The Thrill Of Your Love

Chapter Nineteen

Terzo's mind was scattered as he sat at the vanity table, surrounded by the Sisters of Sin who were previously in charge of attending to his appearance, this time for his impending wedding that didn't appear to be getting cancelled. They were carefully arranging his hair and applying his papal makeup, but the seriousness of the situation was pressing on him like a heavy fog, his mind completely blank, unable to see anything else except Alice's worried face. And Anna's. Left alone in the depth's of the ministry's cells that are only ever used for rogue ghouls. He dared to even think about the conditions she had been left in.

Terzo winced as Sister Abbie pulled on his hair slightly too hard, giving her a dirty look of anger. He was convinced she was being rough on purpose after tactically befriending Elizabeth, the two girls seemingly inseparable. The silence in the room was becoming unbearable, forcing Abbie to break the tension.

"Look, I know we had a bit of a falling out. And I know this is not what you want to do." She spoke. Terzo looked up at her reflection in the mirror with hopeful eyes. "So if you ever want to you know, fulfil your desires, I still don't mind sleeping with you now that you're married."

"Puttana inimmaginabile." He whispered. In that moment, he'd realised she was the person who had encouraged him to become the way he had. The night when Copia told him to think about his actions came flooding back, she was the reason they grew so distant. She was the reason he was being forced into a fake relationship to settle down, because he was incapable. When in reality, her manipulative ways had convinced the man to disregard all of his dignity for one night of pleasure. "Get out. Now. Leave all of you!" He yelled, his sudden anger startling the other sisters. 

The girls exchanged uncertain glances but complied, slowly making their way out of the room. Terzo sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands, the reality of his situation crashing down on him. He was now trapped in a marriage he didn't want, with a woman he didn't love, all because he had been so reckless. He felt tears pricking at the corner of his eyes, sitting up to prevent ruining the white base of his makeup. He worked on his breathing, taking slow deep breaths in and out, exactly the way that Alice had taught him the night of his first show of his tour. He smiled as he thought back to that night, when their relationship was new, when they were both slowly falling for one another. Though his thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. 

"Go away." He called out, still irritated.

Despite his cold tone, the door opened anyway. Unbothered by his apparent mood, Imperator entered the room, shutting it quietly behind herself. He watched her silently as she pulled up a chair beside him, not bothering to greet him. She had an unusual calming presence, Terzo found himself looking up at her, his eyes red from unshed tears.

"Look at you." Imperator said gently, dabbing at his tears with a handkerchief. "You're a mess Terzo."

"It's hard to keep it all together when you're about to go out to officially make a woman you don't love your prime mover in front of thousands whilst the one you do love is stranded somewhere in England." Terzo chuckled dryly, attempting to regain his composure.

"I told you, I won't let you down my dear boy." She spoke with confidence whilst reaching for the powder, tilting Terzo's chin back and continuing the job.

"Have you heard anything about Alice? Do you know if she's okay?" Terzo frowned as he asked the question that had been haunting his thoughts. Imperator's expression softened and she shook her head.

"I haven't heard from Copia yet. He's not answering his phone, which might mean they're on their way. But trust me Terzo, we're doing everything we can to help Alice. Copia is just as worried as you, that's why he agreed to go. You know what he's like with planes." She chuckled, but Terzo's eyes remained downcast. "Hey, you need to relax. It's going to be ok." She cupped his jaw.