JUDE POV The painting was a lie.A bright, pretty lie, bursting with pale pink blooms and fat beams of sunshine.I’d begun it yesterday, an idle study of the rose garden lurking beyond the open windows of the studio. Through the tangle of thorns and satiny leaves, the brighter green of the hills rolled away into the distance.Incessant, unrelenting spring.If I’d painted this glimpse into the court the way my gut had urged me, it would have been flesh-shredding thorns, flowers that choked off the sunlight for any plants smaller than them, and rolling hills stained red.But each brushstroke on the wide canvas was calculated; each dab and swirl of blending colors meant to portray not just idyllic spring, but a sunny disposition as well. Not too happy, but gladly, finally healing from horrors I carefully divulged.I supposed that in the past weeks, I had crafted my demeanor as intricately as one of these paintings. I supposed that if I had also chosen to show myself as I truly wished, I
ISADORA POVSometimes, the truth is not the truth.Maybe we should pay more attention to the lies that the truth veils.You cannot blame me for being too quick to fall for him. He came as a saint and spoke all the right words, making the woman's English look massively out of sync with the things he said. He made me think there was no other like him, no other like me; I basked in the lie that I was the only one with the female organ that deserved the honor of his bed.He was perfect on paper, but he was lying to my face.“You make my world go round; you make beauty look so underrated.” He would thrill me with the words.Well, I guess I underrated his ability to see beyond me.He was no different from the others who had come to me, saying the words.I can't even pour out my anger as I would love to, but even that will change nothing.It was very embarrassing the way she asked me to leave while I stood with Dani at the party. “You should go fill the empty glasses,” she had said. She spoke with s
ISADORA POVSurely, everyone shall have a bite of fate’s sledgehammer…No matter how much I called her name wishfully, how fast I ran, how much I called her name, one reality had refused to sink in…Isadora , my friend, was gone…It will surely take me a long time to finally accept and live with this reality.As I walked back to the room, I reminisced on her last words to me…“If fate gives us another chance, we shall meet again.”I hope fate deals kindly with me next time.Puertelas was standing outside by the time I got back to my room. She looked as confused as I was.“What was that for? What just happened, Ella ?,” she hit me with the questions as soon as I got to her.Without saying a word to her, I walked inside, my mind too scattered to even say a word. I picked up the letter she had asked to give to Vikky and walked outside, leaving Puertelas looking like she had just seen a ghost.I managed to drag my feet back to Vikky , my face still gloomy. He could tell immediately that s
JUDE POVPassion consumes, then it destroys… Those who are destroyed have no fucking idea until it becomes too late…Everytime I look at Vikky , contrasting thoughts flood my mind at will. First, I see in him a young man who is resolute, someone who will go all out to get whatever he wants. He doesn't give a fuck what the consequences are for he believes that his will is far more stronger than any obstacle he would face.“Nothing is impossible until I have given my sweat an blood for it,” he often says with an air of authority, say.I would have had no issue with him if his unwavering resolve was for a good cause, but rather, my son, the one who should take my place as alpha when I'm no more, has chosen the wrong fight.I worry greatly for him.He has chosen to be trapped inside the hole of a maid, any ordinary maid!What the fuck!Last night, he had not showed up for dinner. That was unlike him. I had waited for him, hoping that he would show up eventually, but he never did.“Where i
ISADORA POVA good friend is more expensive than the most expensive thing you can think of.Don't underestimate what heartbreak can do. Sometimes, we think we can quite easily get over it and get going with our lives, but it's way more difficult than the eyes meet.In fact, I would say no one person is ever fully ready to navigate through the impact of a heartbreak.I sat on the floor of my dimly lit room, my senses dulled by the alcohol coursing through my veins. The room was suffocating with the weight of my grief, the loss of Ruby consuming my every thought. Days had passed since her departure, and I had chosen to retreat from the world, shutting myself away from any form of solace. Not even Mara, with whom I was well pleased, could sway me to see what the outside world looked like.“You're not just hurting yourself; you're hurting everyone who cares about you. Alecia has become a shadow of herself since you wouldn't say a word to her. You're breaking her to shreds, Dani!” she woul
ISADORA POVWhen was the last time the past made sense to you? Or it holds no sweet memories just like mine?.I am not good with memories, but I definitely cannot forget the one that has completely changed the course of my life forever.That night will remain as cold blooded as anything I will ever know. It still sends cold waves to my entire body.That night, I sat in my old, worn-out armchair, deep in thought. The dimly lit room echoed with silence, as I cast my mind back on the events that had molded my life…Not for good.Once, there was a time when my family was whole and complete, a loving unit bound by unbreakable bonds. It was impossible not to feel the warmth of my mother's embrace, the sound of my father's laughter, and the mischievous adventures shared with my only brother, Jadon. We were inseparable, a family filled with endless joy and happiness. I used to wonder if Jadon and I were actually siblings, because we behaved like two lovebirds who would rather prefer death tha
ISADORA POVJust when you think you have seen the worst, the restart button clicks.Holy smokes!I gripped the edges of my tattered shirt, my heart pounding heavily in my chest. I stood alone, surrounded by vast emptiness, as I stared at the remnants of what remained of my past. After losing my parents and brother in that brutal attack, I had found myself stranded with no place to go.The authorities were tirelessly pursuing the trail of their killers.“We are sorry about your loss, Isadora ,” was all they kept saying to me.I didn't want to be pitied, I just wanted those bloody motherfuckers found; I wanted them to look me in the eyes and tell me why they had chosen to take the lives of those who knew nothing but goodness; I wanted them to tell me why they had chosen to torment me for the rest of my life.Nikita and her parents had coming running to me that night once they heard the news.“Oh, Isadora !,” her mother said to me, wrapping me in her warmth.“I'm sorry,” my friend said t
ISADORA POVEven in ‘light,’ darkness will always give us a clue to the answers we seek.The early morning rain poured relentlessly, as dark storm clouds covered the sky like a heavy woolen blanket. Each raindrop seemed to carry a weight of sadness, adding to the gloomy atmosphere that lingered over the pack's camp. It was in the midst of this downpour that my life took a devastating turn…For the third time, you can say.Lucy had woken up before me that day.“You've got to be ready before Puertelas walks in,” she said to me.That was her way of reminding me of how much Puertelas frowned at being late for our usual early morning routines, something I was still trying to get accustomed to. She had proven very hard to please, for despite the fact that I was still trying to find my feet around the pack, she already had placed so much expectations on me, demanding from me the same performance as with the others who had been veterans there even before I came.Quicky, I dragged my tired leg