Inked Desires

Chapter 13

It was a sunny day, on Tuesday, but my soul was filled with storm. I had a horrible feeling, as if I had lost someone dear to me, so I went straight to my grandmother's house. On the way there, I noticed an ambulance that had just passed me, and a lump formed in my throat, so I hurried to get there as soon as possible. My premonition was confirmed when I arrived in front of the house and saw the ambulance I had met. I rushed out of the car and into the house, where two paramedics were resuscitating my grandma.

As I nearly jumped over my grandma, one of the paramedics said to me, "Please move away from the bed, Miss."

"It's Grandma. Please! Tell me what happened to her." I implored him hysterically, bursting into tears.

"Wait outside and let us do our job!" The second paramedic snapped at me, but I didn't move until the last one who had talked to me turned to face me. "Are you going to let us save your grandmother or are you going to let her die?" he questioned in a stern tone, which made me turn on my heel and listen to him.

I went outside to the patio where John was, the wonderful elderly man who was spending time with my grandma. I didn't have the power to greet him vocally, so I just tilted my head toward him. I sat down on the bench next to him and bowed down, my elbows resting on my knees and my hands over my face.

"Ever since she was young, Vera was a very strong woman." John abruptly began to talk. "Even after your grandfather died, she didn't show anyone how much sorrow she was in, despite the fact that half of her soul had vanished with the loss of the love of her life. I've always respected her for her strong personality and kind heart, since she was the only one who could raise another woman as strong as she was, and that woman is you, Milla. The only one who has ever achieved her level. I know how difficult it was for her and how hard she worked to help you become who you are now, and the effort she put in yielded incredible results."

"This is not true. I am certain that I have completely let her down. I'm not the person she intended me to be. I am not who she thinks I am. I lied to her, John. I lied to her, and if she ever finds out who I am and what I do to fund her therapies, I'm sure she will be very disappointed in me."

I was sobbing loudly with my face in my hands when I felt a warm, parental hand stroke the top of my head.

"The fact that you are by her side in her final moments, as well as your unwavering love for her, is what matters most. The workplace does not reveal a person's character, but rather their soul. The actions toward loved ones. You are a lovely woman, Milla, and I am sure your grandmother is proud of you.

"She is proud of the image I made for her. Because if she found out what I do, she would be mad at me. How do you think I managed to pay for all of these costly treatments? With the earnings from a secretary's salary? If I had worked as a secretary, as I told her, I wouldn't have been able to cover the costs for even a third part of the treatments I've paid for so far." I sniffed and sighed deeply.

"What could be so bad? You're not a drug dealer or a mob boss," chuckled the old man, attempting to calm me down.

"Not that bad." I also giggled, brushing away my tears. "In any case, I consider that the money I earn from the work I do is called dirty money, and if she found out, I'm sure she would refuse to allow me to pay for her medication or to maintain her."

"I completely understand you, but you should know that I still do not agree with you, and I will explain why. I also have two nephews that are little older than you. They were both rebellious as children. They covered their entire bodies in tattoos, the youngest one even has one on his face, moved about with dubious people and spent their nights in bars with shady women. Despite this, they were always quite polite, sensible children. One of them got married, has a family, and intends to have children in the near future.The other one... Well, since his fiancee died, he has changed dramatically. He began to drink more and more, and even tried opioids and other things. He initially consumed them to bury his misery, but over time he has become addicted on them, and the worst thing is that he refuses to go to rehab to rid himself of these vices. He believes he should punish himself for his fiancee's death. What I'm trying to say is that love for someone can push you to extremes. Either to punish yourself for losing that person, or to assist that person in overcoming specific illnesses or conditions."

John was right. Love for someone might drive you to do crazy things. If I had known my grandmother would recover, I would have been willing to commit murder simply to have her by my side. However, the old man's story piqued my curiosity, so I asked him:

"But why does your nephew punish himself? He didn't kill his fiancee, did he?"

"He did not kill her. They had a ridiculous dispute, and she left him angry. On the way to her house, the car she was driving was hit by a truck coming from the opposite direction, killing her instantly.It turned out that the truck driver suffered a heart attack while driving, so he died before hitting Beatrice. However, even five years later, my nephew is still unable to accept her death and has been blaming himself for allowing her to leave his house that day."

"I'm sorry to hear this. I can't image how much grief he's been carrying about in his soul for so long. I'm sure he adored her." I responded, my eyes welling up with tears as I considered how I could feel if I lost my grandmother.

"Beatrice was everything to him, and he was everything to her. They were a more than ideal couple. They were two such gorgeous people that everyone who encountered them was struck by how well they looked together and how flawless they were next to one other. My nephew is the type of guy that does not open out to others. He is dark and mysterious, and few people can make him smile. Even his physical appearance reveals who he is. Imagine a tall, tattooed man with sharp features and an icy stare.However, when he was around Beatrice, his attitude completely changed.Whenever he was near her, he was looking at her with affection and a smile that could have brighten even the darkest room. He was head over heels in love with her, but he also had reasons since she was an extremely attractive woman." The elderly guy turned to face me, his eyes furrowed. " Come to think of it, she looked a lot like you,Milla."

Was the person John had mentioned, Hades himself? The description he gave his nephew was very similar to that of Hades. Even Crystal, Lara, and Stephan had remarked that I looked the same as an extremely important person in his life, who they hesitated to divulge any further details about whenever they brought her up, so it must have been Hades, the man whose fiancée passed away in an accident. That would have explained his odd behavior and icy demeanor toward those around him.

I immediately remembered the song Hades had been listening to on repeat in the pub the night he kissed me, and how sad I felt when I heard the chords of that song, as if I had lost someone I loved. Maybe that was his girlfriend's favorite song, which is why he listened to it so much, because it reminded him of her, and Hades didn't seem like the type of person who would listen to such music.

"What did you say your nephew's name was?" I dared to question him, but before John could respond, I heard one of the paramedics behind me.

"Miss Donev, can we talk for a moment?"

" Sure!" I responded the paramedic with a heavy heart and stood up to follow him, giving John an apologetic look that caused him to nod in agreement.