Lotus [18+]

Epilogue part 2

|Ace Carlyle|
|Ten months later|

Getting married after weeks of knowing your partner sounds so romantic, so movie-like. You're so infatuated you cannot think straight, and you never think it will reach a point of rupture.

Life can change in the blink of an eye. Destiny does not ask if you're ready for what's to come and when you're on your knees screaming and begging for it all to end, destiny just laughs.

I thought that the worst thing that had happened to me was losing Lotus and watching her fall in love with Camilo, but that was a walk in the park compared to what I'm now going through.

My phone vibrated in my jacket as my eyes analyzed the different labels of vodka in front of me. The caller is probably Lotus or Camilo, but I don't want to talk to them or anyone for that matter.

I finally chose to go with a bottle of Belvedere and made my way to the counter.

"Ça va?" Julius, the owner of the liquor store, asked — he knows me, I'm here at least four times a week.

(How are you?)

I shrugged "Comme d'hab," I sniffled, handing Julius €100. "Gardez la monnaie," I took the bottle and made my way out of the shop to walk back to my flat.

(As usual. Keep the change.)

It's been pouring rain in Paris for the last three days, which is normal because of the season but I cannot be bothered to carry an umbrella with me — I simply do not care.

When I turned on my street, I spotted three SUVs outside of my building. Fuck. Just when I turned around, I found Camilo with two bodyguards behind him as he held an umbrella.

"Hi Ace," he lightly smiled and glanced at the bottle in my hand "good choice."

"What are you doing here?" I curtly asked. "I don't have time for this."

"Why? Too busy getting drunk every day?" Camilo's face remained calm. "You need help, Ace, you cannot continue down this path; it doesn't lead anywhere good."

"Who said I wanted a good ending?" I said, turning around to walk what was left to my building. I glanced over my shoulder and Camilo didn't move. Upon reaching the door of my building, I entered my code and it buzzed.

"Ace," the feminine voice said, and I stood still "we need to talk."

Tears instantly formed in my eyes "About what, Lotus?"

"About what you're going through; you need help," Lotus stated.

"Talk?" I snickered; her words are absurd to me. "About what?" I turned around to face her and let the tears fall — the rain will hide them.

"You need to break this self-destructive cycle or you could end up dead," she replied with a frown. "I hate seeing you like this. You have a lot to live still—"

"My wife and child are dead, Lotus!" I interrupted in anger. "The car rolled six fucking times!" I threw the bottle to the ground and it smashed, but Lotus didn't move an inch. "My baby girl was not even a year old!" I stepped closer and the guards tried to stop me, but Lotus signaled them to stand down "SHE WAS A BABY!" I yelled "AND SHE'S DEAD!"

"And do you think Christabelle would like to see you like this? Slowly killing your self!" Lotus exclaimed.

I couldn't help but smile at her ridiculous question "Christabelle is dead; she's nothing but a pile of fucking ashes in a plastic bag inside an urn. She doesn't exist anymore. Leave me the fuck alone; if I die that's none of your concern," I turned around to head into my building with trembling limbs; my adrenaline is through the roofs.