“I saw you walk in with her to celebrate your birthday. I had the pleasure of being your waitress. I watched as you, me, and Aleida all were shot, and when I died, I made the deal to save your life. Who did you make your deal for? Whose life did you ask to save?”
I didn’t reply because I didn’t need to. We both knew what I had done. Who I had chosen to save.
Aleida.
38
“I don’t think any of that matters anymore,” Desi said in a low voice. “We’re here, together. I can’t change the past, but I don’t want that life anymore.”
“But you did once,” I accused. “You were fully intent on marrying her, having tons of little bat babies, and living happily ever after. You’ve got your memories back, and with them came the feelings. You still love her, don’t you?” I demanded.
He gulped. “No,” he said tightly.
Liar.
“Yes, you do because whatever feelings you had that night came back just like mine did. We were both dying, and you chose to save her.” That was how I knew. Why we could never be together. Because at the end of the night, he’d pick her always.
Desi turned to face me in the car. “Look, Scout. I—I’m sorry. Yes, I loved Aleida. At that moment, I chose her. Almost all of my feelings about her were guilt. I hadn’t wanted to marry her, but she was just as stuck as I was. You don’t understand because you didn’t have a family like that.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand. Maybe that’s why mine didn’t last. We must have valued love over legacy, or whatever your excuse is for staying with her. Desi, I’m no one’s second choice. You were okay letting me die at that diner. I was going to die, and then you could be with Aleida guilt-free.”
He didn’t say anything for a long time. He knew I was right. “Scout, we were given a second chance for a reason, don’t you think?” He reached for my hand. I tensed up, but he held firm. “Please, I know eventually I need to talk to her about some things, but I’m not going back to her. She and I both knew we didn’t love each other. I gave up so much back then, and I’m not doing it again. It’s you.”
His words, while nice, were just that. Words. He had spent a year saying things like that back when we were human. I couldn’t trust what he said. “I think I should get a separate room today.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “I need to think about everything.”
“Why? I’m literally telling you I love you, and you’re acting like I’m going to go marry her tomorrow. That’s never going to happen. Scout, you’re not listening.”
“I am. I’ve just heard all of this before.” I opened the car door and stepped out. “I’ll see you tonight.” I walked into the hotel and started to book a room. A moment later, he appeared beside me.
“Two rooms but charge them to me.” He pulled out his card and handed it to the clerk. He looked furious but didn’t argue it any further. The clerk gave us the key cards, and he left before I did. By the time I got to my room, he was already in his next door.
I showered and went to bed. Today had been insane, and I wasn’t sure what to focus on. The stab wound in my side hurt like hell and wasn’t healing. It was different than when Desi had drank too much of my blood. That had been almost like a horrible bruise. This was- black.
Then, the whole him being Wrath thing. I didn’t even know where to start with that.
I was careful when I climbed into bed. The hotel phone rang, and I saw it was from the next room. As much as I hated to ignore the call, I knew I needed to. I wasn’t going to get played again. He had begged for his soulmate's life, and she was still here. That was proof that it wasn’t me he was meant to be with. It was her.
I fell asleep with pillows of red from my tears. Exhaustion took me against my will, and I didn’t wake up until a pounding on my door roused me.
I blinked and glanced at the clock. It was nighttime. Was Desi really being like this? I asked for space, and he was pissed? Well, Wrath. I guess it made sense.
I went to the door and tried to see who it was, but the keyhole was too high for me to reach. The knock came again, so hesitantly, I opened the door, and I stopped breathing momentarily when I found it was Aleida at my door, not Desi.
“How did you—” I asked, but she pushed past me into the room. I closed the door but stayed near it. She went to my bed and sat down.
“He broke the curse. I saw everything,” she said.
“How are you here right now?” I asked, confused. Neither Desi nor I had phones.
“I’ve been keeping track of Desiderio since you guys left for Ludovica’s. He’s been using his credit cards all over the country.”
“So why are you here now?” I gulped, but I knew the answer.
“We should talk. I know what you were to him.” She patted the bed and urged me to come sit with her. I was hesitant but finally did so. “He loved you. He loves you now.” She laughed and pressed her lips together tightly. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling, and I couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she was. I understood why Desi had been with her for so long.
“What did you see?” I asked, genuinely curious. I realized then that I hadn’t asked Desi what he’d experienced. I had assumed. He confirmed most of it, but could his memories be different?
“He told me about you. I didn’t even know you were part of his past, but sure enough, when he broke the curse, there you were. The day before his birthday, he told me that he couldn’t do it anymore. He didn’t say why, but then we went to that diner, and you were our waitress. When he looked up at you, I knew.”
