Unveiling the Hearts

26. I don't want to choose

The way my heart broke for the half-siblings.
😭🫶
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"Why does she look unwell?" Lucian asked, looking in through the small window in the door. Emilia sat with her back against the wall, tears spilling from her eyes continuously as she stared at the opposite wall.

"She refuses to eat anything, Sir," the guard replied.

Lucian's face fell. His hands reached up and he got the keys out of his pocket. He was glad he kept the keys to this room to himself. He couldn't trust anyone around here to not get lured into the room, that had a timid defenseless fifteen-year-old girl.

Emilia flinched on hearing the click of the lock. Her head snapped towards the door, where Lucian stood. With widened eyes, reflecting nothing but fear, the girl backed away more into the corner.

Lucian gulped and shut the door behind him. He walked until he was just a few feet away from the kid and crouched down, slowly. He tried not to startle the girl but a flinched followed every one of his movements.

"Hi," he started, watching her eyes dart across his face in fear. Newfound tears flowed from her eyes, as the girl looked at the man before her, wishing she was just imagining him. All she felt was panic and a feeling that made her wish she had died instead.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. That was probably not the right thing to say.

"Don't touch me, please," she choked out, when Lucian moved a little. Her breathing turned panicked; short, sharp breaths leaving her mouth at a fast pace.

Lucian shook his head.
"I won't," he said, softly. "I just want to apologize."

Emilia stared at him in shock, her heart pounding so hard, she heard the beat in her ears.

"I'm sorry for what I did. I wasn't aware of your situation and deemed you all guilty too." He looked into her tearful eyes. "Vincent told me everything."

"Can I see him, please?" She begged, ignoring his apology.

Lucian nodded. He gulped down the lump in his throat and took out a piece of paper from his pocket, which he tore in half. Pulling his pen out too, he started scribbling something on one half.

He put both the pen and the paper on the ground when he was done and moved forward, causing the girl to gasp and shrink back into the wall.

Lucian waved the keys in front of her face, an apologetic look on his face.
"I'm letting you go," he said. "I'll have to unlock those chains for that."

He had a frown on his face as he moved forward and unlocked the chains cuffing her to the wall. He was very gentle while unlocking her, to make sure he didn't touch her.

Lucian backed away again and picked up the blank half of the paper.
"Do you know the three men that hurt you, Emilia?"

The girl's eyes widened and she blinked in surprise, tears sliding down her cheeks. She nodded her head, slowly, watching her hand as it rubbed over her sore wrist.

Lucian slid the empty half of the paper towards the girl, stopping near her feet. He slid the pen over and offered a small smile.

"Can you write down their names for me?" He asked, his voice coming out much softer than what the girl had heard the other day.

She let out another shaky nod and picked up the pen hesitantly. Her hands shook as she tried her best to scribble them down in a legible handwriting. The scary man watching her constantly made her more nervous.

She slid the paper and pen over to Lucian once she was done. Lucian picked up the paper and nodded, glaring at the three names. He knew these people. They were influential, all because of his father's favors in the past.