Heart's Desire

Chapter 20

"We should probably get Odessa," the woman said.

"Right, right," I said.

"I know your father doesn't like drawing things out. He'd rather let her bleed to death."

"Are we safe on getting her while it's still day?"

"Shit," the woman said. "She's going to have to hold out."

"So the man you married, where is he now?"

"Living comfortably."

"Yep. And in control of everything?"

The woman nodded her head. Despite me knowing who she is now, I still didn't want to address her as such. It didn't feel right to call her something she never was by right, but by choice. It wasn't her fault, though. Her husband didn't understand and saw her as impure now. It doesn't matter. It won't when we deliver what was coming to my father.

As the sun dipped down into the horizon and the once blue sky was replaced with the black like Odessa's hair, the woman put her cloak back on, tossing me one. She carefully opened the door and we snuck out of the house. She closed the door behind her and locked it.

"If no one comes back here, why lock the door?"

"Who said anyone comes back here?"

"Do people come back here?"

"Only the man who removed me from his life."

"For what?"

"To 'check-in' on me."

"Did he try to kill you?"

"Multiple times. He wasn't always like this, but one misunderstanding later and his true colors appear."

"I can understand that one," I sighed.

"Your father," the woman began. "How did he know?"

"Kind of got the indication that he knew we had something going on. He walked in on us one night when we first confessed our feelings towards one another. And then this morning he walked in on us when we were doing...stuff."

"Do you think anything is going to come from it?"

"She didn't come inside me. So no. Nothing is going to come from it."

"Do you want it to?"

"It'll be better than having a child with Aetius," I sighed.

"So you do like her?"

"It's more than like. And I wouldn't have slept with her if I didn't have strong feelings towards her."

"Just making sure."

"I like Odessa more than anything. I guess you could say love, but there is something strong between us."

"She loves you. There's no doubting that."

"D-Did she tell you that when you two were planning this?"

The woman nodded, "Yes."

We reached the Colosseum once more and entered. As I was walking towards that dreaded stage, I could just smell the stench of lingering and stale blood. I wanted to cough, to gag, even vomit at how strong this smell was.

"Do you need a minute?"

"I'll be alright," I gagged.

"I'll give you a minute," the woman said as she walked towards Odessa.

"Odessa?"

"Y-Yeah?" she asked weakly.

"We're going to get you out of here, alright?"