His Serpent Queen || Sweet Pea

Chapter 24

The sound of my sister trying to silently cry in her room woke me up. With me quietly putting on my silk rope over my night gown, I made my way over to her door and opened the door slightly ajar to see her crying over a small picture that was held in her hands. 

"Veronica?"

She didn't even notice my presence. 

"Veronica," I said a bit louder, "What happened?"

Her watery brown eyes met mine as she let out another sob. Quickly I ran to her side and pulled her into a hug. She cried into my shoulder, leaving the barren skin wet.  

"He's left town Andy. He broke up with me over the phone," she handed me over the picture. It was a picture of her and Archie at the lodge house when we went last school semester. I glanced back at my sister who held her head in her hands. "After everything we did. After putting our own selves at risk for him... and he still left. Archie left me."

Veronica stood up to walk past me to her nightstand beside her bed, grabbed a framed picture of the couple and stared at it, "He told me 'I hope you know how much I love you,' but if he loved me, if he really loved me he wouldn't have left!" She threw the frame across the room, the picture frame shattering from impact. 

My heart broke for my sister... the same way her's broke for me a few months ago. History has repeated itself again. A tale of an evil father, plaguing a daughter's love, and torturing their knight in shining armor beyond repair. A happily ever after is something that's not too easy to obtain in the life of a Lodge princess.

I rose to wrap my arms around my sister once more. Her knees buckled as she wept her heart out. I whispered soothing words into her ears as I rubbed her back. "Veronica, you know that boy loves you. But asking him to stay in Riverdale... that's a death wish waiting for him written by our father. Dad will not stop haunting Archie's life, his parents, his friends, or even you, not until he gets Archie permanently away from you. I know you don't want to hear it sister, but he has to leave to keep everyone and himself safe."

"But at what cost?"

I wiped her hair away from her face, "You."

She shook her head, "Our dad won. He finally got me and Archie to be done for good. I- I can't do this anymore. I can't stay here anymore." I lifted a brow at her. "I'm leaving the Pembrooke first thing tomorrow."

"I'm leaving with you."

"No. You just got back-"

"Save that bullshi-"

"I'm serious about this Andy. Don't think that I don't know about someone wanting to kill the Medusa."

My face fell.

"Yeah, I know about that," she said in an accusatory tone, "Thanks to Fangs being a certified yapper on his shift at the speakeasy tonight."

I sighed as we both leaned against her bed frame, "I didn't want you guys to worry about it. It's my problem, nobody else's."

She scoffed, "Do you want a repeat of last time. As much as I hate our dad, you have to tell him."

"You don't think the Gargoyle King is dad?"

She leaned her head on my shoulder, "No. You should've seen him this summer. He barely talked to anyone, let alone mom. Was always locked in his office. Grant it, he was working on a case against Archie, I know deep down he was burying himself with any busy work he could get his grimy hands on because he felt guilty about what happened to you. He wouldn't want to see you like that night ever again. That's why you have to stay here, at least you'll be protected here. You have to tell mom and dad."