Page 102 of Forbidden Deception

“Sit the fuck down, Khyros,” I grit out, my eyes set on the oak table in front of me.

He sits down without another word. “See? It was an easy choice. Tell me your next steps, and I’ll make it happen.”

I don’t know what I want. I am so conflicted. As per his answer, I can’t even begin to think of hurting her, so how the fuck am I going to move past this?

We sit in silence for God knows how long, and I lose track of time. Khyros doesn’t protest, nor does he complain about it. He just sits there, taking sips of water and giving me patience and time to think things through.

Think what through? I don’t know.

“Cute flowers,” he says, pointing to the freshly cut sunflowers I picked out to give Venezia tomorrow morning.

I want to know why she did what she did and if the feelings were true or not, if being here was all planned to bring me to my knees, as Remo said he would do.

My head falls back on the sofa, eyes on the white ceiling, and my heart throbs painfully inside of me. I gave her everything, and she still decided to choose sides. And I wasn’t the one she chose. She didn’t choose me.

How could I expect her to when she spoke so proudly of her brother? She wouldn’t take my hand even if I had extended it, given her the world, or even let her burn it to the ground and then took the blame for it.

My eyes sting, so I shut them.

She didn’t choose me.

Long brown hair flashes in front of me, eyes that pierce my soul to the point I cannot breathe. She extends her hand to me, a smile on her face that takes my breath away.

“Would you not take my hand, Rafael?” Her voice calls out, and the pain intensifies and hurts like a bitch.

She tilts her head, her hair falling to one side, and she keeps smiling like the sight of me is enough to bring her happiness. I raise my hand, but she vanishes and is now running towards the beach, the wind picking up her hair. She looks over her shoulder at me.

“Rafael, come on! Are you scared of a little water?” She walks into the water, throwing some in my direction with the biggest smile on her face.

“Rafael!”

My eyes snap open to find Khyros in front of me, his mouth twisted.

“That’s fucking enough. What kind of person are you? You’re hurting, yes, but you’re sitting around like a drunken man after a breakup.” He runs a hand through his hair, a glare fixed on me.

I look towards the window. Night has fallen. How long was I out? And why the fuck was I dreaming about her?

“I’m going home now. If I return tomorrow morning, and you haven’t showered or changed your clothes or gone to the office, there will be answers to give Mikko and Eiran.”

Then he’s off.

41

“Venezia, you have been locked in there for two days now. Please open your door,” Aurora tries once more, but I don’t feel like eating or talking to anyone.

My throat is parched, and everything around me has lost its colour. Heartbreak doesn’t have a correct timing, it doesn’t leave when you want it to.

Heartbreak takes away the life you once had. It steals the joy from everything around you. It further abandons you in a silent, lonely void.

“Talk to me. I’ll help you. I’ll explain to Remo, but talk to me so I can understand,” she says.

“You can’t,” I whisper.

“I can, I promise.”

“It won’t work, Aurora. You know it won’t. How could we—how could I ever fix this?”

“You have to talk to me, Venezia. You can’t keep going on like this and not allow us to help you. We can help you, sweetheart.”

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