AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It is a testament to the purity of her soul, yet it fills me with rage.
The situation is impossible.
This man will survive what his wife has done to him, only because of his daughter’s actions.
But her sacrifice will be in vain. As long as he allows that woman he calls a wife to remain, he will certainly die before too long.
Pivoting on my heel, I sweep from the room. My glove half removed as I stride toward the stairs, fully intent on draining the very life from woman myself. The Fates will never let me hear the end of it for taking her life before her time, but to hell with them.
I only stop short when my shadows suddenly dip beneath another door, reminding me of the other soul in Hazel’s home.
My jaw hardening, I struggle to ignore it, but find I cannot. Pulling my glove back on, I enter a second bedroom to find a young man sitting on the floor against the bed.
He reeks of alcohol and sorrow, his clothes and body caked in dried blood and dirt. I frown, wondering why I felt drawn to him at all. Human sorrow means little to me. This world is fleeting, their lives mere moments in the great expanse of time.
I start to turn when my eyes catch on something in the man’s hand, and my heart stills in my chest.
Shadows burst from me to fill the room once again. Gesturing toward the man, I watch as my shadows momentarily steal the breath from his lungs, the small paper slipping from his hand as his body freezes in time.
Stepping forward, I bend to pick it up, my eyes tracing the small illustration.
It is a drawing of her, torn from a book, a single inscription written upon it.
To my darling, Hazel. I wish you the happiest of birthdays, with all the love this world has to offer.
Rage blinds me as I stare down at it, my vision darkening.
Love?
Who is this man to her? What gives him the right to feel this way about her?
She never mentioned a lover.
My fist crumples around the paper as I move to shove it into my pocket, only to remember the book tucked within.
No.
Hesitating, I pull the book out, turning it over in my hand before slowly opening the cover to find a missing page. My stomach twisting, I smooth out the crumpled illustration to align the jagged edges.
A perfect fit.
My heart quiets as ice begins to creep back in around it.
Of course, what a fool I have been. To think that her kindness toward me could ever be more than that. I have mistaken her friendship for more, and by no fault of her own.
Her heart belongs to another, and I am but a means to an end.
That is all.
Tossing the drawing to the floor, I tuck the book back inside my pocket before fleeing the room, my shadows in tow.
My mind warns me against it, and yet, I cannot stop myself from seeking out Hazel’s room. Though she can never to be mine, at least I can fill my memory with her.
At the back of the house, I find a small bedroom. There are few possessions within, and my heart breaks as I take it all in.
From the worn mattress to the threadbare blanket, it is clear that she was mistreated while she lived here. The room itself is barren and uncomfortable, with a leak in the far corner, yet, her lingering presence still saturates the room with warmth.
I frown as my thoughts darken.
