Cheska Today is my second day in Italy. It’s early morning, and I’m setting up my new cellphone when Drake emerges in my doorway. He’s talking to someone on the phone before handing it to me, making me wonder who it is. “ It’s your friend Kate,” he says. “ She got my number from Prince.” The mentioning of such name still makes my heart drop. I sigh and take the phone from Drake. “Hello?” Kate’s cries fill my ear as soon as I speak, and she goes frantic. “Oh my God, Ches. Are you okay? How are you doing over there?” A soft smile tugs at my lips. I miss her. It feels like ages since the last time I heard from her. This girl is worrying about me like I’m dying. “I’m okay. Don’t worry.” “God, I never thought that – “ she stops talking and starts sobbing. “If only I’d figured it out earlier.” She’s speaking about Andrew. There’s a guilt in her voice, and I want to tell her that none of this is her fault. Before, neither of us realized that Andrew was such a psychopath. We thought th

Cheska The moment I close the door behind me, my sobs finally break. I’ve never thought that I would say those words to him, but I had to. We can’t be together anymore. I’ve promised myself that I’m going to forget everything about my painful past, about him. I need to be strong, and I can only be so without him. I’ve planned my future, and he won’t be in the picture. Our future doesn’t work together. Mine will destroy his. Drake leans back against the wall, his arms crossed on his chest, his eyes closed. He has heard everything as well. When he turns to me and walks closer to hug me, I bury my face in his chest and cry my eyes out, hugging him back. I can’t bear the pain anymore. Hurting Prince breaks my own heart, worse than when he broke mine. He came all the way here for me. He waited for days, standing on the street outside. He still waited for me even when the rain had been pouring hard on him. He was crying when he said that he loved me. But then, I just crushed him with m

I can't believe that I let him hold me again when I broke down. I must admit that his being here makes my heart at ease while Damien is on the run. I watch as he sits at the desk in the guest bedroom, opening his laptop, while I prepare my breakfast. I don't know if he already had one or not, but there's nothing wrong with preparing the food for him as well. I hear him talking to a person on the phone about some academic projects. It's too early in the morning to talk about that -- it might be something urgent. Then I remember that he's supposed to start his internship in the oil company -- the one I visited when I brought him the notebook. That time, he told me that it would start in three months after he passed his interview -- which is around this month. Is he postponing the start date? Because of me? My heart sinks as I think again about the circumstances that I'm in. I've been right all along. Our future doesn't work together. Mine will be a hindrance to him. I'll only be a bur

I can't believe what I see. Is this real? Because if this is all just a dream, I don't want to wake up. Prince tries to move his finger again, but he's still very weak. I stroke his hand, a soft smile touching my lips as tears brim my eyes. "You-you woke up," I whisper. He gazes at me with his intense eyes. "I had a dream," he rasps, his voice just as weak as his stare. "And there, you called me. Many times." I brush my fingers across his cheek. There's a tear in the corner of his eye, and I wipe it away as it escapes. "I've been thinking .. " he pauses, his voice hoarse. "What if you haven't forgiven me? I couldn't just go away, leaving you like that, could I?” My lips tremble, and I choke in tears. He stares at me, his eyes begging. "Cheska," he whispers. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all that I've done to you. I'm sorry that I hurt you." I shake my head. He's begging me like he's dying. He has sacrificed himself to save me to the point that he almost lost his life. But now, here h