Enslaved By Lucius

33

Kindly note that this piece of writing may contain grammatical errors and misspelled words due to human error or lack of attention to detail. I would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused as a result of these oversights and assure you that the content is still comprehensible despite any minor flaws.

- kyannie

"N-no... i-it can't be..." I muttered to myself, my mind racing with denial and confusion.

Xandre gently tried to touch my shoulder, but I flinched away, still shaken by his earlier suggestion.

"Laoise, listen.." he pleaded.

I didn't want to listen, I didn't want to hear any more of his theories. I just wanted to bury my head in the sand and ignore the horrific possibility that Lucius had something to do with my father's death.

"No!" I shouted, backing away from him.

"Just shut up! You're wrong, you're completely wrong!" I shouted at him

Xandre tried desperately to get me to listen to him, his expression pleading.

"Laoise, please, just listen to me for a second-"

But I was beyond reason at this point. My mind was spinning, my heart racing as I tried to deny what Xandre was implying.

"No!" I repeated, my voice rising in volume.

"You have no idea what you're talking about! Lucius would never do something like that!" I defended Lucius

Xandre took a step closer, his eyes never leaving mine.

"But what if..."

I cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

"No! Stop it! You're insane! Why would you even think such a thing about Lucius?!" I shouted at him

"But think about it," he persisted, refusing to let it go.

"He's been acting distant and cold towards you ever since your father talked to him. Why do you think that is?" He stated

My mind was racing, searching for any other explanation for Lucius' behavior.

"I-I don't know! Maybe he's just busy, or stressed out," I said defensively.

But deep down, I knew Xandre had a point. Lucius had never acted like this before, and the timing was too suspicious to ignore.

"But don't you think it's strange that he started acting this way right after your father talked to him?" Xandre pressed.

I wanted to scream, to cover my ears and block out his words. Why was he doing this to me? Why was he planting these terrible suspicions in my mind?

"You're crazy," I muttered, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Lucius would never hurt my father. He's been there for me through everything, he cares about me..." Tears fell down from my eyes

Xandre's expression softened, his tone becoming gentler.

"Laoise, I know you care about him, but we have to consider all the possibilities here. Your father's death was not an accident, and Lucius is acting strange. Don't you think there's a connection between the two?" He stated

I wanted to deny it, to shut down Xandre's reasoning, but I couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. Could it be true? Could Lucius have something to do with my father's death?

My mind was at war with itself, torn between the love I felt for Lucius and the growing suspicion that something was off about his behavior.

"I-I can't..." I whispered, my voice shaking.