Page 23 of Lovers Fate

“It was three against one,” he argues, as if that’s a sufficient explanation.

“I get that, but if they think you won’t defend yourself, they’ll keep doing it.”

I didn’t want to point out that they also robbed him of the money I gave him or make him feel worse about it. I wanted to know why he didn’t fight back. Why he just sat there and took it.

He nods, seemingly having contemplated the question a thousand times. Then he asks, “Where are you from?”

“Massachusetts,” I quip.

“What part?” he asks curiously.

“A small town, three hours away from here.” Not a total lie. I can’t tell him I used to live here because that would open the door to too many questions. If he was smart, he would have Googled the address on my ID, but then again, Simon is not out to catch me in a lie, and it’s best if I don’t give him one.

“Why here?”

“I guess I’m used to living in a small town and didn’t want to stay in the one I grew up in.”

He shrugs. “Makes sense, I guess.”

“Who were the people in the room next to me?” I ask to change the subject.

“Oh, I thought you recognized the girl.” He means the brunette from the Church.

I shake my head.

“The girl works at the club, and the guy who was with her attends Stockbridge University.” He’s a freshman, I think. I don’t have any classes with him or anything; sometimes, he gets a room here with a different girl. If you stay here long enough, you’ll get used to seeing him around. To be honest, I don’t knowwhy he messes with girls at the club. The girls on campus seem to like him.”

I want to know something else, and this is my only shot in ruling out I wasn’t imagining what I saw. “Was there a guy with him?”

He pushes glass up his nose and frowns. “No. Why? Was someone else with him?”

“No, I thought I saw someone by the stairs when I left my room, but it must have been someone else.”

“That’s weird,” he says, confused.

“Why?” I ask, afraid of the answer but at the same time hoping I’m seeing shit and it wasn’t real and its withdrawal for the crap they prescribed me.

I haven’t picked up the medications waiting for me at the pharmacy. I always thought I didn’t need that shit. I hate drugs. Sometimes I think it’s the medication that makes people worse instead of helping.

“Because there are only two rooms that have been checked out. Yours and the one next to you.”

NINE

DRACO

Mrs. Hades,

When our eyes first met, I fell in love. It was a bond so profound and enduring that it seemed to have weathered countless lifetimes. The sort of connection that clings to your soul, refusing to let go. The sort of love worth fighting for, sacrificing for, and dying for. A love that was relentless. Even death itself couldn’t extinguish. And what remains are the most exquisite memories etched into the fabric of time.

In every lifetime, our souls instinctively search for one another, irresistibly pulled by an unbreakable connection that transcends the constraints of time and space.

Our love remains forever, intricately woven into the very essence of being, fated to reunite again. I promise my love that we will find each other forever.

True Love Never Dies

Eternally,

Mr. D Hades.

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