CHAPTER 175: BLOODY OBSESSION

{Music Recommendation: Six feet under ~ Billie Eilish}

Lois ran, her feet pounding against the rocky path as if the earth itself demanded her persistence. Still, she didn’t stop. Ahead, she could see the faint trace of Rhane— the broad shoulders, the steady gait that had stolen her heart and breath.

The sole reason she was scrambling through the thick woods unfazed.

Hart’s words still rang in her mind like church bells that refused to quiet.

’Must you go that far?’

’You know it’s alright to stop...’

She almost wished she could. To just sit by the side of the trail, to breathe, to cry, to let the wind bury her shame. But Lois had never been the type to surrender. Giving up was for people who had the luxury of trying again. She had none of that.

It had always been now or never for her. Take the stake while it’s sharp and carve her own path.

"Rhane!" she shouted, her voice cracking against the cold. The echo bounced back mockingly, like the mountain was laughing at her desperation.

He didn’t turn. Not once.

Lois stumbled, clutching the box tighter to her chest. The hem of her dress tore against a branch, and she hissed, but pain was nothing new. Pain had always been part of her, the thing that made her alive.

When the man she once opened her heart to left her without even a goodbye, Lois had tried her best to move on, and that was when she closed off the thought of wallowing in any self-guilt or heartbreak.

And moving had been what kept her sane. Moving without stopping to catch her breath.

"You’ll see me," she whispered fiercely to the air, to him, to anyone who might be watching. "You’ll have to."

Lois wiped her face with her sleeve, realizing her tears had mixed with sweat and dirt. She wasn’t crying anymore. She was angry. Angry that love was never enough. Angry that she was always the one left chasing.

"Lois!"

She froze. The voice came from behind. Hart again. He was running after her now, his face twisted between frustration and pity.

"Are you truly this blind?" he demanded when he caught up. "Can’t you see? He’s not yours— you’re only making him more of your punishment than love to seek out!"

Lois turned, panting, her eyes wide. "And what would you know about love, Hart? You gave up yours the moment it got hard!"

"I saw how you looked at Jenna," Lois continued, spitting the words. "You hide behind jokes and pity because you’re scared. I’m not. I will fight for what I want, even if it kills me."

Hart looked at her for a long moment. "That’s the problem," he said softly. "It might."

Lois turned away, her breath ragged. "Then I’ll die with purpose."

She started running again before Hart could stop her. Her legs screamed in protest, her lungs burned. She was exhausted and needed to rest. But Lois didn’t stop; she could see Rhane again— closer this time, his figure turning slightly as if he’d heard something.

For a heartbeat, she thought he’d finally stopped for her.

"Rhane!" she cried, stumbling forward. "Wait—please!"

Rhane turned, his hazel eyes dark as slits. For a moment, there was no anger in them— only exhaustion. The kind that ran deeper than hate or love.

"Go home, woman," Rhane said quietly. He didn’t even know what the woman was doing in the mountain in the first place.

Lois shook her head violently. "Home? There’s nothing left for me there. You’re all I have!"

Rhane’s jaw tightened. "Then you have nothing."

The words hit harder than a blow. Lois staggered back, the box slipping from her grasp and tumbling down the slope, its contents scattering— herbs, cloth, small keepsakes, all pieces of the hope she’d carried.

For a long while, she just stared at them. Then slowly, she lifted her head, her face streaked with sweat and tears.

"I’ll prove you wrong," she whispered. "Even if it takes everything."

Rhane turned away, continuing up the mountain, his silhouette fading into the fog.

Lois bent down and gathered her box and the contents, then she pressed forward through the mist, her legs trembling, her breath a rasp of determination and exhaustion. Her fingers were scraped raw, her hair clung to her sweat-streaked face, but finally, she saw him again.

Lois smiled, holding her chest.

Rhane stood at the mouth of a narrow ridge, looking down at the valley below. His back was a wall—rigid, immovable. All Lois wanted at that moment was to hug him from behind and melt in his hold.

Was it too much to ask?!

"Rhane!" Lois gasped, stumbling forward and planting herself in front of him. She spread her arms wide, blocking his path before he could move another step.

Rhane blinked, his expression stoic and tired. His body stilled, but his eyes— those hazel, piercing eyes locked on her with irritation. "You again," he muttered. "Didn’t I tell you to go home?"

Lois’s heart pounded so hard she thought it might break her ribs. She could barely meet his gaze. Every part of her wanted to kneel, to apologize, to flee from the storm she saw behind his calm, but she held her ground.

"Why?" she asked suddenly, the word cracking like thunder in the silence. "Why her, Rhane?"

