Page 18 of His Cursed Heart

Vivian has tears in her eyes and her hands around her mouth, while Venus looks at me like she can’t recognize me.

“Althea, y-you look-“ Venus starts to say something, but she chokes up.

“Venus, are you going to cry?” I say amused, but then the tears in her eyes stopped me.

“No, of course not.” She says frustrated, trying to wipe her tears away.

Venus could be me. People are saying that we look like sisters, but she has something that I lost.

Feelings.

I move my gaze over the blond man next to Vivian and I’m struck at his figure.

He changed so much since I’ve seen him. His blond hair is perfectly styled, his white teeth along with the playful smile makes him so handsome, and the muscle that goes along his body can make you daydreaming.

His blue eyes are looking at me shocked, like he can’t believe what he’s seeing.

“Jesus, Althea, you look so gorgeous.” His voice almost trembled.

“Thank you, Allan.”

“He doesn’t know what hit him.” Allan whispers, but I heard him just fine.

My mind is instantly going to the night in which Keaton ‘claimed’ me in front of everyone. How his hand wrapped around my waist and hold it so tight that it created a weird sensation in my belly. His green eyes like the crown of a tree in the middle of spring, but with an aura of emerald green outwards, looking at me with so much possession that made my blood turn cold.

A ruthless beast, as everybody calls him.

I look at the black diamond that is weighing my finger, trying to hate it, but I can’t seem to be able to.

“So, is this the winner?” My head snaps from dreaming at my mother’s-in-law voice.

“I think something is missing.” Venus says, and then I see her with a big silver crown with a long transparent white veil attached to it, in her hands. She gets closer to me, and looks me in the eye trying to read my mind, trying to help me escape this nightmare. “You can talk to me when your heart is heavy.” She whispers, and my body softens.

“You can come to me when your thoughts are loud.” While I tried to bury my heart from this world, Venus tried to hide her mind.

After she put the crown on my head, I look at my figure in the mirror, and I can’t help but remember my mother’s words.

“Your beauty is rare, mia cara. People will want to ruin it, but you’re strong, aren’t you? Because your heart is safe here with me. You are safe here with me.”

“You’ll be the most gorgeous bride. I’ll make sure of it.”

I’m so happy you didn’t get to see me as a bride, Mamma.

Or as a teenager.

“Yes, this is the one.” And my destiny is rewritten.

“I hear that you paint?” Vivian’s voice breaks the silence in the limo.

After we bought the dress, we finally went home. Venus took her motorbike, and as much as I wanted to go with her, I decided to stay with Vivian and Allan.

Allan is still looking at me with curious eyes, as if he’s trying to decipher me.

“Yeah, but it’s not something serious.” Just the way I survive this world.

I paint since I was able to hold that big brush in my little hands. There is something about painting that has me under a spell.

Maybe it's the way the most basic colors can put soul into the most lifeless things.

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