Rays of Hope

I'm Sorry

Silas's POV

Ria's has changed, not for the good. She doesn't spend time with me anymore. Neither with Aura nor Bree, we three formed a friendship between us. These two were certainly entertaining. But my heart and mind always wished for Ria. 

We talked to her, but she didn't say anything to us. She already kept us in the dark for 3 weeks, now she wanted more time. We had enough. We were hurt by her actions. She hurt us. 

Christmas went by splendidly with my family and friends. We all went out and had a shopping spree, to be honest, it was the girls' day, I was just a guy tagging along. 

We were sitting in the cafe, two days prior to New Year's Day, discussing our plans and goals for the new year.

"Why are they distributing pamphlets in the cafe?" Bree asked, taking a pamphlet from one of the waiters.

"There's an opening of a new gallery in town," the waiter replied before going about his way.

Aura glanced at the pamphlet Bree was holding. "A new gallery, huh? That's interesting."

Bree scanned the details. "It says it's going to showcase local artists and have a grand opening event with a live band and refreshments. Sounds like a big deal."

I sipped my coffee, nodding thoughtfully. "Bluehaven could use something like this. The arts scene here is pretty stagnant."

Bree continued, "The name of the gallery is... oh, look at this, it's called 'Elysian Arts'. How unique."

Bree's eyes widened as she looked closer at the pamphlet. "Wait a minute, it says here that the owner and organizer is Ria Stanes."

We all froze, taking in the revelation. My heart felt heavy. I snatch the pamphlet from Bree, my breath shaky as my eyes roam around her name.

"Are you serious?" Aura asked, grabbing the pamphlet from me. "Why wouldn't she tell us?"

"She probably wanted it to be a surprise," I voice not even audible to me. "We've been so hard on her for not spending time with us."

Bree's face fell as she realized the implications. "Oh no... we... we need to make it up."

Determined and guilty, we rushed out of the cafe and headed straight to Ria's house. When we knocked on the door, Marie answered, her expression stern.

"You're not allowed to see her," Marie said firmly.

"Please, Marie," I pleaded. "We need to apologize to her. We didn't know what she was doing, we thought she was ignoring us. Our actions were so bad, we need to talk to her." My eyes filled up with tears, I didn't support my girlfriend.

Marie shook her head, her eyes filled with a mix of anger and sadness. "Don't show your sympathy now. Ria wanted to surprise you with her gallery. She was so proud, every day telling me how excited she was to see your reactions. She worked day and night, forgetting to eat and sleep, trying her best to finish her work as fast as possible. She always felt sad about lying to you. Lawyers, and inheritance, were even my ideas. She was so goddamn proud. She... She tried her best. And now because of the ones she wanted to surprise, her health is... grown worse."

Bree's voice wavered, tears filling her eyes. "Is she okay?"

Marie sighed. "She's not. She was ready to tear down her gallery after your words. She told me she was going to meet you all at 4.30 pm and she returned at 9, her hands bloody and her face pale. I couldn't even bear to look at her, she looked ready to faint. The pressure and your misunderstanding were too much for her."

Hearing Marie's words felt like a punch to the gut. My heart ached with guilt and regret. We had pushed Ria away when she needed our support the most. We pushed her so far away that she resorted to the worst thing ever.

"We're so sorry," Aura whispered. "We just want to make it right."

"We should have known.... We should have fucking known," my anger at myself increased. "We are sorry Marie."

Marie nodded slowly. "If you truly are sorry and want to make it right, let her rest for now. She needs time to heal. You can see her at the gallery opening. Maybe then, you can show her how much you appreciate her efforts."

We left with heavy hearts. I separated from the two.

"I am sorry princess. I should have known better, you would never ignore me." I whispered as small raindrops fell from the sky.

Mt tears mixed with the rain. Even god sought to cry with me today. "I am sorry," I mumbled again.

The two days to her opening were heart-wrenching, all I wanted to do was hold her close, tell her I was sorry. I would have never thought that she was ignoring me. It was a surprise for us, for all three of us. I was stupid but I will make it up to her, I will try.