Page 61 of The Tattoo Artist

I feel this ache in my heart, one that wouldn’t go away. Every comment that left her mouth felt like a punch in my gut, and she said a lot of comments. I should be secure enough to know that everything she said wasn’t true. I know it isn’t true. So why does it hurt? Why did she do that? To put my self-esteem down. I wipe the tears falling down my eyes, they wouldn’t stop!

The shuffling sound of the curtains brings me back to life.

Ares enters and his eyes locks with mine for a moment, his brows furrow as he takes a step closer. His eyes narrow down to my open hand that held blood.

He gives the room a scan, noticing the paint-the brushes, the snow globes and then the bottle of vodka that sat on my bed. Tipped over. Staining my white bed sheets. I sat on the chair, the red lingerie on.

“Butterfly.” He whispers out, stepping closer.

He crouches down in front of me, taking my hands in his.

“What happened?”

I shrug my shoulders, the words unable to come out of my mouth. Because my mind goes back to what Catherine said to me, that Ares and my parents are lying to me. That they are keeping something from me.

I take a deep breath, “what are you hiding from me?”

“What are you talking about?” His brow furrowed, and he seemed taken aback by my question.

“Don’t lie to me!” I raised my voice, unable to contain my emotions any longer. “What are you hiding from me?”

Ares’ jaw tensed, and he slowly stood up, glancing towards the balcony doors before settling on my bed. He seemed lost in thought, grappling with how to respond.

“What did she say?” He asks me, “what did catherine say to you?”

How did he know Catherine even came inside?

How did he know that it was Catherine who opened her mouth?

“Ares. If you lie to me, if you lie to me one more time- you and I, we’re over. We’re done. Because I cannot do this anymore! Stop hiding the truth from me and just speak up!”

He looked torn, as if struggling with whether to tell me or not. “There are things I haven’t told you, Angel, but I haven’t lied to you.” He begins to speak; my leg slowly shakes as he looks me right in the eyes. “Like the story of me and the girl.”

He sighs.

“She’s not dead.” I raise a brow.

“But you told me she was…” I whisper in shock.

“I was head over heels in love with her,” Ares began, his voice carrying a mix of sadness and longing. “She had the purest heart and the kindest attitude. Her smile alone could light up my entire world and being with her made me feel alive.”

His gaze turns distant as he reminisced about the past. “Then one day, I took her out on a date. We were having a good time, completely lost in each other’s company.”

Ares took a deep breath, his voice growing quieter as he continued. “A lot of people were looking for me, and they wanted me dead because I was considered a threat. They knew I cared for her deeply, so they decided to hurt me in the worst way possible.”

“And how is that?”

“They went after her instead.”

He paused, rushing his fingers through his hair. “I was driving, and she was right beside me. For a brief moment, I looked away from the road, just to look into her eyes. It was a mistake I’ll forever regret.”

“Ares...” I whisper, my heart sinking with every word he spoke.

“A car came up out of nowhere, crashing into us,” he recounted, and I felt the weight of his pain in each syllable.

Standing up from the chair, I walk over to him and knelt down in front of him, my hands trembling as I took his in mine.

“What happened to her?” I ask, my voice barely audible, already fearing the answer. “You told me she died.”

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