Chapter 20: Let's Celebrate Your Heartbreak

MARIELLE

I sat under the shower, still fully dressed and letting the ice-cold water soak through the layers of my clothes. My hair was wet and heavy, sticking to my skin like a shroud. The temperature was probably freezing, but the cavernous ache in my chest was so loud it drowned out any physical sensation.

I stared at my hands. They were pale, almost translucent through the water. I leaned my head back against the tiles, and finally, the cold water was joined by hot, streaming tears.

"Why, Cassius... why?"

I whispered it first, then I couldn't help it… I screamed. A raw, jagged sound that ripped through the bathroom. It was the realization that I was nothing more than a temporary fix for his needs. I wasn't the woman he loved. I wasn't the one he was proud to stand beside. I was just the girl in the house.

…Bang! Bang! Bang!...

The sudden thunder on the door made me gasp, but I didn't move. I stayed huddled on the floor of the tub. I didn't want to explain. I didn't want to be "fixed."

“Open the door, Marielle!”

Vera. Of course. She was the only one who truly saw me. My own mother was usually too preoccupied with her own status to notice the girl drowning in the next room.

The door slammed open. Vera rushed in, not even flinching at the spray as she pulled me up by my shoulders. Her eyes were wide with panic.

“Baby,” she whispered, her own tears threatening to spill.

I looked at her and felt a ghost of a smile touch my lips. It felt like glass breaking.

“He doesn't love me.”

The words were like rocks in my throat, jagged and impossible to swallow.

“I am sorry,” she choked out, pulling me into her arms.

The moment her warmth hit my soaked clothes, the dam broke. I buried my face in her forearms and sobbed, my hands clutching at her as if she were the only thing keeping me on this earth.

“Shhh. I am here.”

Later, I sat on the edge of my bed in dry clothes while Vera kneeled on the floor in front of me, squeezing my hands.

“Marielle,” she said softly.

I let out a long, shaky sigh. The pain was still there, but it was turning into something colder. Something sharper. “Nothing is left between us.”

I forced a smile. It felt wrong on my face. “Well, we never had anything in the first place. I-it was all in my mind.”

She pulled me into another hug. I had really believed in the fairy tale. I thought we were heading toward a happy ending, only to realize my Prince Charming was the one who had stabbed me and left me in the dark.

“What are you gonna do now?” Vera asked.

“Live my life like I don’t exist anymore.”

“Don’t do this to yourself, Marielle,” she pleaded. “Even if he was not in your fate doesn’t mean no one is. There might be someone who’d love you truly and passionately.”

I shook my head. The idea of another man touching me felt like a violation. It had always been Cassius. But the Cassius I loved was a ghost.

“Maybe Julian,” Vera suggested. “He’s a good guy and I can see how much he adores you.”

“No, Vera.”

“You no, Marielle. I’m not gonna let you ruin your life. I am gonna give hints to Julian and if he’s suitable, I am with him.”

I didn't answer. I just stared at the wall. I didn't need anyone. From now on, I was the only person who was going to interfere in my life.

************

The breakfast table was a stage for a play I no longer wanted to act in. The men discussed business; the women offered their calculated input. I just stared into the black depths of my coffee.

“So are you going to the farewell party?” Elena’s voice cut through my thoughts.

Vera rolled her eyes but smiled. “Of course. I mean, it's our last party.”

“Whom are you going with?” Elena teased.

I kept my head down. I knew if I spoke, I would be cruel. Words are weapons, and right now, I was armed to the teeth.

“Well, we have no thought but of course we are not gonna miss,” Vera said.

“You’re going with boys?” Caleb asked, his voice sharp.

I looked up, my eyes meeting him for a split second before I looked away. I didn't care about boys. I didn't care about parties.

“I mean, it's a party and you do need a date,” Vera countered.

“You’re not going to,” Ethan stated firmly.

“Whhyyyy?” Vera dropped her croissant in disbelief. She looked at me for support, but I remained a statue.

“We don’t know whom you’ll be going with and it's not safe,” Ethan continued.

“But we go to university,” Vera argued. “There are hundreds of boys and…..”

“The background of those boys in school is checked severally for any suspicious act,” Cassius’ voice broke in, cold and authoritative.

“The security is tight too and guards go with you but the party, I won't allow it.”

Vera clenched her fists. “Men..”

I reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it hard. ..Don't,...I thought. ..Don't give him the satisfaction of a fight…

“That’s enough,” Cassius said, standing up and reaching for his blazer. “And tomorrow, there is a special party hosted by me. So everyone should be prepared.”

Vea stood up instantly, pulling me with her. “Then we will leave.”

“I will take you both,” Cassius said.

Vera turned, and the fire in her eyes stunned the entire room.

“No need. There’s no security with you. The guards are more safe as they keep us safe all the time.”

“Vera! Is that how you talk?” Lorenzo, her father, barked.

She didn't even flinch. She just pulled me toward the door. “There is nothing left to talk about so we're going.”

Once we were outside the mansion and away from the suffocating air of the dining room, I turned to her. “You should not have talked like that.”

“What? Are you saying that to me!?” she snapped, though her anger wasn't for me.

“Don’t even think I will talk nicely to him just because he’s my uncle. Marielle. You’re my best friend and he’s wrong. He doesn’t deserve the respect if he can’t earn it and for me, he lost all the respect.”

“But Vera-”

“And I was angry at him for not letting us go to the party. So, it was about me too.”

I looked at her, envying her fire. If only I could be that bold.

“Now lets go,” she said, her tone shifting as she winked at me. “Julian wants to see you.”

My cheeks burned. “Vera!”

“Let's party. Let’s celebrate like bad bitches,” she said, her eyes flashing with a mix of mischief and protectiveness.

“Let's celebrate your heartbreak.”