2] The purity of fear

"Ares! Ares, wake up Ares!" the woman screamed in pain, her forehead wrinkled as sweat painted her beautiful pale skin. A tear ran down her cheeks as she fought a contraction, grasping the sheets behind her, she let out another heart-piercing scream as she tried to wake up her husband. "Ares! I think the baby is coming! ARES!" she cried out, her back arched as she palmed softly the lower of her belly. The man seemed to move after all the yelling and kicking his wife was doing.

They have been together for twelve years, their first encounter was abrupt and fearful for the woman, as the man was ruthless and heartless. His aura is cold in her warm heart, and his eyes are dark as quicksand trying to pull her in for the kill. She was just seventeen years old back then and meeting such an intimidating man made her feel scared, but he wasn't enough to take her fire away, her fire was the one that consumed the man, he became warm with time, and he started to love the woman more than anything. He fell for the pure woman instantly, but his being soft was never in the equation back then. He was and still is ruthless to everyone that poses a threat to him. Everyone fears him, only his wife and family matter to him, and everyone else will die without second thoughts if ever thinks of harming them.

"Ares, my dear husband," she whisper-yelled at the man, which still was in a daze, completely oblivious to what was happening, nuzzling in her neck, kissing softly the warm skin, "I swear Ares, if you don't wake up right now, I will go and stay with my brother until you come begging him to let me go!" she threatened as another contraction came. She grasped the man's wrist and squeezed until blood was dripping from his skin. That made the man wake up immediately. The man's eyes widened in fear, "Amelia, what the hell is happening? Why are you giving birth so early?! Ivan! Call a fucking ambulance! The man roared as he stood up from the bed, rushing to dress up.

After doing so, he quickly picked his wife up and rushed out of the room. "Ares, I am scared, the baby..." the woman whined in pain, as tears ran down on her pale cheeks. "Don't worry about love. I promise everything will be fine, don't worry." The woman buried her head on her husband's neck as she continued wailing in pain. The man rushed downstairs, worry and anger was written all over his features. The servants and maids were scared to death when they looked at him, but now, just a glance at his pasture screamed out death and destruction. When they noticed the woman crying in pain, another type of fear came for their mistress. They all bowed their heads in respect, awaiting instructions, but truthfully, they all wanted to bury themselves away from the intimidating man. "Leonardo! Get the fucking car, the ambulance won't come in time." The man's eyes widened at the scene, he was sitting in the living room but heard the commotion and immediately went upstairs to see what was going on. Never in his life did he think that he would be seeing his brother carrying his wife, which was in labor two months early. "Yes, brother." he quickly obliged.

The man strode down the living room and shushed his wife with soft kisses on her forehead. The gentleness and love shown in his expressions, "My love, don't worry I am here with you, I will always be. Don't fear anything, I am here." "Daddy!" a high-pitched melodious voice called from the couch as the man approached. "Caroline, why are you up so late? Where is the nanny?" the man asked the little girl confused. The little girl's eyes widened in shock when she saw her mother in her father's arms, trembling and crying in pain. "I-I don't know... Is mommy okay?" the girl asked as she neared her father cautiously. "Yes, my baby, she is, don't worry, you can go to sleep now." the man said anxiously, "What's wrong with mommy?" another voice called from the top of the stairs, scaring everyone. "Alistair, my boy, Mommy, and I have to go now. Take your sister and go to sleep together okay? Don't be afraid we will talk tomorrow. Hm?'' The man pleaded with the boy but he seemed to be getting nowhere. "But-!" the boy refused to back down but Ares could not take care of them right now. "Be good my boy, we will talk in the morning okay?" the man said with a small reassuring smile, convincing his son. "Okay..."

Before the man could say anything else, the woman gripped his shoulders and bit his neck, causing him to groan in frustration. "Ares! I'm dying!" she screamed in pure agony as she sobbed loudly, "This one doesn't want to stay in." Another scream could be heard, as Leonardo came back and nodded to the man. "Shh. It is okay. We are going to be okay." The man comforted his wife and walked outside the mansion. "Sir, the car is here." The old butler informed me of a worried expression that colored his old-aged features. "Thank you Salvatore." the man nodded and walked to the car and slowly placed the fragile woman in the back, laying her head on his lap.

