CHAPTER 94: – IT WAS OVER –

Viviana stared up at the opened door. She slowly lowered her head, her hair pouring over her face.

At one point, those words would have meant the world to her, that he loved her. But now it felt like a knife in her hand had been rammed into her chest.

What could she even believe at this point? What was so special about her that would ever make her believe those words really were for her? That he really felt this way.

She felt her tears before they started, sucking in a deep breath as her body shuddered. They poured, streaming down her face.

As pain laced through her body, she shook her head at him. "I never want to hear those words again."

"Viviana—"

"I don’t...I don’t want it anymore." She sniffled. "I can’t let you...not into my—" She swallowed her sob. "—Not into my delicate heart. I can’t let you break me. I won’t."

"Viviana. Don’t do this to me."

She breathed out. "Are you going to kill me then?"

"What?"

"Isn’t that what you’ll do?" she cried. "If I tried to leave now, you’ll kill me, won’t you?"

Nikolas’s heart shattered right then and then. He couldn’t look her in the face, asking in a shivering voice, "You don’t really think that, d-do you?"

She said to him, "What else would a monster like you do if not hurt me?"

"No, you don’t really mean those words." Nikolas shook his head frantically. "You wouldn’t think of me like this, Viviana. This isn’t what you think of me," he refused. "I get it. I’m not human. I’m something you’ve never seen before, but a monster... That is not who I am, so stop."

"But you are a monster," she worded coldly. "And I would never be with a monster like you."

"Stop saying that. Stop saying those things to me. You’re hurting me."

"I will never be with you."

"What difference does it make?!" Nikolas yelled, gripping her tighter. "You wanted to use me, and I gave you all of me! I gave myself, everything that I was, over to you. I don’t understand! Why does it matter that I’m Nikolas Bastiani or that I’m not human? I am Nikolas! NIKOLAS, that’s it, and it makes no difference. Are the people who’ve hurt you better a person than I am? Or do I have to be human to be good enough? Why can’t you just—"

"You lied to me! You LIED to me!"

"And I’m sorry!" he begged. "I lied because I couldn’t lose you, because I needed you in a way I couldn’t explain. Viviana, I was afraid. Of what you would think of me if you knew I wasn’t human. That this was who I am!" His fangs grew, eyes turning blood red. "Why won’t you understand me? Why won’t you have mercy on me?" His nails lengthened and his hair stood on ends, a black hue aura surrounding him and wrapping around the both of them like a cocoon.

Viviana froze at the sight of this, her mind racing back to the warehouse. That he looked. But even so, she found herself...not as afraid as she’d thought. And suddenly, a realisation dawned on her.

Viviana didn’t really care that he wasn’t human. After all, human or not, it really doesn’t make a difference.

The only thing that stabbed at her chest was that he lied to her. He’d pretended so well, played her like a fool. And it made her think, if he could lie this time, then he could do it again and again. Over and over again.

How could she believe that anything was true?

Scoffing under her breath, she slowly dropped her head back against his shoulder unwilling to look into his wet teary eyes. She would break, because while she may not admit it, she was vulnerable to this man. "Do you know the funny part? Not being a human isn’t the worst of it all. Actually, I think I could have swallowed that, Nikolas. Because you’re right, being a human or not changes nothing. However, it is the fact that you lied and toyed with me."

She lifted her hand, resting it on the arm he had around her. "I was supposed to love you, I think I was starting to. I don’t know, maybe, but then I saw this coming...The hurt. I mean, I blinked and you weren’t the same anymore..."

"I’m sorry." Nikolas tried to bury himself in her if he could. To never be separated, but reality was slamming right into his face. "I know, I know I fucked up, and I’m sorry. Please..."

"Do you love me?" she asked, her thoughts seeming to be a jumbled mess.

Nikolas kissed her cheek, her shoulder before burying his face in the nook of her neck. "I love you. I love you with every part of me, with everything I have to give. Viviana I—"

"I don’t know if I love you," she said, taking a shaky breath. "And I refuse to love you. I will never end up like my mother. And that’s me telling you that the only way you’ll stop me from leaving now is by killing me. I want to go. I don’t want to be here. So let go of me, Nikolas."

Nikolas’s eyes batted rapidly.

Was this really it?

Was she really going to leave him?

Everything... Did it mean nothing to her?

He was frozen in his thoughts, and ever so slowly, his grip slipped off her, letting go.

Viviana got to her feet.

She looked at him, at his pathetic state, head hung low and without saying a word, she grabbed her suitcase and left the house, slamming the door shut.

Nikolas was unmoving. A haunted look on his face.

His head dropped low and the strands of his hair fell over his over his forehead, hiding his expression, the teary mess of a person he’d become.

It was...

...Over.

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a mass release will come soon