Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
I caressed my Angel’s face, moving her hair behind her ears. Her lips were parched and cracked, bloodied. But there was a whisper of a smile on them.
That hurt. Fuck, did it hurt. My soul was stabbed and torn open, leaving nothing except a hollow depth.
I leaned forward and placed my forehead against hers. She loved it when I did that. She would always smile, and her eyes would sparkle.
My lips feathered over hers. She always kissed me back.
She didn’t kiss me back this time.
Kiss me back, Angel.
I sobbed into her lips, pressing harder and hoping to feel her move…hoping to feel her kiss but nothing.
How could fate be so cruel?
“You promised not to leave me…” I whimpered, my voice cracking over each word. “You promised me forever.”
Our memories flashed in front of my eyes. The first time I saw Maria. The first word. The first touch. Our first kiss. I thought of us.
I saw all the happy moments we went through. When we married. When we said our vows. When we found out we were going to have a baby. Every night she played the piano for us. Every time I made love to her. We had wanted this. A family. Our family. Our happily ever after in this fucked-up world.
We were so happy.
We were meant to always be happy…we were meant to have our Princess. To watch our babies play together, grow, and marry. We were going to be grandparents. We were going to be together, grow old…live our lives together. As one.
Not apart.
Not alone.
But our ending didn’t happen like we wanted.
My clouded thoughts broke through at the screams penetrating the walls of my room, now my living hell.
I looked away from Maria, long enough to see Lena coming into the room, sobbing her heart out. She fell down to her knees beside another body, and she cried to the moon. I realized it was Boris.
Another love was lost.
Another broken love story.
Another tainted story.
The walls became my solace as I kept my Angel in my embrace. I refused to let go, watching the walls, which were now tainted in blood.
Hours must have passed, maybe.
Isaak came to kneel beside me. I refused to acknowledge him…until he tried to separate me from my wife. My hand lurched out, and I gripped his wrist, feeling his bone almost crunch underneath my hold.
He didn’t even flinch. His hardened expression was gone. In its place…I saw pain. Not because I was about to break his fucking hand…but because he felt this loss too.
“Lyov,” he tried to say but couldn’t really speak. His mouth snapped shut. He looked down at Maria’s body, his gaze staying on her stomach for a second longer before he closed his eyes tightly. Bringing his fist to his mouth, he choked back a sob too.
I knew what he was seeing.
Maria’s stomach torn open.
Our baby no longer lived there, safely cocooned in her mother’s womb.
I heard Lena’s voice, and I forced myself to watch as she came forward. Sinking to her knees a few feet away from me, she picked up the tiny body and held my baby in her arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Lena looked so…broken. Fuck, I knew what she was feeling right now.
“She is beautiful,” she whispered. She cried softly, holding my princess closer to her chest. “Do you want to see her?”
I shook my head. I couldn’t. I just…couldn’t. Not without Maria. We were supposed to look at our Princess together, while she breathed, lived, and cried.
Not cold, still, and silent. “Take…her…away.”
The realization sat heavy on my shoulders, and whatever was left of my heart crumbled. My head hung low, and I closed my eyes.
I didn’t just lose my Angel. I also lost our princess. I would never know what the color of her eyes were. Or if she had her mother’s smile. Would she pout like Alessio if Maria and I didn’t cuddle her exactly the way she wanted?
In that moment, I was scared to think of Alessio. If I lost him too…then what would I have left? As if Lena could tell my thoughts, she softly called out, “Alessio.”
My eyes opened when I heard her gasp. She quickly handed my baby to Isaak, who left the room, and Lena pulled a trembling Alessio from under the bed. His face was ashen and caked with dry tears. His expression was a mask of shock and fear. His little legs were shaking so hard Lena had to hold him up. His pants were wet, and I knew it was probably piss.
Alessio didn’t make a sound. He stared into the distance. Lena quickly placed a hand over his eyes, shielding his gaze from the horrifying scene in front of him. She ushered him out of the room and followed suit.
I looked down at my Angel again. My fingers couldn’t stop caressing her cheek, touching her cold, velvet skin.