“My mother had an aneurysm shortly after I found out about school,” I mumbled.
Lucien came in close and pulled me to him. “Little Angel, I’m sorry for your loss.”
Shaking my head, I pushed the tears away from my eyes. It’d been years ago but I could still picture her buried in the black dress I’d picked for her. The pearl earrings that she’d owned placed with care in her ears.
“Yeah, it was a long time ago,” I smiled up. “I see I have you talking now. Won’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
He sighed and pulled me in closer. The heat from his body felt so good. The words he’d wanted to speak spilled from his mouth.
“My mother died the other day,” he replied.
I tried to step back, shocked. “Lucien, I’m so sorry.”
His hands wrapped even more firmly around my waist. He seemed to want to say more. His eyes were a bit watery.
“No need to be sorry, I’ve been expecting it for a long time.’
“Doesn’t make it any easier.”
Reaching up on my tiptoes, I brought him down for a kiss. I’d never really initiated an intimate kiss with him like this before. It was new and I couldn’t explain the need.
“What I came to tell you,” Lucien looked away. “This should be easy.”
“Then say it,” I shrugged.
“I’m releasing you, Little Angel. You’re free from your brother’s debt.”
His hands fell from around my waist then and he backed up. It was as if someone had poured scalding hot water on both of us. Lucien turned his back and started to go to head back to the house.
“Lucien, wait what the fuck…I don’t understand!”
I called out after him and he whirled around to face me.
“Go the fuck back to your life, Simone. This has already gotten messier than it needed to be. This was all about screwing over your father and your brother.”
I tried to comprehend but couldn’t. However, Lucien was still screaming for me to go. That I didn’t’ belong here and that I’d fucked up all of his plans.
“You’re a fucking coward!” I sneered at him. “Hiding behind this façade that nothing can touch you. That you’re every bit the vicious animal they all think you are.”
“I am!”
“I saw you, Lucien. You had started to let me in…and you wanted to. Don’t shove me out now.”
“Simone, get the fuck off my property! You were just a quick fuck. Fucking you was just something to pass the time….to get inside your brother’s head.”
Catching up to him as fast as my legs would allow, the pain began to sting in them. He moved like shadows fleeing from the touch of light. Grabbing at his coat, he stopped to face me again.
“I was just a game?”
“Nothing more and nothing less. Did you think that this was some fucking fairytale, Simone…that I’d fall in love with you just because we were fucking?” Lucien’s eyes never met mine. There was no way to determine if he was lying or if he was telling the truth. He tugged away from me then.
His words stung.
A lot.
“I’ll get my things and go…”
“It’s for the best.”
