on her temple, blurring her vision.

Through the pain, her eyes searched for him.

She spotted his body on the opposite side of the road. He lay crumpled and lifeless, the sight pierced her heart, and tears fell uncontrollably from her eyes.

“He’s gone. I didn’t even let him finish his question. I didn’t get to ask him what I needed to. I let him follow me, and now he’s dead, because of me…” her mind scrambled around…

Her breaths came in shallow gasps, her mind screamed at her, echoing mistakes of her life. She had married the worst husband, just a waste—her life! She remained blind for a while and it cost her his life, Ares life

Her vision blurred, and the world began to spin. Darkness soon took over, but her eyes remained unwavering on his lifeless form.

As her strength gave out and her vision dimmed, only a single thought coursed through her mind, heavy with regret:

“I’ll never forgive myself.”

*****************

“Darkness, everything is too dark,” Nia’s soul murmured into the still darkness. She felt weightless yet unbearably heavy. Her mind wandered, unsure of where she was going ,but too devastated to care.

A golden light broke through the thick void, so bright it made her blink. The light embraced her like a gentle hug, soothing her restless soul. From it emerged selene, the Moon Goddess, her beauty unspeakable, and her presence as calm as night itself.

“My dear, Nia” Selene spoke softly, her voice melodic and filled with empathy. “your soul will wander no more, for I have granted you another chance—a chance to live better for yourself. “

Nia stared at the goddess, her heart ached with confusion but mostly guilt

“Another chance? Why? I’ve done noting worthy of it.”

Selene’s warm smile deepened, “A replacement, a pure soul, has deemed you worthy to return, dear child.”

The word pierced through Nia like a dagger. Her knees betrayed her, and she crashed to the dark ground, tears poured freely. A pure soul? Of course, she knew who it was. She didn’t need to ask.

“No. No! I won’t take this! Leave me here—let my soul wander please ,I won’t use his sacrifice to redeem my meaningless life!” she shook her head violently, as she backed away from the beautiful figure.

“No, no, no” she covered her ears, Selene’s expression softened and she moved closer to place a hand on her shoulder, “No life is meaningless, Nia. You’ll come to see that.”

She straightened and, with a graceful motion, conjured a glowing necklace. The jewel at the center of her palm pulsed with mysterious energy, as if alive.

“How about this instead?” Selene offered, holding the necklace out towards her. “You will travel between worlds, taking over the lives of women who met their ends tragically. You’d live better for them, and for yourself—you will collect the life energy needed to fill this necklace, and it’ll grant you power to bring back a soul.”

Nia blinked back through her tears, she could bring Ares back. This wasn’t about herself anymore-it was a chance to undo her worst regret.

“Yes,” she said quickly, reaching for the necklace with trembling hands. “Yes, I’ll do it” Her fingers encircled around the glowing pendant, but uncertainty lingered in the back of her mind.

How would she do this? How would she collect the energy? Was it by fulfilling their regrets? Before she could ask,

“Good luck, child” Selene blew a cool breeze into her eyes, and darkness took over again.

By the time Nia’s eyes fluttered open, her senses overwhelmed her at once. The soft sheets beneath her body, the heat that radiated from her back, and the most intimate pressure of another body entangled with hers.

Her heart slammed against her chest. She tried to move, but a strong arm was wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. One large hand kneaded her breast, while the other slid along her bare thigh, a low husky voice growled against her ear,

“Relax, Rosetta…”