Chapter 23: Don't You Dare Leave Me

MARIELLE

"You should have told us beforehand about your decision, Cassius," Lorenzo said, the sound of silverware against porcelain punctuating his words.

We were sitting at the long dining table for lunch. I clenched my fists in my lap, the fabric of my dress wrinkling under the pressure. Vera shot me a stern, warning look before quickly focusing back on her plate.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Cassius replied coolly.

Valentina smiled warmly at her son. "Cassius. I am so happy. Finally, you have decided to be happy."

Hearing those words, finally happy, felt like a jagged blade twisting in my gut. I struggled to breathe, my gaze rising slowly until it crashed into Enzo's.

He was watching me. I looked away instantly, heat crawling up my neck. He knew. He knew what I'd done in that bathroom, what I'd begged for, and yet he still looked at me with that protective, brotherly affection.

"How do you know Isabella?" Isobel asked. My ears perked up. I needed to know. I needed to hear the confirmation that would finally kill the last of my hope.

"Oh I know, they share a very close bond. Right, Cassius?" Lorenzo smirked, his eyes glinting with a secret knowledge that made me feel nauseous.

Before I could hear another word, my mother's voice cut through the air. "Marielle. Would you mind drinking tea with me? I have something to talk about."

The table went quiet. Everyone knew we weren't close. I looked at her, feeling absolutely nothing. No love, no anger, just a hollow emptiness.

"I have work with Vera," I said flatly. I looked at Vera, a silent plea for salvation in my eyes.

She stood up immediately, nodding. "Actually. We have to plan things."

I stepped away from the table, my heels clicking softly against the polished floor as I practically ran toward my bedroom. My vision was already blurring. I pushed the door open with trembling hands and stumbled into the dim room.

How dare he? How dare he touch me like that, make me feel like I was his world for a few minutes in the dark, and then announce his happiness with her in the light?

Vera followed me in, closing the door softly. "Marielle," she called, her voice laced with concern. "Marielle, talk to me. What's going on in your head? What are you thinking?"

I stood in the center of the room, my back to her. I couldn't speak. The silence was a physical weight. Then, a shuddering sigh escaped me, and the first hot tear fell.

"I'm in pain, Vera," I whispered, my voice cracking. "It hurts so much."

Vera stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I know it does. But you have to talk to me. You can't keep this all inside."

I spun around to face her, my face wet, my heart raw. "How could he do this to me? How could Cassius use me like that… and then marry someone else? How could he stand there and look at me as if I'm nothing?"

Vera tried to embrace me, but I pulled away. The pain was too big for a hug…it was turning into a violent, thrashing thing.

"You don't understand, Vera. He wasn't just someone to me. I loved him! I still do!"

"Marielle, I know you did," Vera said gently.

"No, you don't!" I shouted. I grabbed the blankets from my bed and hurled them across the room. "You don't know what it's like to love someone so much that it feels like you're dying without them! I feel used. I feel dirty, yet I can't hate him!"

I snapped. I began grabbing anything within reach, pillows, books, perfume bottles, and throwing them. I wanted to destroy everything. I wanted the outside to look as broken as the inside.

Vera caught my arms in a firm grip. "Marielle, stop! This isn't going to help. You need to breathe. Please, just breathe."

I shook my head violently. "I love him, Vera! I love him so much that it feels like I'm being torn apart. And he, he just… he just threw me away like I was nothing."

My strength gave out. I collapsed to my knees, sobbing into my hands. Vera knelt beside me, stroking my hair.

"I know it feels like the end of the world right now," she said softly. "But you're not alone in this. I'm here for you, and I'll help you through it. You're stronger than this pain, Marielle. I promise you are."

I clung to her for a moment, my sobs turning into broken whimpers. But the darkness in my mind didn't lift. I looked at the room, the chaos, the mess, and then my eyes landed on the heavy vase on the nightstand.

I pulled away from her, my eyes wild. I wasn't in my right mind anymore. The pain was a physical scream in my ears.

"Marielle, stop!" Vera shouted.

I didn't listen. I grabbed the vase and hurled it at the ornate mirror across the room. The sound of shattering glass was deafening. Jagged shards rained onto the floor, reflecting the light in a thousand broken pieces.

"Marielle, please," Vera's voice trembled.

"You're scaring me. Just talk to me. We can get through this together."

I didn't hear her. I looked at the broken glass. It looked like my life. I crouched down and picked up a sharp, long fragment.

"Marielle, no!"

I pressed the edge against my wrist. I looked at the door, then back at the glass. "I can't, Vera. I can't live like this. I can't watch him love someone else. I don't have that strength."

"Marielle, stop it right now!"

It was too late. I dragged the shard across my skin. Crimson blood spilled instantly, hot and bright, dripping onto the floor.

"No!" Vera screamed.

She rushed forward, catching me as my knees buckled. The room began to spin. "Somebody help! Mom! Dad!"

I felt so light. So tired. I leaned my head back into Vera's arms.

"I loved him," I whispered, my voice fading into the distance. "Cassius… I loved him so much."

Vera was screaming, trying to use a piece of fabric to stop the red tide. Then, the door burst open. Cassius stormed in, his face a mask of shock that shattered into pure horror the moment he saw the pool of blood.

"Marielle!" he roared.

He dropped to his knees, his hands shaking as he cradled my face. "What did you do? Why?" My eyes fluttered. He was here. He was actually here. A broken smile touched my lips.

"Cassius…" I whispered. "You're here…" And then, the darkness took me.

CASSIUS

"Marielle!" I roared, the sound ripping from my throat.

I pressed my hands against her wrist, the blood warm and slick, staining my palms, my sleeves, my soul. I'd never felt terror like this. Not in all my years in this business.

"Someone get a doctor! Now!"

Vera bolted from the room, her cries echoing down the hall. I held Marielle close, her head lolling against my chest. Her face was so pale… like porcelain.

"Don't you dare leave me," I murmured, my voice trembling for the first time in my life. "Not like this. I'm here now. Please, Marielle. Stay with me."

I looked at the shattered mirror, at the mess of the room, and finally, at the blood on my hands. My stoic mask didn't just crack, it disintegrated.

"Please, Marielle... just stay.”