GRIFFIN
Ariel remains quite and tense around me through breakfast and up until I leave for work. Her behavior wouldn't be so irksome if she were acting angry. But she looks sad, like she's ready to cry every time she looks at me. I would rather have her be mad at me then upset.
And when I am back from work, her somber posture continues at dinner.
"Zio?" Ace comes up to me.
"Sí, bud?"
"I went riding today." He tells me.
"Did you?" He nods. "And how is hurdle training going?" I ask.
"Good, Coach Wales said I can be clearing my first hurdle in weeks, not months." He informs.
"That is impressive, champ." I ruffled his hair.
"Ace, come sit here." Alana calls him. I look at her but she makes a displeased face and looks away. Woah.
"Lana?" I question. She looks the other way. "Hey, what is that for? What did I do?" I ask.
"Nothing." Alana says, helping Ace eat.
"Don't do that. Tell me, I'll apologize for it." I say.
"I'm not the one you need to apologize too." She shakes her head, looking pointedly at Ariel as she leaves the room.
Oh fuck she knows.
"Alana, you don't understand it was--"
"I don't care. It was rude and mean. Apologize. She's such a sweet person. And you're being too harsh." She scolds.
I let out an aggravated sigh and walk out of the dining room.
"Ariel." Aaron stops her as she is about to head upstairs. I stop at the hallway to see what he says.
"Yes?" She asks.
"You forgot this in the sitting room." He hands her her phone.
"Oh, thanks." She smiles at him.
"You're wlecome. Are you okay? You look pale." He touches her forehead. My hands twitch in protest and I walk towards them. "You feel warm." He warns.
"Does she?" I question, putting my hand to her forehead, covering the entire area to erase his touch.
"Sí, rest Ariel." Aaron smiles, before walking away. My hand gets pushed off then she stomps up the stairs. I follow behind her.
"Why are you walking around like I killed your puppy?" I question after we are both in our room, and she goes straight to the vanity.
"I'm not." She states simply, taking off her necklace.
"Yes you are. What did you talk to Alana about?" I ask her. This gets her attention and she looks at me through the mirror.
"She already knew something was up, I had to tell her." Her eyes turn guilty.
"You didn't have to tell her. You chose to. My terms were clear Ariel. No one in the family finds out the truth." My jaw clenches.
Her eyes widen and she turns to face me quickly. "I- I'm sorry. Please don't hurt anyone." She sniffles.
"What?" I question, confused.
"Don't hurt anyone, I'm sorry I didn't listen I promise I'll tell Alana I was lying and I won't, I won't ever say anything to anyone again, just don't hurt anyone." Her eyes brim with tears.
I rush over to her, my hand reaching out to wipe away her tears but she flinches back jerkily.
My chest stings. Ariel looks at me cautiously, her hiccups and sniffles tearing through me.
"You thought I would hit you?" I ask, my voice sounds foreign. Her eyes turn confused.
"N-no." She wipes under her eyes. "Im sorry I'm not feeling like myself today." She shakes her head.
"You flinched away like you were expecting me to hit you." My eyebrows knot.
"No that's not-"
"Don't lie to me!" My voice booms, and she jumps again. "You did it again! You're fucking scared of me?"
"Ofcourse I am!" She explodes.
I blink at her outburst.
"Okay? Ofcourse I am scared of you, you're screaming at me." Her eyes widen as she raises her voice. "You hate me, you threatened, blackmailed and extorted me. And I am just waiting for the day you hate me enough to want to hurt me!" She says.
The shock colors me speechless as my ears numb and ring with her words. My chest constricts and burns intensely.
"I would never, ever lay a hand on you." I tell her. "I didn't for a second threaten your safety. Threatening you is like threatening me." I growl.
"For all your faults, I have never managed to hate you. And I never will. You are and always will be my first priority." I look into her eyes. "So don't for a second think I will let anyone, including myself, inflict an ounce of pain on you." I grit.
Her big gray eyes study my face as I speak, becoming increasingly wet.
"That's where you're wrong Griffin." She shakes her head. "Pain isn't only physical, emotional scars are so much more jarring." Her hand trembles as it reaches up to wipe her tears. "You don't care about me. You care about you. And your personal gain. Whatever it is you need me for. It must require me to be alive." She laughs bitterly.
My jaw clenches at the implication.
"You're just using me. And seeing me suffer is just a bonus for you, your vengeance seeking soul must really love seeing me like this." She makes a face that reveals just how much she actually hates me. The burn spreads from my chest to my throat and my eyebrows furrow at the confusing sensation behind my eyes.
"Don't ever come to me and pretend to care about me again." She threatens, turning away and slams the bathroom door closed.
I stare down at my hands, shame and regret filling every pore of my body till I can't take anymore. I groan, as my chest constricts painfully.
She was the one who had betrayed my trust and ruined us. So why did it feel like I carried all the blame for it? Why did it feel wrong hurting her this way?
I had no answers for the million questions that arose every time I stared into those innocent gray eyes. They asked me how they could be so deceitful. They asked me if I truly believed they had deceived me.
I didn't have any of those answers. But one thing I knew for sure was that I fucked things up with her. So badly that I didn't see a way back.
