ARIEL
After a quiet drive home, I had showered, eaten and slept enough to be feeling completely normal again. My body felt like jelly but other than that, I was greatful to be home.
Griffin was still acting strange. He was being unusually quiet, and I caught him looking at me with a weird look in his eyes every now and then. I had been meaning to ask what was wrong but I was just so tired.
It was the next morning now and I was feeling amazing and refreshed after my shower.
I get dressed in a cute little summer dress and am putting on moisturizer when he steps out of the bathroom, dressed for his day.
"Hey." I turn to him. "Did you have my ring?" I ask him, holding out my hand.
His eyes flash with hurt which makes me frown, while he pulls something out of his pocket. My ring. I hold out my hand so he cam slip it on, looking down at it but his hand remains still, just holding the ring.
I look at him, confused. "What? I can put on myself." I offer.
"No." His abrupt answer makes me blink in cofusion. "I uh, I have something to say." He stutters. My eyes narrow. He never stutters, like ever.
"What's wrong? You're kind of scaring me." I laugh nervously.
"I am breaking off this engagement." His rough voice vibrates through me. The words take several seconds to even make any sense to me.
"What?" I sputter. My eyes, unexpectedly brim with tears. I didn't want to be engaged to him. Then why does the thought hurt so bad?
"I am breaking off our engagement. I forced you to do it and I see now that being with me only hurts you, in many ways. I don't deserve to have you, to call you mine." His eyes turn bloodshot, the veins in his nevk popping with restraint.
"Griffin," My voice breaks with a hiccup. "Why are you saying this?" I question.
"Because I blackmailed you, I belittled you. I made a fucking mess around everything pure between us. You deserve to be respected and fucking worshipped." His boice turns thick with emotion.
"So you're breaking up with me." I sniffle. "Again." My voice breaks.
His pained eyes meet mine, breaking my heart into a million pieces at how sad they look.
"I am so fucking sorry, vita mia. You mean everything to me." His voice becomes deeper. "Letting you go is like ripping my heart out, and sending it away with you, believe me." He groans.
"Then stop. I- this is too much. I don't want to see you like this. I don't want you to be in pain." My tears soak my dress.
His face softens impossibly, he steps closer, cupping my cheeks in both hands.
"Don't worry about me. I made you stay here, I forced your hand to go through with this marriage that you didn't even want, so I have to pay this price." He says, looking into my eyes. "I want you to do only what makes you happy, get the best job, live in the apartment you've always dreamed of. Everything that you ever wanted to have, all without my unwanted shadow holding you back." His eyes turn darker.
"But--" I try to protest but he cuts me off.
"Aren't you angry at me? Don't you hate me for the things I have done?" He asks.
"Ofcourse I'm angry." More tears slip out, soaking his hands as I look up at him. "You let someone so insignificant poison me in your eyes. And you doubted me, when I was at the highest point in my affection for you." My voice breaks. "I gave you parts of myself I kept locked away for years. And you broke me, so ofcourse. I am angry." I sniffle.
"Then let me do this for you. I free you from any blackmail I ever had, any threats I ever made, with my deepest apologies, you are free to leave and do whatever you want." He says.
"And if it is not too much to ask. Please forgive me. For everything I have ever done to you. My hurtful actions and words will haunt me forever. If you can find it in you, forgive me." He continues. "And if ever in life, I am lucky enough that you want to come back, even for a single minute, know that I will eternally be waiting for you." His voice shakes, my heart shatters all over again. "You are it for me Ariel, and I will spend the rest of my miserable life making up for ever having lost you."
"Griffin." I groan. I don't know what to say.
"I cannot continue being the source of your pain, you mean too much to me. I love you too much." His voice wavers.
I sob, leaning up and crashing my mouth to his. He takes a surprised moment then returns my kiss with the same fervor, as we kiss each other with so much passion and love. As if it were the last time we would get to taste the other.
Griffin was my kryptonite. All my rules, all my defenses stood to nothing when it came to him. My heart would forgive him for anything, and that was why it was so hard to battle it.
He had hurt me and forced me and poisoned the whole aspect of marriage, and I still couldn't bring myself to hate him.
I ran my hands through his soft hair, as he pulled me impossibly close to his body by the waist as we kissed like our lives depended on it.
But like everything good in the world, this too had to end.
We pulled apart for air and my heart dropped when he leaned his forehead against mine, his breaths sharp.
"I love you, vita mia." He husks against my mouth, slipping the ring into my palm before ripping himself from me, leaving me cold and empty handed as he left the room.
(My life)
I slide to the floor on my knees, buckling over from the pain. Leaving him had always been a stinging pain. And the last time, when he forced me out if his life, the sting had lasted till he forced me to live with him.
I stare down at the ring in my palm.
He was it for me too. I just hated how fate never meant for us to stay together.
AN:
If you hear sobbing, its me.
