Music Recommendation: Tema d’Irina – Giordano Maselli
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Hearing Theodore utter those words, for a moment, Lucy felt like her surroundings had turned still and almost non-existent as if it was just her and Theodore in this entire world. Her red eyes had widened, and her hand that was placed flat on the surface of the door, she used it as a support so that she wouldn’t fall weak to his words.
“Lucy,” whispered Theodore, stepping even closer than he had before. If he leaned a little further to the front, he would be able to smell the scent of the top of her head. “I have made mistakes, but they weren’t intentional. Deep down in your heart you know that.”
His hands had started to close in on her, and the goosebumps that were on her arms had started to spread to her whole body.
“For the pain that has been caused, I cannot forgive you,” she said in a low voice and turned around to meet his eyes. Her glare didn’t deter him, and he instead moved towards her. “What do you think you are doing?”
“You can take your time,” said Theodore, “You can hate me as much as you want and once you are done with hating me, then we can get back to the same page as before.”
Thankfully they were in a closed room where no one could walk in to see the scandalous position they were standing in.
“I don’t think I will ever be done with hating you,” said Lucy in anger.
It was not right how Theodore was trying to win her heart when he could have stopped her anguish and pain long ago. It wasn’t like she hadn’t attempted to understand where he came from, but if he had believed and had faith in her, he would have told what Samuel had been doing. The pain, the humiliation, how could she forget them.
Lucy whispered, “I loved you, Theodore, like I had loved no one.”
Theodore raised his hand to place it on Lucy’s cheek as if to simmer the anger that was burning behind her eyes. The anger was derived out from the pain she had felt all these years, and Theodore wanted to take them away from her. On his hand’s touch, Lucy automatically closed her eyes, a gasp escaped her lips.
God only knew how she felt right now, and Theodore was not making it any easier.
“I love you, Lucy. Before and now, and will continue to do so,” whispered Theodore, and that was enough to create a crack on the wall. Lucy opened her eyes, meeting Theodore’s gaze, and he said, “I know I have hurt you, but allow me to make it right and I promise to never break your heart again.”
She felt him brush her cheek with his finger, the strokes caressing her skin, and it brought back the remaining memories she had locked away from herself. When it was Samuel, he was her husband but she had never felt even half of how she had felt for Theodore. With their closeness, Lucy could see her own reflection in Theodore’s eyes, and she realized how her back had pressed itself against the door.
At the same time, someone from outside tried to open the door startling Lucy and breaking the trance Theodore had put her in.
“Is the door locked?” came a voice of a maid from the other side of the door.
The doorknob moved as if the maid was trying to open the door, but Theodore held it tightly so that it wouldn’t open.
Realizing where she was and what she was doing, Lucy became worried at the possibility that the maid and the others would find her and Theodore alone in the room.
It had been only a few days since she had found out Samuel was cheating on her, and she didn’t want people to think that Samuel had been framed by someone so that she could be with Theodore. Maybe it was best to step out of the room as if nothing had happened, because nothing did happen, and they were only speaking. But the longer she stayed inside with Theodore with the door locked, the more suspicious it would be.
“Why is this door not opening? I am sure it was left to be open so that I could clean it now,” said the maid to someone, and both Lucy and Theodore heard another pair of footsteps approach the door.
“It isn’t opening?” asked another maid, her voice confused, and she said, “I thought it was at least when I was walking by earlier.”
While the maids talked to each other, Lucy sent a glare at Theodore, “What are you doing?” Lucy whispered as softly as she could.
“I am not finished talking to you,” stated Theodore, his eyes swept across her face and noticing this action, Lucy unconsciously licked her lips that had turned dry. Theodore was quick to follow the tongue that peeked out and disappeared.
“I am,” replied Lucy. “Now step away so that I can leave.”
“Promise me something before you leave then. That you won’t give your heart to anyone,” said Theodore, his eyes holding her gaze, and Lucy frowned.
“My heart is none of your business-”
Lucy wasn’t wasn’t finished speaking when she was interrupted by Theodore’s finger on her lips to hush her.
Lucy’s heart hitched on, feeling Theodore press his index finger on her lips. Her breathing had suddenly quickened, and she felt frozen. Gulping down at the unexpected action, she was about to speak when Theodore brushed his finger over her plump bottom lip.
“Seems like you want to be caught,” Theodore whispered to her, his head moving to one side of her lips and saying. “I wouldn’t have pulled you here if I wasn’t sure about our feelings for each other. I know you love me, Lucy, but I don’t want you to do something in haste to spite me.”
When they heard the sound of the footsteps leaving from the other side of the door, Theodore finally dropped his hand and his gaze from her lips.
“You have slept with Samuel, I have with other women. It would be rude of you to pin on me in front of a stranger that I was supposed to not do anything while you-” Lucy punched her fist straight into Theodore’s stomach, “Ouch!”
“Do you think I wanted to get married to him?” questioned Lucy when she had gathered back her sanity. “I could have waited for you, but the truth is you didn’t want me…”
“We wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want you,” pointed Theodore, but Lucy was too angry at Theodore to listen to him.
“No,” whispered Lucy. “If you would have come to me and explained, we wouldn’t be talking like this.” She pushed Theodore away from her before quickly opening the door and leaving the room as fast as she could.
Theodore stared at the door, hearing it close shut, and his lips turned into displeasure. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips.
In the evening, when he went to meet Calhoun in the study room, pushing the door open, he noticed Lucy was in there, speaking to the King.
“The mansion is in ruins and it would need lots of repairing to do before you can move in,” Calhoun responded to something Lucy had said.
