Chapter 6

Chelsey felt a little better after she cursed the hell out of Hades. Then, she came back to the main topic.

"So, I'm guessing you don't want this baby. Do you want me to arrange for a procedure after your checkup tomorrow?"

Alanna rubbed her belly and suppressed the pain in her heart. "Okay," she said, a single tear sliding down her face.

She felt guilty about the baby. But she had nothing to her name, which meant she also had nothing to give to her baby. She couldn't keep him. She didn't dare to.

She was just a regular girl from a regular family. She didn't want her baby to be called a bastard child for the rest of its life.

There was also no way that Hades would ever acknowledge it. He wouldn't give her a chance to tie him down, whether with sex, love, a family, or a baby.

Hades would never allow it.

Alanna closed her eyes and wiped the tears away from the corner of her eyes.

…

It was in the dark of the night, and Alanna couldn't sleep well at all.

She suddenly found herself dreaming.

Alanna dreamed that she was a little girl again when Tara was still with her. She followed Tara everywhere she went. One of the places they stayed at the longest was a fishing village by the riverside.

That was the first time Alanna ever laid eyes on Hades.

Hades wasn't as dark or grim as he was now. Back then, he used to look like a porcelain doll with pretty eyes.

She learned later that Hades was there because he was receiving treatment and recovering from an illness.

Maybe the recovery process was painful or uncomfortable for him, but Hades was often found sitting on the riverbank weeping silently to himself.

Whenever Alanna saw him there, she would bring him a lollipop to cheer him up.

At first, Hades refused to acknowledge her presence.

Eventually, he would climb up the fence at her house and call her by the name he learned from observing everyone around her. "Mel!"

And much later, he was then taken away by a group of people, most probably because he'd recovered completely.

Just before he left, Hades had promised her that he would come looking for her. However, that was the last time Alanna saw him for a long time.

The next time they met, ten years later, was a complete coincidence.

On her 17th birthday, Alanna's younger stepsister said that she'd lost her bracelet at the beach and asked Alanna to help her find it.

Alanna recognized Hades at once when she went to the beach. Hades was now 19 years old. He wasn't as naive or babyfaced as last time. Instead, he looked dark and broody.

When Alanna saw him, he was marching straight into the raging sea with fierce waves lapping at his body.

Without thinking, Alanna ran toward him and grabbed at him, trying to stop him.

Hades turned around with a stare so cold and murderous that it didn't seem appropriate for someone his age. Alanna was so shocked that she stumbled backward.

He then cackled loudly and continued walking toward the middle of the sea. "The easiest thing to do in the world is die!"

Alanna screamed at him, making him stop in his steps.

However, just then, a huge wave crashed on Alanna and swept her off her feet. She lost her balance and was immediately submerged underwater.

She couldn't remember what it felt like anymore. She did remember struggling, but no matter how she struggled, she just couldn't find anything to grab onto. She was terrified.

Just as she was starting to lose consciousness, she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around her waist.

She then broke through the water and found herself floating in the sea. Through her blurry vision, she could see Hades' cold eyes staring at her.

She didn't know how he brought her back to shore, but the next time she opened her eyes again, she could see his cold, emotionless eyes glaring at her.

"You can't even save yourself, yet you still want to meddle in other people's matters of life and death."

He then got up and left.

"Hades Florentine!"

Alanna cried out, instantly waking up from her dream.

She opened her eyes and saw her phone ringing next to her. It was a call from Chelsey.

"I've arranged a slot for you for the abortion procedure. Don't eat or drink anything from now till then, not even water."

Alanna recollected her wits before answering Chelsey with a hum. However, she felt a numb feeling in her heart.

This was a child she had with Hades, after all. He was someone she'd had a crush on for many years.

However, she also knew that she couldn't possibly keep the baby. It wasn't because she was afraid of someone else finding out, but it was because she knew the longer she kept the baby, the harder it was to say goodbye.

…

Alanna packed up all her things and left the hotel. However, she suddenly saw a familiar car parked at the entrance to the hotel.

She wasn't surprised that Hades was able to find her so quickly. There wasn't a single person in Jagersville that Hades couldn't find, as long as he put his mind to it.

She just found it weird that he would still want to come looking for her.

Didn't she make it clear last night? What was he doing here looking for her, then?

Also, she didn't want to see Hades now. It had taken a lot of courage on her part to come to such a decision. She didn't want everything she'd done to be in vain. After all, she turned timid whenever she saw him.