LUCIUS DEVINE
“You should leave now” Diane (Irene’s mum) said.
“I can’t leave until she is awake ” I replied with the truth.
There was no way I was leaving here until Lisa was awake and fine. She had fainted right in front of us and we had taken her to the hospital.
She was fine, according to the doctor but she was sleeping for now but I wasn’t leaving her side until she was awake and I was sure myself that she was fine. Even then, I still had no intentions of leaving her side. Ever.
“Mr. Devine” Diane called almost sternly.
“You have done a lot for me over the years and… Honestly, I don’t know how I would have taken care of Lisa so well and provide her with the best if it wasn’t with your help but now… It is time for you to let us go. I can’t repay all the money you have spent on getting so many luxurious things for us over the past seventeen years but I am also sure you can’t repay us back the life you took away from us. Let’s take it as this being equal. You may leave now.”
“No, Diane” I groaned and took a step back from her to lean against the wall.
I ran a hand through my hair and looked back at her.
“Nothing is equal and nothing settles anything. You don’t understand what I mean when I tell you that Lisa is my life. I have nothing else outside of this place if she’s not out there with me”
“So you are telling me that if Lisa dies, you will consider dying along with her?”
“The last thing I want to ever talk about is Lisa’s death but if it ever happens, I won’t think of it for a second before taking my own life. I made the grave mistake twenty years ago. I know better now. I will take care of Lisa than any other person can..”
I was sorry for the pains I had caused Diane but letting go of Lisa was something I could never do. With or without the consent of Diane, I and Lisa were going to end up together.
“I am done trying to converse with you.” She huffed and turned away. I walked after her, following her into the ward.
“Lisa” I called, seeing that she was awake.
A nurse and a doctor were standing by her side.
“Devine” she called back my name and then looked at her mum.
“Are you okay now?” I moved over to her and grabbed her hands in mine.
Hesitantly, she nodded.
“Are you sure?” Diane asked and Lisa nodded while I caressed her hands gently.
“Mrs. Sebastian? Kindly see me in the office when you are done.” The doctor said, after which she exited with the nurse following behind him.
“By the time I am back, I want you out of this room and out of our lives” Diane said and walked right out of the ward.
“Cupcake” I groaned and cupped her face.
“I don’t know what to do” she replied, her voice filled with emotions.
“I want to hate you but I don’t seem to have the ability to hate you as much as I want to” she continued and I pulled her into my embrace.
“I know that. I know it.” I patted her comfortingly.
“Why did you do it? I feel like… I feel like you just want to make me suffer. To have made me fall in love with you, knowing fully well I would go through this hell once I found out the secret”
“I thought you’d never find it out and that you’d always be happy. I just… I just wanted you to be happy. I wanted to see your smiles everyday, Cupcake. I am sorry I am such a bastard. Let me hold you, please.”
Lisa snuggled even closer up to me, pressing her head into my chest.
“Don’t say anything. Just hold me”
We remained like that for long, just enjoying the warmth of each other. I felt selfish though, holding onto Lisa this tightly.
Perhaps everything would have been perfect if I hadn’t fallen in love with her and asked her out.
No, it would have been perfect if only I had protected her from Sandro well enough.
Sandro. This was his fault. All his fault. I would do almost anything to drive a bullet into his skull. Nah, a bullet would be too easy.
The door of the ward opened and Diane walked into the room.
“Jesus! What are you both doing?” She half yelled. Lisa pulled away from me quickly but I held onto her, not letting her pull away completely.
“Lisa, I really want to hold back right now” She glanced at me and then at Lisa and then at the walls before returning her gaze to Lisa.
“I really want to be the perfect person you need right now but I am on the verge of losing it. I feel like I am going crazy already. So first, let’s do this. You can’t be with your father’s murderer if you still want me in your life, Lisa.”
“You have to make a choice. It is either you stick to your father’s murderer and I leave this place, completely forgetting that I ever had a daughter or you ask him to leave right now and never come back to you”
“M… Mum” Lisa called. It was hard for her. I got on my feet and raised her hand to my lips, kissing it softly.
“Please, leave and never…. Never come back to me”
MONALISA
I had said the words mum wanted me to say but the words were far from being sincere. I just knew it, deep inside of me that I was way too entangled with this man than for me to truly let go with a few words.
Lucius stared at me, his eyes boring holes into mine. His message was clear.
He would be back.
And perhaps mum was right, I needed him to be gone for now. I needed to think clearly and rationally about my decisions and I could not do so right now when my emotions were all over the place.
Lucius stepped back, his gaze on me until he got to the door. I broke the gaze eventually and lowered my head until I heard the door open and then close.
“Lisa” mum called, rushing towards me.
She sat by my bed, taking the exact space Lucius had been sitting on.
“Tell me…. Did you have sex with him?”
“My poor soul. Tell me the truth, Lisa. Did you have sex with that man?”