Beyond The Camera: The Sequel

Chapter 3

-Hinata's POV-

I was under the impression a person could only cry so much, but I was wrong.

"Fuck you. I wish I never met you."

My nails dug into the skin of my chest as I curled in on myself and sobbed, grabbing the area because it hurt like my heart was trying to burst out. Sasuke, my Sasuke, said those words. He said them to my face with so much hatred and disgust that it made me want to crawl under a rock and die.

My plan to speak with Sasuke one on one to explain to the best of my ability that I'm not breaking up with him because I want to failed. It failed because I chickened out.

I still love him. God, I still love him, but I hurt him so badly that I can't blame him for lashing out.

When I said I was breaking up with him, the look on his face will haunt me till I die. It took over a year of building trust for him to reach the point we were at because of his past trauma. What he feared, the reason he'd been so hesitant, happened. I betrayed him, at least in his eyes.

The others are hurt, too. Gaara's circle of loved ones is small, but I was still a part of it. Was. And Sakura.... I think I broke her heart, too. How will I make it through the next six months when I can't imagine looking any of them in the eye again?

I did what I did because if I didn't, all three of their lives would be ruined. I can't sit and watch the first people to accept and love me for who I am suffer on my behalf.

Slowly, I ended my sobs and wiped at my wet cheeks, sitting up and looking around at the hotel room where Itachi left me. He said he was told to bring me here by higher-ups, meaning my location is known by the awful men who're to blame for everything.

If I just keep reminding myself of the alternative option I was given, I can do this. The tears didn't stop, but at least I could breathe again. Thinking about how I've protected my loved ones helped me calm down.

When I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I realized how awful I looked and decided to shower. Hopefully, these dreadful feelings would wash down the drain with the water. In truth, I did feel slightly better when I climbed out, dried off, and pulled on a bathrobe.

Opening the door to the bathroom, I stepped out while drying the ends of my hair with a towel, only to freeze and drop the item in shock, "H-How did you get in?!"

The last person I wanted to see was lounging casually on the bed, Toneri. His tie was loosened, and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone, but other than that, he still looked ready for a business meeting.

Propping himself up with his hands behind him, he didn't bother averting his gaze, "They gave me a key."

Toneri's expression was somewhere between serious and intrigued, with just a tiny bit of amusement sprinkled in. Bright blue eyes danced over my appearance with little hesitance, his mouth neutral as he waited for my response.

Tears welled in my eyes, just as I was sure I'd stopped them for good, "We agreed not to get married until March, s-so what are you doing here?"

To my surprise, Toneri finally averted his gaze to look around the room absently, but his tone was almost empathetic, "Our parents expect us to act our parts until that time comes. That means we have to be seen publicly. Won't it feel more natural if we get used to one another now?"

My brow furrowed, "Why are you acting like you were forced into this, too? I know this was your plan from the start. It's why you were acting weird around Sasuke."