Forty-Three…

Forty-Three: Fallen Angel

Contains language.

Aubrey gazed in the mirror. Her hell had only begun.

She gripped her stomach. The pills she took caused nausea, and she already suffered from a pounding headache.

She darted to the toilet and vomited. Pressure mounted in her head, causing it to hurt worse.

In between throwing up, she rested.

While she rested, she dreamed… of Vaclav’s face. In her dream she wanted to kiss his inviting lips and caress his handsome face; but once awake, she wanted to smash it in.

Her son shuffled into the room.

He looked around, then up at her.

“Mommy wake up,” he said. “Mommy.”

Her eyes opened. She marveled over her son’s resemblance to Vaclav. He looked more like him every single day.

The jagged fracture on her heart grew longer.

Holding Kat, Hunter headed down the corridor to Aubrey’s bedroom.

He tapped on the door.

She sat up, feeling blood rush from her body. She stared at the stain on the comforter.

Just great.

After the spotting ceased, she told Hunter to come in.

Hunter stepped through the threshold. He looked somewhat worried.

She sat at the edge of the bed. Nausea cut into her gut like a blade.

“Aubrey, are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” she rasped getting up. The sick feeling passed and she bent over to retrieve Reznik.

Then she kissed him on his head and strolled over to Hunter.

“I need to talk to you,” she told Hunter.

He looked puzzled. Regardless, they left the bedroom.

As the children played on the floor, Aubrey revealed a secret to Hunter.

“The reason why Vaclav tried to get me pregnant was because… he actually thought I was seeing you.”

“Vaclav knows I’m living here?”

“No. But I think he had a psychic vision of me kissing you underwater.”

Silence.

“Aubrey, if I really wanted you, a pregnancy wouldn’t keep me from you.” He laughed.

“Really?”

He nodded, smiling.

A warmth surrounded her broken heart. Perhaps a piece of it healed… just a little.

“I have to see Vaclav as soon as this nightmare is over,” she said.

Reznik hugged his sister. She giggled.

One week later, the time came to visit Vaclav.

Aubrey rushed toward the guard. She didn’t even look at Vaclav.

“Let me in,” she demanded.

He stared at her; then apparently decided she wasn’t worth the trouble arguing with.

He turned and unlocked Vaclav’s cell. With a long squeal, the door fell open.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“You look fantastic.”

“Good. Because I want to look the best that I can, so it’ll be harder on you when I leave. Permanently.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you have… any idea what I’ve been going through the last two weeks?”

“You… made me pregnant again. I had to use birth control pills to try and end my pregnancy. I was sick for days. I bled, I had migraines, I threw up… and while all this was going on, I was grieving over you. You hurt me so bad, you betrayed me… you used me like a dog…”

“I did it because I didn’t want to lose you.”

She slapped him.

“You’ve—already lost me.”

“I’m sorry… I was wrong for doing that. Just listen to me—I’ll be out 22 months from now. We’ll start over with the new baby—”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? There is NO baby! I miscarried a week ago! I had the doctor check my hormone levels! It’s over!”

“I don’t know what to say, except that I’m sorry.”

“Stop. Stop apologizing because I’m not ready to forgive you. I don’t want to forgive you!”

“I… I hate you.”

“You’re just upset. You don’t truly mean that.”

He tried to embrace her.

“No, I mean it! I really do hate you! Get the fuck away from me!”

“I fucking hate you! You’re a fucking prick! I hate you, I hate you I fucking hate you!”

He backed away.

Against her will, tears streamed down her face. Her hands became fists, tiny weapons that she used against him.

It was like punching an iron wall.

“I fucking hate you!”

Ignoring the agony in her hands, she continued pummeling his chest and stomach.

His arms enclosed her. This time, he refused to let go.

“I hate you,” she sobbed, struggling next to him.

She punched his side.

“Since the night I met you, you’ve made my life a living hell!”

Soon she stopped fighting. Her head rested on his shoulder, her knuckles ached and throbbed.

“I love you forever, Aubrey.” His voice broke. “I know of the Shadow you’re harboring.”

Her heart stopped.

“Please don’t tell Lucius,” she cried.

“Lucius already knows. That’s why he came home two weeks ago. I asked him to see if a Shadow was living there. But I told Lucius not to kill him if he found him.” He paused. “Lucius came back here the next evening to tell me a Shadow was hiding in the basement, inside a casket. He could smell his blood.”

“Why didn’t you have Lucius kill him?”

“Because I love you. I want you to be happy. I did feel guilty for doing what I did to you, but it was already too late. I can’t forgive myself, and I certainly can’t expect you to forgive me.”

“But I can allow you to get what you need from the Shadow. Until I get out of prison, or until you can forgive me.”

Their love bound them together like chains, a padlock in its center. There was no key to freedom. That’s how it was always meant be.

                                                            ****

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