FLORIAN'S P.O.V.It all flashed before my eyes. All of the years that I have waited, it all felt like it came down to this one moment.But still, just like all that time that I waited, the ones thing that held me back was right there, behind me, yelling my name.I could see the terror in his eyes, like he knew I hadn't forgiven what he did to my Ellinel. Like he knew that I wanted to see his blood against these streets. Like he knew, I would never let go till one of us was down, and I am not used to losing.But just like all those years ago, just like all that time ago, even when the memories of what had happened to Ellinel were still fresh in my mind, Roxanne was right there.Over the years, I have become convinced that the feral obsession that I feel for Roxanne is nothing but fate's cruel way of painting me as the bad guy even towards Ellinel. Because for as long as she was on her brother's side, I would never be able to make her cry. I will never be able to break her.I can hear h
ROXANNE'S P.O.V.I hesitated by the door of the mansion, my hands wrapped around me. Florian stopped walking and turned to me, his brows furrowed. I hated just how fickle my mind was, and now all I could see when I looked at him was the feral anger he had shown just earlier.I wasn't even sure why I felt the way I did, but I did have a few guesses. Maybe it was because that scene of him was so different from the person I really knew him as. Maybe it was that I knew he was hiding something from me now. Maybe it was because there was a possibility he had done all of those for some other woman.I was leaning more towards the last. Call it demons or the devil himself, but there was something about thevwayche had acted earlier that made me yearn for that sort of reaction. It had warmed me seeing what he did to Damien, but now..."Rox."I bit down on my lips. "I need to know, Florian."He put his hands behind his back, his brow raising. "Won't you come home first?""Exactly. I need to know
I stood by the window, my hand wrapped around me, my eyes fixed on the dark skies. My mind raced, my lips tingled, and my entire being was a raging mess of emotions. Ronan, Florian. Ellinel. Just two weeks ago, I would have sworn I wouldn't make it alive after the heartbreak Damien gave to me. Just two weeks ago, I was preparing to be a bride, and my entire existence had depended on it.Now I am standing here, and I can't even bring myself to think of the man I would have married. It may have been for the best that it happened this way. My own heart has been far too quick, and I have realized just how big a mistake I would have made.The door suddenly opened, and I turned slowly, my heart immediately finding a sense of calm and agitation. The mix of polar opposite emotions made me even weaker in the knees, and it took me everything to not fall to his knees.Florian slowly walked in, holding a tray. On the tray was a plate of blueberry pancakes and a few blueberry and dusted sugar for
I woke up to the soft clicking of the door, and I turned, my brows furrowed. The sun was filtering in through the drapes, and my eyes fluttered open slowly. I gave a small sigh as I turned on my back, then slowly to the right.I suddenly hit something warm, and my brows furrowed even more, my chest slightly heaving. My eyes opened slowly only to meet the edge of neatly folded clothes. I slowly moved, sitting up on the bed, my eyes falling on the foreign clothes. It seemed like a pair of overalls, and when I moved it, there was a white T-shirt under it.I moved the shirt, and under it was a note and a long stem of rose. I immediately pulled the rose to me, a smile lighting me up. The note was folded, and I opened it, my eyes squinting lightly."Good morning, Roxanne. I hope you had a good night. Breakfast is set on the table, and a hot lavendar bath for you. These clothes are for our little date later, and I will be back in two hours as I have a few things to sort out at the company.
