Patient B-2

Chapter Forty-Eight: Wrath

"Av, please..." I utter the words, my voice barely above a whisper. I'm not even sure what I'm asking for as she bolts.

She's gone in an instant, the door shutting behind her with a soft click. I turn to Cierien, finding him sitting upright with his head now in his hands, a perplexed expression etched across his features. "What the hell just happened?" I blurt out, reaching out to grab his arm and pull him back to reality.

Cierien lets out a heavy sigh, rubbing at his face with a weary expression. He looks just as bleary-eyed and exhausted as I feel- barely awake at all. Giving me a small shrug, he settles back down onto the bed. "I don't know," he says lazily, his words laced with a hint of amusement. "But it looked like she was about ready to crawl into bed with us...until you woke up." There's no bitterness in the way he says the last part, but there is disappointment.

I spring upwards, disoriented and practically stumbling over Cierien in my haste to get off the bed. But before I can chase after her, he's quick to reach out and pull me back, his arms enveloping me in a tight embrace. I find myself falling back into his chest, my back pressed against him as his arms close around me. "Don't!" he hisses, the urgency in his voice making me freeze.

I blink a couple of times, the confusion swirling around me as I try to make sense of Cierien's warning. "Don't? What-" I start to say, but my words falter as I struggle to comprehend his meaning. Releasing a breath, I attempt to gather my thoughts. "She wanted to sleep in here tonight?"

His chin drops to my shoulder, his face nuzzling into my neck as he responds, his breath warm against my skin. "I don't know, Wrath," he breathes out softly, his words tinged with uncertainty.

"What do you mean, you don't-"

"Wrath," he interjects, his tone firm and decisive. "All I know is we need to give her space right now. She looked like she was considering it, but if we go out there and chase after her, we're just going to scare her away further. She practically jumped out of her skin when you woke up. She's not ready, but... but I think there's still something there."

I feel his smile against my throat. "She said she still loved me," he whispers, his words barely audible above the soft rustle of fabric and the steady rhythm of our breathing.

It feels as if my head is underwater as jealousy consumes me, drowning out all rational thought and leaving the need to gasp for air. He continues to explain the words she spoke, and I desperately want to be happy for my best friend, to celebrate his newfound hope and optimism. But there's a pit in my stomach, an eroding emptiness that grows with each passing moment.

Every breath I take feels heavier, like I'm swallowing water with each inhale, suffocating in a sea of envy and longing. Despite my best efforts to push the feeling aside, to bury it deep within me, it refuses to be ignored. I'm consumed by the overwhelming tide of jealousy, unable to escape its relentless grip as it drags me deeper into its depths.

When she first learned the truth, her anger seemed to burn hotter against me than against Cierien. And it seems little has shifted since then. Understandably so- I was the instigator, the one pushing Cierien into actions he took out of love for me. Cierien, ever the beacon of goodness, has always been my superior counterpart. He's consistently shown kindness, unlike myself, who feels like a wretched monster in comparison.

I can't help but think Avalyn may return to him, drawn back solely to his side. Perhaps she doesn't harbor love for me, but there's a lingering possibility she still holds affection for him. He, after all, is the one deserving of her love. He comprehends her intricacies in a way I never could- their shared goodness binds them, creating a connection beyond my reach. I, on the other hand, am a stark contrast to Avalyn.