Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 18893 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 94(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18893 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 94(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
“She’ll never remember?” I murmur the question, hoping for a different answer but knowing it won’t come. Anger burns through me and a deep sadness that might even have echoes of fear swallows thickly at the idea that so many memories would be lost to her. Everything we shared, everything we built, everything we felt for one another can’t be gone. I can’t be the only one to carry those memories. The anger grows too intense for me to keep it under control, and I reach out in desperation for Aphrodite, pulling her to a stop on the sidewalk. “You told me she’d love me.”
She blinks at my harsh whisper, her eyes sharp, then looks down at where my hand is wrapped around her arm.
“This isn’t the underworld,” she says, her voice scolding. My heart slows and I take a step back. The mere fact that Ivy will never remember begs a good part of my soul to be struck dead by her or any god.
“I was told a deal was made.” I force myself to speak calmly, keeping my voice quiet so I don’t attract any attention.
The woman sighs like I’m asking too much from her. I don’t think I’ve asked enough.
“You never would’ve found her without me. You wouldn’t even be allowed to sneak into this realm. Remember that. None of this would have happened without my grace.” Her eyes meet mine, and there’s a dark judgment in them. “What you did…”
I glance down at the sidewalk for only a moment, pain clenching in my chest and heat burning in my face. These memories are just as painful as the idea of Ivy forgetting everything and never knowing me again.
“The threads being cut was a punishment I didn’t deliver but one I understood. Know that.”
With a tight throat I respond, “Hecate collects me for the army of the dead every night before the full moon under the last thread of light. I am doing what I can to make amends and repent.”
I mean every word of it. I feel it all in the depths of my soul.
She speaks under her breath as the people walk by and we stand still. “You were meant to only feel betrayal and nothing more. Barely any time has passed and you still feel love for her…that is what convinced me. Do not disappoint.”
I can only nod, swallowing thickly.
She looks away and begins walking again. I walk by her side, desperate to continue the conversation and at a loss for words. How I feel is mostly a howl of rage, and this woman will pretend not to understand.
“It would be wise of you to remember who I am and what I’m capable of,” she warns.
“Yes, my lady,” I answer diligently.
We pass several buildings. The mist is getting heavier. It’ll rain again soon.
I think of her. And what tonight will be. Ivy stays inside when the sky opens up and the rain pours down. She’ll shut herself in her room, wrap a blanket around her shoulders, and stay in until she has to leave again for a class or for her studies, and I’ll spend every second fighting with myself.
Aphrodite goes into a hotel and passes the front desk without looking at the man behind it. He doesn’t look up at us, either. We turn down a wide, dimly lit hallway with large sets of doors on either side. The lights flicker as she walks by.
As she’s about to turn into an even darker hallway, she turns to face me, looking up into my eyes, and the shame I felt earlier comes back to me. I don’t think it will ever let me go, but that’s not what I need to know most of all.
“Is this more of a punishment, then?” It’s difficult to force the words out, the question leaving my mouth in a rough demand. The goddess’s lips press into a thin line. She has to know what this is doing to me. Maybe she even came here to taunt me with what she knows, and now she’s glad to see that it’s working. “To add on to my pain? To have her and for her not to know?”
I expect her to say yes. That would make the most sense, for this to be a cruel punishment I can’t escape from.
She reaches out and touches my sleeve. I’m surprised at how soft the touch is.
“She will,” she replies simply, and I let out a long breath. If this is out of pity or even a lie, I can’t bring myself to accept that now. “She’s going to love what you do to her,” the woman continues, her tone almost wistful. But then her eyes harden again, and she looks at me with disapproval. “Perhaps you may act on such things before it’s too late.”