Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
As the lines of what was right and what must be done began to blur, Eros had started to consider that perhaps this was the best way to keep his woman safe. That their souls would be entwined was what was foretold, but if Halyna's heart was to remain divided between her god and the professor—-
Could this be enough to circumvent what was prophesied?
A dangerously twisted path it might be, but for Eros nothing was more important than keeping his Halyna safe. If deceiving her for an eternity was what it took to save her life, he would have done so without a qualm. But when she revealed to him how her feelings for two men were tearing her apart, Eros knew then that he must tell her the truth, no matter the cost.
In his desire to protect the girl he loved, he himself had ended up harming her, but by the time the god resolved to speak the truth, his Halyna appeared just as determined not to hear his words.
Not once in the past had Halyna ever attempted to seduce him, but when she had done so on that day they were in the temple of Athena, it was then Eros realized how desperate she was to table all such discussions between them. It was only then he saw the fear in her eyes, and while he could not fathom the reason for it, the sight left him far from unmoved.
If his Halyna wished for them to simply enjoy each day as it came, then so be it. Just as one should always wait for a honey-laced slumber to dull the senses of Cerberus, the Hound of Hell, perhaps for now it was best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Or so the god tried to convince himself, and as the divine was neither omniscient nor all-powerful, Eros was so consumed by his need to defeat the prophecy that he failed to see other magical forces were already in play.
Unwritten on a scroll of the Moirai might some evils be, this did not make them any less true, and such was the case when Cenchreis cursed his beloved.
my life for your heart.
my pain for your joy.
I curse you with my last dying breath.
And since Eros was both Halyna's heart and joy, the curse that took Cenchreis' life destroyed what it was meant to destroy, on the night the god's lies were exposed by a glass of glowing red bubbles.
Chapter Three
I asked for space.
It's one of the worst cliches in history, and now I know why. Hateful as the words are, there are times when you're simply too numb with pain, and they're all you can think of saying.
Space in my case means I get why things happened the way they did, but I'm too hurt to let things go just like that. Space means I still love my god, but I don't know if I can ever trust him again.
I asked for space, and that's why I'm back in Dark Rose House for the time being.
This is how space has worked out for me so far, and...I hate it.
Another hour passes, but stupid, stupid space still has me crying silent tears under the covers so that I don't accidentally wake my roommate.
People talk about the need to ask for space all the time. But why has no one ever mentioned about how much it sucks when you get what you want?
Sleep is elusive, but I squeeze my eyes shut when Nia's alarm goes off, and I hear her get up. She tiptoes out of the room to shower, and I sense her hesitation when she comes back and sees me still in bed.
"Hales?"
I throw a pillow over my face and act irritated, but in truth all I want to do is hide the tear stains on my cheeks.
"Party. Cad. Hangover."
I'm usually bad at acting, but desperation makes my performance worthy of an Oscar, and a convinced Nia clucks her tongue in response.
"Hope your god likes girls going wild," my roommate says slyly before leaving, "or you'd be in for a punishment."
Too late, I answer her in my mind. He's already punished me, and way before I've done anything wrong.
Exhaustion eventually lulls me into sleep, and it's already past one in the afternoon when I finally manage to haul my ass out of bed. I consider skipping the rest of my classes...until I remember that this, too, is what "space" is all about: you force yourself to move on even when all you want to do is cry.
It takes three YouTube makeup tutorials before I succeed in making my eyes look less puffy, and I end up having to dash out of the dorm and sprint all the way to my fifth period class in Anise Building.
Aesthetica in my old school was all about memorizing names of famous artists without having to look at any of their paintings. There was also that semester when our Aesthetica teacher said it was time we learned about classical music...and so she went ahead and gave us a link to a Spotify playlist.