They quickly drove to the hospital. The drive was nerve-wracking, to say the least, as the woman wouldn't stop crying and screaming, she was about to give birth and the fear clouded her mind, "Ares..." Amelia started with a small voice, "Yes, love?" the man responded immediately. "Could you promise me that you will take care of yourself? That you will find a girl to take care of you and our children? That you will be able to love and trust me after I go away? That-" he did not let her finish her sentence, "Amelia! What are you talking about? Nothing is going to happen to you!'' The man was furious, but could not do much because of his wife's condition. "ARES!" she warned, tears running down her cheeks, a pained expression in her beautiful brown eyes. "Amelia, I-'' he was immediately cut off by his wife, "Ares, please.'' The man looked troubled and hurt by the woman's words, he knew he couldn't trust anyone but her, making that promise meant that he had to first accept that his wife would no longer be there and secondly that someone else would replace her.

He couldn't bear to think like that, but because of her, he had to promise, to make her feel better, "Fine, Amelia, you know how much I love you right? I would never let anything happen to you or our children, okay?" the woman nodded in appreciation after sobbing furiously. After reaching the hospital, the paramedics rushed in aid. The man watched anxiously as they placed his wife in a moving bed and brought her inside. The hospital was buzzing and people were going in and out, but the man could only focus on his wife. The woman that gave him everything, happiness, warmth, and most importantly love, something that he had never believed existed as a young man back then. Never in his life had he thought that he'd be this lucky. After all, he is a merciless killer, a heartless man, and a pure devil. He knew that he didn't deserve anything good in his life, but he is also selfish. He wanted her to stay with him, and so she made her do so.

His love for his wife and his children grew stronger and stronger with the days and years that passed. He protected them with his life, they are his family. He would always be with them, but after hearing his wife's words in the car his fear became worse as he thought that something must be wrong. When their firstborn boy, Matthew, was brought into their world, everything changed for him. When he held the baby in his palms, his heart started racing with fear and love. He and his lovely wife have been through hell and heaven, but in the end, they made it out. He had hurt so much that his own heart died a little every time. He convinced himself back then that it was all for her, but he knows, he was just being paranoid, like every time. His wish to become a father became true because of her, of her trust, her purity, it wasn't little time that he'd called her stupid, and, she knew it too. But love makes people cry and makes them feel hurt and happy. She wasn't a coward, she was fearless. He and his beautiful wife were so in love back then, but now, it seems as if it has grown red roses and become ten times stronger. The past few years that his wife gave birth, he couldn't stop himself from asking why she was so keen on having her so quickly. It is not like he didn't love them, in contrast, he wanted his house to be filled with love and children.

The man didn't know back then, but her condition had worsened. The woman answered him, saying that she wanted him to be happy, as if she knew exactly what he wanted, even if she wasn't there someday. The man didn't understand at that time, he only wanted her to be happy and content. But he remembered every time he hurt her until he felt his heart drowning in a swamp of his own making. He wanted to kill someone every time his mind became dark. His wife couldn't be that one, that special person he needed, and she knew, even if they loved each other, they weren't meant to be, she knew because she was dying either way. Her husband, the man that she took from another that hadn't appeared yet, knew that she had to return, fate and destiny in her heart, in her mind.

She didn't regret anything, she wanted him to find happiness and love her. She knew, better than anyone, that he was soft and warm. But she knew that the woman that would come, would suffer enough for everything he had done. She only prayed that she would forgive, forgive and forget. She wanted him to find and love her, but she knew the man was ruthless, a little glimmer of hope was still left inside, but after her death, she also knew that he would hurt, together with her. He'll find, he will, but she feared that he would let her go. Because of her, because of her selflessness, he would be alone. The woman that's meant to be his would suffer, and too, with them, even from the sky, she wanted him happy, she gave him reasons to be.

She knew that he would hurt and scream at night in agony. After all, she was not his real mate. All those years, it was made sure, she wasn't his destiny, she wasn't strong. She knew that the woman he was supposed to be with, was suffering and was getting stronger to face the man that she was supposed to be with. She told him that she wants him to remarry if something happened to her. That night, they had their biggest argument, but he agreed with her, not wanting to upset her anymore. He knew she wasn't his, but he claimed her either way, she showed him love, and feared that she would be taken away from him.

Every night, he wailed in pain, drinking, not wanting to face the truth, but he could see it, in the tiniest little things, she wasn't his. He hadn't found his woman, but he didn't care. His grandfather once told him,

"Destiny and fate cannot be overcome when it comes to love. You will find the one that's right for you, and when you do you will understand it. However hard you try to deny it, you won't be able to live another day without dreaming about her face, screaming her name, crying in pain for her to come to you. I know, you're prideful son, but when it comes to love, only being shameless can take you to heaven, she, will take you to heaven."

He loved his wife more than anything, but he knew and he hated himself for it, he didn't want a woman back then, and now he had lost his wife's life and another woman's, the one that was supposed to be his.