I immediately sprang away from the glass tile, noticing in that split second right before the door opened, how it came up, and offered a glimpse of a room down below.I looked up as the door finally opened, and a maid stepped in. Her eyes met mine, and her brows immediately furrowed in confusion. For a long minute, we both just stared at each other, neither of us quite finding the words to address the other with, yet knowing we would eventually have to."Uhmm.." I said, moving slowly. "I was... looking for Florian."She gave a small smile. "Yes, ma'am. Sir Florian left a while ago, and I am here to discard his used clothes. "I nodded. "Yeah, sure. Please, go on."She gave me a look, but her mechanical smile didn't falter. She walked down towards a rack, took out a few clothes, and walked away with a respectful nod towards me.Once the door closed again, I let out a small sigh of relief, my hand on my chest, my body lightly shivering. That was so fucking close and I couldn't imagine
"Mum!" I could still hear Ronan's scream from that night when Florian was sleeping over. I could see the way he had run downstairs, his eyes wide with fear. I had been downstairs with mum setting the dining table for Thanksgiving. It was the first Thanksgiving after Florian lost his parents, and my parents had offered to have him stay with us for the week so he would feel less alone."What happened?" Mum had echoed my thoughts back then, and I had never seen Ronan so scared."Something is happening to Florian. He... he is swollen."I remember the rush that had happened after that. Everyone ran upstairs to the room, where Florian was lying on the floor. He was unconscious, his hair all over the floor, his lips parted. He was an ungodly red, his face twice the normal size, his body spasming every now and then.I remember just how traumatic it had been, as Ronan admitted that the stray cat my mum had adopted just that morning before Florian came had been hiding out in the bedroom, and h
Florian took some time just watching me, but I could see the colours of his eyes dip and change, and a small smile caressed the right edge of his lips. He took one step closer, but I immediately moved backwards, putting distance between us."I touched the cat," I said, my voice low as I looked up to him. "You are allergic to cats.""You went that far, huh?""Why don't you want me to? ""I don't know. What lenses are you looking at me through right now?"I shrugged. "I am not sure. One thing i know, however, is that I would rather be the object of your obsession than the deserted bride running around in... ""You are a stubborn little kitten, aren't you, Roxanne? I asked you not to mention him."I raised a brow. I do remember him asking me not to mention Damien, but the punishment for dooming it would have been to have his tongue down my throat. That was certainly not happening with all the fur on me, knowing how violently allergic he was.I crossed my hand over my chest, then tilted m
Epipen? What is an.. wait.Florian was leaning next to me, his hand on his chest, his lips parted as he struggled to breathe. Wait. Epipen. Fuck."Florian," I said, right before jumping off the glass. "Where..."I trailed off as he leaned up slightly, then pointed towards a long drawer that was right beneath a row of black shirts. With unparalleled speed, I ran down to the drawer and grabbed the first epipen I found, and immediately ran back to Florian.I administered it as fast as I could, and he slowly went down on his knees, his chest heaving hard, his lips still parted."Come here," I said, sitting on the floor. Slowly, I pulled him back to me, till his head was resting on my lap, his eyes closed, his chest heaving fast."Maybe I should call the ambulance," I said, grabbing unto his hand tight, my eyes taking him in.He slowly shook his head, a strained smile parting his lips. "If I am going down, I am going down because of you."My brows furrowed before I realized I still had the
FLORIAN'S P.O.V I took a deep breath and looked down at the suit I was wearing. It was the same one that dad had kept to attend my wedding in. It was Roxanne who had suggested it, and now that I am, I felt it all the way to my bones.I looked around. It was just me and the officiating priest, waiting for Roxanne.I have dreamed of this day my entire life. Watching her walk down the aisle to me. Her dress. Her smile.The door cracked open, and I straightened even more, my heart pounding hard as I watched the door. It opened wide, bathing the church in sunlight. I kept my eyes on it till I finally saw her. She was standing there, like she had materialised out of my most ambitious dreams. My heart pounded in my chest, and I found myself reciting the vows I had memorised ever since we started wedding planning. It's not like there was a lot to plan.She looked up to me, and even through the veil, I could see her smile. It reminded me of the reason I had never even looked at another wom
ROXANNE'S P.O.V I woke up with a start, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I immediately turned to the left side of the bed, already preparing my heart for the ultimate fuckery that it had all been a dream. The hugs, the kisses, the tears... that it was all nothing but me yearning.To my surprise, Florian was already awake, his body half covered by the sheets, his hand holding up his chin as he watched me, a soft tender look I his eyes.I let out a sigh of relief, my eyes slowly blinking as I savoured his presence.He gave me a smile, then reached his other hand out to me. "Did you wake up to check if I was real?" I nodded truthfully, then adjusted, so I was lying next to him, my eyes taking his. "I think I would really die if you weren't."He smiled, his hand reaching up to gently caress my face. "You are just as beautiful as you were a year ago."His voice was a small whisper, and I drew even closer."You are going to have to promise me something."He laughed, then brought my ha
I sat on the edge of the same hotel suite we had stayed in the we came here together a year ago for my birthday, my heart feeling rather heavy. I could hear the sound of the bath, and even though I had promised myself to be calm amd stay in here, it was hard to not want to barge in there just to make sure he really was back. To make sure my Florian really was alive.I took in the hotel room. It looked like he had been here for a while. Probably not the entire year, but still a bit of time. I walked to the dresser, and my heart felt even heavier. My pictures were sitting in glass frames all over, adorning the dresser.I swallowed, tears stinging the back of my eyes. There were lots of books to the side. Mostly about healing. Forgiveness. I wondered just how much he believed he needed to work on himself just so he could love me.I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, just as the sound of the shower stopped. I held my breath, then slowly turned to him, my lips parting. He was by t
The kiss was slow, and I felt all of the parts of me that had broken over the last year slowly come together again. My mind fought the possibility that this man was really Florian, but my stupid, stupid heart was already fluid for him. Like he wasn't gone for a whole year. Like he didn't disappear for a whole year.When he broke the kiss, I found myself leaning towards him, needing more, begging for more with everything in my body except my voice.His thumb ran across my face, wiping the tears away. He then leaned close, kissing those tears away, like I always imagined he would during those late nights when I lay in bed, missing him."I am sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "I am sorry I put you through that. I am sorry, Rox."I opened my eyes, my chest heaving. "You... Are you really Florian?"He nodded slowly, a single tear falling off his cheek. "I am sorry."I swallowed, reaching for his hand. Like I needed to make sure. Like I needed to know. "You... you died.
