The Roses and Hibiscus Chronicles - Coriolanus Snow

The three women

On the fateful night when Aurora's radiance faded, Coriolanus crossed paths with Lucy Gray.

As he gazed upon his altered reflection—a silhouette with a buzz-cut, adorned with a cold dog tag he felt lying on his chest—Lucy Gray stood amidst the meadow's whispering grasses, lost in her own reverie. Her silhouette, framed by the ethereal glow, was a portrait of melancholy grace. A black ribbon, delicately tied around her hair, fluttered in the night breeze, stirring a haunting sense of déjà vu within Coriolanus's soul. Though the ribbon stirred memories, its origin remained elusive, slipping through the crevices of his recollection like grains of sand through fingers.

She sensed his presence with an uncanny intuition. "Hey, sweetheart, back for another visit?" she remarked, her voice a gentle melody in the stillness of the night. Coriolanus recoiled at her words, a surge of resentment bubbling within him. He spat on the ground in defiance before turning away, his heart heavy with bitterness. "You don't have to pretend you hate me here," Lucy Gray continued, her voice carrying a strange mix of warmth and reproach. "I see through the facade, Coriolanus. The truths you deny yourself find no sanctuary in our meadow."

Confusion knotted Coriolanus's brow as he struggled to make sense of her cryptic words. "What do you mean? I truly despise you," he retorted, his words laced with venom. "You used me, manipulated me... I shot you. How could I feel anything but hate?" His voice cracked with the weight of his convictions, yet uncertainty lingered in the depths of his gaze, betraying the facade of certainty he sought to uphold.

With a radiant smile illuminating her features, Lucy Gray rose gracefully, closing the distance between them with fluid steps. As she drew near, she reached out, her arms enveloping him in a tender embrace. Rising onto her toes, she pressed her lips against his, sending the same shockwaves rippling through his body. Despite the pain of the cut on his mouth, it paled in comparison to the sweetness of her kiss, a bittersweet symphony of longing and remembrance. As their lips parted, a lingering warmth enveloped them, casting a spell of fleeting intimacy amidst the shadows of the night.

Coriolanus savored the sight of her face, each line and curve etched in his memory yet somehow altered, as if refracted through the prism of time. Despite the subtle differences, he knew without doubt that it was her. His gaze shifted downward, realizing they were both naked, submerged in the cool embrace of the lake.

With Lucy Gray cradled in his arms, Coriolanus felt the ache of his wounds, both physical and emotional, pulsating beneath the surface. "I loved you," he confessed, his words a whisper against the gentle lapping of the water.

A soft chuckle escaped Lucy Gray's lips, her laughter a haunting melody in the stillness of the night. "No, my dear. I loved you," she countered, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "You relish the sensation of possessing me, but that's a far cry from true love."

His heart recoiled at her words, a surge of indignation rising within him. "Bullshit," he retorted, his voice tinged with defiance. "You know that's not true. I loved you, I still do. You're the only woman I've ever loved."

But Lucy Gray remained undeterred, her gaze ablaze with an enigmatic allure. Ignoring his protestations, she leaned in once more, her kiss infused with a hunger that stirred something primal within him. In that fleeting moment, amidst the tangled web of desire and longing, Coriolanus found himself ensnared in her embrace once more, powerless to resist the pull of their shared destiny.