Rhane frowned, taking a step closer. "What are you talking about?"

Lois swallowed hard, her voice trembling but rising with every word. "Why do you love her? Jenna! Why do you keep running back to her when she—" her throat tightened, "—when she’s been touched, used, broken?"

The word touched seemed to strike the air itself. Rhane froze, his face hardening.

Lois pressed on, desperate, unaware of the line she’d just crossed. "You don’t have to pretend she’s innocent. She’s not pure anymore, Rhane. You deserve someone who would never betray you. Someone who’s been by your side all along. Someone who—"

"Enough."

The word came low and dangerous that Lois stopped breathing.

Rhane’s eyes darkened, and for the first time, Lois saw something colder than anger in them— disgust. "You speak of things you don’t understand," he said, his voice sharp enough to send a warning across.

"I do understand!" she cried. "I’ve seen what she does to you— how she looks at you like you’re just another man to save her! To fix the brokenness you didn’t incur. I’ve been there, Rhane. I’ve been betrayed by people like Jenna, and I don’t wish it for you. Please... every step of the way, I’ve cared for you when she didn’t even see you!"

Rhane’s jaw tightened. His hand twitched toward the dagger at his side, not to use it, but to ground himself. "You cared for me?" he asked slowly, his tone unreadable. "By insulting the woman I love?"

Lois’s lips quivered. It wasn’t what she meant. She needed Rhane to remember how she had cared for him when he passed out. "I’m just telling you the truth! She doesn’t deserve you. She— she’s already given herself away! Why can’t you see that I’m the one who would stand by you no matter what?"

Rhane’s fury broke.

In one swift motion, he seized her wrist, his grip like iron. Lois gasped, her knees almost buckling under the weight of his rage.

"Do not speak her name like that again," he hissed. "Not ever."

Lois shook her head, tears spilling freely now. "Rhane, please—"

"Do you think love is about purity?" His voice thundered now with a bitter edge in it. "Do you think I love Jenna because she is untouched? I love her because she endured what would have destroyed others. Because she still stands. Because she lives! Because she is home to me! If anyone is selfish, then it is I."

"I am the one who doesn’t deserve Jenna," he tightened his grip, and Lois winced.

Rhane released her with a shove, his disgust visible. "You make her pain sound like filth, but you’ve never known what it is to be broken and still breathe."

Lois stumbled, clutching her wrist, eyes wide. "Rhane, don’t look at me like that..."

"Then stop talking like someone who’s lost their soul."

She stepped forward, trembling but defiant. "No. I won’t move until you hear me."

Rhane’s patience cracked. "I’ve warned you once. Get out of my way."

Lois shook her head, her tears falling fast. "Then kill me. If you want to reach her, you’ll have to go through me. I’d rather die here than watch you walk away again."

For a moment, silence. The wind died.

Rhane’s breathing slowed, his anger simmering into something else— pity. That was worse than rage. He looked at her, really looked, and what he saw broke the last of his restraint.

"You think this is love," he said quietly. "But it’s just loneliness dressed as attraction."

Lois’s breath hitched, her chest heaving. "No... it’s love. It’s always been love."

Rhane shook his head, stepping past her, his shoulder brushing hers. "Then may the mountain take your love, Lois. Because I want no part of it."

Lois bent her head and smiled. "Let the mountain take me and my love then..." she murmured, getting rid of the small knife tied around her waist. She ran toward Rhane.

Rhane, who had noticed the movement, thought it was the woman trying to stand in his way again. He turned to stop her but was met with a sharp stab on the other side of his stomach.

"I... I’m sorry but..." Lois let go of the blade, her bloody hands over her mouth as she watched Rhane fall on one knee.

Rhane coughed out a large quantity of blood. "Bloody hell," he cursed, searching around the place.

"Just give up, Rhane... I can save you... look, I have everything here." Lois grabbed the box she had dropped earlier.

"See? Like I did the other time... I have everything here with me." Lois rummaged through, and when she turned to show Rhane, she saw him standing on his feet and walking away.

"W-wait, Rhane... will you rather die than take my help? You know you’re wounded already... let me help you, please."

Rhane dragged his feet, ignoring the woman. He was getting near; he wasn’t going to stop now.

"Why can’t it be me?!" Lois screamed, kicking the box away. "Why won’t anyone love me?" With that anger, she lunged at Rhane but was too late now.

Rhane shifted to the side. Lois widened her eyes as she slipped and fell, grabbing a rock so she wouldn’t fall to her death.

"It was never you...and it never could be." Rhane muttered a reply, with a tired grunt. He staggered down, exiting the mountain.