Does It Have To Be This Way?

Two

Caius POV

I left a path of destruction all the way down to Lake Como. Bodies down in every ally and every corner of every street.  For once I didnt care if someone knew my existence. If someone caught me. Good. Ill be dead and then I will be with Athenadora.

I brought my hand up feeling the ring that was on my necklace. "Why did you have to leave me so soon? Our forever was barely starting," I said.

I had found Athenadora when she was sitting at the bench at this lake. She was bruised and bleeding. Her previous spouse had hurt her after founding out she had a miscarriage.

I smelt the blood. It was so sweet. It would be an easy victim. Easy to hide. No one was around and it was late at night. 

She was crying? Her cheek was bruised and bleeding along with her neck. It was as someone began to cut her neck. I then noticed blood on her night gown as well in the lower region . She began to cough hard. She put up a grag to her mouth as she up blood.

Ill put her out of misery. Its the least I could do.

I approached her carefully. "Leave me alone Richard," she yelled then let out another cough. She didnt look at me.

"Im not him," I said reaching her touching her arm.

She flinched away immediately hitting my hand.

"Hey... hey, Im not the person who hurt you," I said moving to the ground and wanting to make myself less intimidating.

"You're just another person Richard sent to drag me back there," she pushed my arm away trying to shove me down.

"Look at me. Im not," I said gently touching her hands. "What happened?"

"Why would you care! Just leave me alone!!" She yelled at me. "Theres nothing you can do to help. Understand?"

"Because Im a proper gentleman," I said.

She scoffed. "So was my husband," she said.

"He was not a proper gentlemen if he hurt you," I replied.

"You wouldve done the same," she sighs coughing up some more blood.

I opened my mouth to speak, to offer to take her to the hospital. But she would be dead soon enough. "I wouldnt ever hurt a woman. But I would hurt someone who does this to a pretty lady," I said quickly hoping it didnt look like I was hesitant to answer. "What is your name?"

"A-Athenadora," she whispered and stayed quiet.

"Im not pretty anymore," she looked down.

I touched her chin gently gently making her look at me. "My name is Caius," I said touching her cheek then. "You're beautiful. Now tell me what happened,"

"I was carrying a child," She whispered. I was in the middle of cooking and then there was blood. A lot," she said looking down at her nightgown looking at all the blood that stained the white fabric. She took a deep breath and coughed again more blood coming out each time she coughed.

"And he hurt you for it?"

"Yes," she whispered. "At first he was upset but then was angry blaming me for it, yet again he was drunk as well,"

"It was not your fault," I took her hand. "Being drunk its not an excuse to hurt you,"

"Try telling him that," she took a breath and tears fell from her eyes. "Then he began to hit me, and I wouldnt stop. I was on the floor. It wouldnt stop. The kicking. The pain. Everything," she let out a sob.