I have asked the question several times. How would it feel for time to stop? How would it feel if... for a second, for a minute, time stops, and we breathe?I just realized that I was wrong about being able to breathe. Time froze in place for me, and so did everything as I know it. My tears, my trembling fingers, my beating heart, my breath.My fingers dangled off the door knob, and I just stood there, unable to think. Unable to do a thing. I swallowed hard, then blinked, a long tear running down from my left eye. Is it that I had been bestowed a minute from the heavens? To hear that voice before I go back to the emptiness that I am still learning to embrace?I bit down on my lips. That voice, that name... it belonged to a part of my heart that will probably forever carry pain. Probably forever, carry regret.I closed my eyes and took a step forward. My imaginations now have voices. Very beautiful voices, but I knew I wad going insane.I turned the door knob just as a small snicker
EXACTLY 364 DAYS LATER"You became an international violin sensation in such a short time. Of course, we know you have been playing ever since you were a child, but how are you coping with being a celebrity and also the CEO of a multitrillion dollar company like the Hunt group?"I nodded slowly to the last question of the interviewer. My eyes focused on her. The question reeled in my mind, and I blinked fast and hard in order to make sure the tears wouldn't come falling. I played around with the ring on my finger, then broke into a small laugh. "Trust," I said finally. "There is someone who trusts me, and even though I have let them down once, I am determined to never do it again."She smiled. "There has been gossip around the...""You said that was your last question."She smiled a little shyly. "How about one more?"I bit down on my lips. I knew what she was going to ask. Everyone knew Florian had died a year ago. Everyone knew I was here because he handed everything to me. And the
My eyes opened to the dim lights of a painfully familiar hotel room. My lips parted as a silent tear ran down the edge of my left cheek. I sat up slowly, my legs drawn to me. The room felt so ghostly. So empty. Like it had been stripped of everything that ever made it come alive. Like it had been stripped of what it used to be.I looked around. On the dresser was Florian's phone, a bouquet of flowers, a wrapped item, and his gun. I swallowed hard, my heart breaking all over again.Seeing the gun reminded me of just how real this was. That my Florian was truly dead, and I was the reason for it. That my Florian would never come back, and it's all because of me.I stumbled out of bed and walked towards the dresser, my eyes falling on my reflection. I looked like a ghost of myself. Nothing like the woman who had been so properly loved just hours ago.My knees felt weak, and I grabbed the edge of the dresser to keep stable, my heart pounding in my chest.I reached for the flowers first,
My world crashed and burned right in front of my very eyes. I leaned to Florian, my mind knowing exactly what had happened. He was gone. The bullet of my betrayal still embedded in his chest, the tears that I put in his eyes forever there.But my heart... my heart refused to believe me. We shared a kiss in bed just hours ago. He lay hid head on my lap and laughed like the entire world was beautiful. He told me that he loved me. That he always wanted to lay on my lap.I doubt this was how he wanted it to be. I doubt he wanted to be on my lap, dead. I doubt he wanted to see me cry."Florian?"There was no answer. The night was quiet, like even the world knew I had lost my heart. Not just a piece. Now, just a part of me. Roxanne, as I knew her, was dead with Florian. "We were going for dinner, remember?""Miss?" One of the doctors said, and I looked up, shaking my head. "Shhh, Florian hates noise. He also hates my tears, so why is he letting me cry?"I looked down at him. He looked
I gasped, my breaths stopping in my throat, my eyes flying open. Florian was still standing in front of me, his hand wrapped around the gun, his eyes wide. I almost didn't want to look down. Hell, I hated that it felt almost compulsive for me to look down.My chest heaved, and I felt my heart strings pull farther than I ever expected. I could feel the sticky wetness on my face. I could feel it on my hands, but hell, I hoped something had spat on me, and it wasn't what I was thinking.I slowly looked down, and I gave a small yelp, my eyes immediately filling with tears. I shot Florian. I really did shoot him.I slowly looked back up, and he was still watching me, his eyes darting across both of mine."Florian," I managed to say, taking a step even further. As if that was all he needed, his hands let go of the gun, and he fell to the floor at my feet."Florian!" I screamed, my hands immediately letting go of the gun too.I went on my knees, my hands cupping his face, the blood stains