C U R I O S I T Y | Aemond Targaryen

F O R T Y - T H R E E

Aemond's P.O.V.

"Cordelia, please... Wait!"

Panic sets in the second I see Cordelia stumble off the bench and stride further away from me. The rain is soaking my clothes, freezing my bones, but I stay steadfast on running to her in the middle of the bitter storm. My heart pounds in my chest, fueled by a mixture of adrenaline and fear as rain pelts my face and blurs my vision. 

The cold is numbing my fingers and toes, but I don't care; the only thing that matters is getting to her. Wind howls in my ears, drowning out all other sounds except for the pounding of my heart and my voice calling out her name. The raindrops feel like needles against my skin, but I press on, my eyes fixed on Cordelia's figure as I grow close to reaching her.

I can see her hair whipping around her face, her clothes clinging to her body, and the shaking steps she makes as she tries to leave me behind. Picking up my pace, ignoring every discomfort I'm feeling because of this rainstorm, I race toward her until I'm only a few feet away. When I'm close enough, I grab her arm and immediately beg her while stopping her from taking another step away from me.

"Baby, let me explain-"

"Don't call me that, don't you dare fucking call me that."

Cordelia shouts at the top of her lungs like she can't stand the name, causing my entire body to flinch in shock. Not turning around to face me, not acknowledging me in the slightest, she tries yanking her arm out of my hand. Though I don't dare let her go, only hold on to her more persistently, and hastily move around so that we're face to face.

The moment my gaze glanced to the end of the hall, saw Cordelia stumbling to get her bag off the floor; I knew she saw enough to damage everything between us. Cordelia saw the kiss, heard the date-night plan for Thursday, and knew what all of it meant. Standing protective in front of Cordelia, holding onto her arm for dear life, I tilt my head down to catch a glimpse of her expression. 

The sight nearly kills me. I have to stop myself from falling to my knees before her when I see the tears... The tears I caused. 

Her eyes are bloodshot, her cheeks are puffy, and heated tears stain her face, not icy raindrops like the rest of her body. My baby girl's body is shaking, and her breaths are coming in short gasps, as if each one is a struggle. I can feel her pain like a physical force, a weight that is crushing me from the inside out and I'm left speechless, wanting nothing more than to take all her pain away, to make it better- to make it right. 

Cordelia's gaze meets mine with utter heartbreak, with true hurt, while silent tears continue to escape from her eyes. Her bottom lip quivers, like staring at me is the hardest thing she's ever had to do, and she tilts her head with her emotions out in the open. Wanting to give her some sense of comfort, needing to ease her pain, I cradle the side of her face with a hand and use myself as a shield to keep the rain from striking the front of her.

"I trusted you." 

She whimpers so softly that I almost don't hear it, but I do, and her words hit me right in the heart. Staring at me like she's forcing herself, Cordelia shakes her head as if everything is crashing down on top of her. There's a twitch in her jaw, a defeated quiver of her brows as she lets out a weak sob in agony. 

"I actually thought... Believed that you..."

"I know." I whisper in a breaking tone, in a pleading voice. "Cordelia, I'm sorry-"

"I gave you every part of me." Cordelia cries on uneven breaths, not caring for a single thing I have to say. Gulping on nothing and closing her eyes, she spills out words in reckless coughs as tears refuse to cease. "And... And this whole time, you... You've been..."