Page 59 of Heart of the Villain

She could open up so soon. So soon.

“No.” Marlena’s voice was quiet, her walls completely crumbling down around her like a war zone. I can’t lose her too. She took a step forward, reaching for Arlet, but this time Arlet was the one to take a step back.

She shook her head, her jaw clenching as she fought against the tears. “I can’t let you lose what you’ve worked so hard to get.”

“I’m not. I won’t.” Marlena’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. “Did they threaten you? Arlet, I swear to the gods if they⁠—”

“No, they didn’t threaten me. This isn’t even about them knowing. It’s about how you reacted, about how you treated Vega tonight, how you treated the guard... It’s about you, Marlena.” Arlet looked up at the ceiling, tilting her head back to avoid spilling tears. “Something is going on with you.”

Even now, Marlena wasn’t going to tell her what was coming. She couldn’t use it as a last-ditch effort to keep Arlet. “I’m fine. I just have a lot going on.”

“Of course you do, which is why you need to focus on yourself, on figuring out how to balance your new life and everything that comes with it. I can’t be your distraction. I can’t be the person you come to only when it’s convenient to you, when you need to feel good.”

“Do you think that’s what I do? That I only come to you when it’s convenient for me?” Marlena felt an emotion she hadn’t ever felt before… one she never wanted to feel again.

Heartbreak.

“I think that’s what it’s turned into, yes. I know it’s not intentional. I know you’re busy, that your life is changing… but I—I only want what’s best for you.” Arlet’s tears finally fell. She let them trail down her cheeks without wiping them away. “And I think what’s best for you is something you don’t want to confront yet… but us…” Arlet motioned between the two of them. “This isn’t good for you right now. You attacked your parents because they didn’t want you to be with me, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t attack them because of you!” Marlena’s anger soared, her wind rising with her emotions. Books from around the room clattered to the floor, and Arlet jumped in surprise. “I fought back! For the first time in my life, I showed them that I can’t be messed with anymore!” Marlena hadn’t realized she was crying too until she felt the moisture from her tears rolling down her neck. She wiped them away, smearing her makeup across her cheek. “Don’t do this.”

Arlet looked at her like Marlena was a stranger after taking in the mess she’d made of the library. Just like Vega did… “I don’t have a choice,” she choked.

“Yes, you do.” Marlena couldn’t find the strength to move. The power she’d felt in the ballroom earlier had dissipated, leaving in its place a version of Marlena she hadn’t been since her childhood.

Sad.

Wounded.

Weak.

“I’m so sorry, Mar. I’ve loved every second of getting to see the person you are when no one’s looking, and I want you to be that person all the time. I want everyone to see the person that I’ve fallen in love with.” Arlet’s lips quivered. “But you can’t be her until you’re ready. Until you can trust that other people will love my version of you too.”

Marlena tried to stop the tears, to patch her heart up before it shattered into a million jagged pieces… but it was too late. The dam broke, and there wasn’t enough glue in the world to mend her broken heart.

“I love you.” Arlet finally took a step towards Marlena. “But I can’t fix what was already broken. I can’t help you find yourself. Only you can do that.”

I love you.

The words replayed in her head over and over again, turning frantic in the back of her mind. Marlena hadn’t heard those words from anyone but Vega… and for the first time, they came from someone who didn’t have to say them—who didn’t feel obligated to love someone like her.

“Please don’t leave me.” Marlena’s voice was barely audible even to herself, but somehow, Arlet still heard her.

She took another step forward and grabbed Marlena’s face in her hands. “I will always be here for you. I promise. We just—we have to take a little break. You’ve gotta find out who it is you want to be, and the person you’re being right now isn’t the one I can be with.” Arlet swiped her thumb over Marlena’s face, catching a fallen tear. “I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me.”

Marlena’s hand covered Arlet’s, the one that continued to wipe away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. She closed her eyes and memorized the way Arlet’s hand felt against her skin.

“Say something. Please.” Arlet’s voice broke, the sorrow and regret in her tone magnifying the same emotions roaring inside Marlena’s chest.

When Marlena’s eyes snapped open, the tears had finally stopped. She pulled Arlet’s hands away from her cheek and took a step back, wiping at her mess of a face before slamming her emotions behind the cold mask she’d been taught to wear.

“Marlena, plea⁠—”

“Get out.”

Arlet opened her mouth to say something, to plead with her, but Marlena had had enough. “Get. Out,” she growled.

Arlet didn’t move right away, and it almost looked like she was going to say something else, but Marlena couldn’t let her.