Hades Rewound (Hades Series #2)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

My entire body goes numb. My breathing shallows. I freeze with my hand still on the door, but I refuse to turn around.

My voice comes out barely louder than a whisper. "What?"

He doesn't reply for several seconds, and as the seconds crawl by undisturbed, I grow closer and closer to ripping my hair out in desperate frustration.

Just say something already! I want to scream, but instead I force out another question past the lump permanently lodged in my throat. "What did you say?"

"I said, I could never stop loving you Evie." He finally replies, and I jump slightly when his voice speaks up from right behind me. "I also never hated you, just so you are aware."

I swallow hard, licking my lips several times. Still, I refuse to turn around.

This can't be happening. Not now. This is too cruel.

Hades sighs softly. His breath fans across the nape of my neck, and I shudder slightly. "Agápi mou, please look at me."

"Don't call me that." I whisper. "That's just cruel. It's taunting me. You know that's what you used to call me-"

"Ever since that picnic I organised for you, three years ago." He finishes for me. "I know. I remember."

I remember. My heart shudders to a stop, and I squeeze my eyes shut. How long have I been praying, hoping, silently begging to hear him utter those two words? And now, when it's too-

"Evie. Please, look at me." He tries again, and suddenly a warm presence envelops the hand that's been hanging at my side. Every single part of me wants to lean into that gesture, crave the warm intimacy and aching familiarity of that small embrace, but then I remember his words, and how broken they had left me. I remember the unfamiliarly icy tone his expression had taken when he released the well-aimed missiles disguised as words into my heart, and suddenly I want nothing to do with him. I rip my hand from his grip, trying to ignore the small sigh he heaves when I do so.

"Why?"

"Because I remember." He tells me, and those three softly spoken words catapult me into a world that explodes with pain.

No.

Hades continues, unaware of how I'm feeling; or maybe he is aware, and just feels he needs to keep speaking anyway. "I remember everything, agápi mou. I remember first meeting you, when you made that deal with me for Spencer's life. I remember playing card games with you, and how frustrated you became every time I won. I remember the first time I realised I loved you, and the first time I told you so. I remember the indescribable feeling of elation you gave me when you agreed to become my queen, and later when you agreed to become my wife-"

"Stop." I beg, my voice breaking. "Please stop."

Hades doesn't listen to me, his voice softening. "I remember how ethereally beautiful you looked when I first saw you walk down the aisle, and the look on your face when I disappeared right before your eyes. I remember watching you appear before my eyes in my brother's palace, and agreeing to erase my memories in order to protect you. I remember saying all the harsh things I said to you, and watching a little piece of you break every time I opened my mouth. I remember how patient you were with me, even when I was anything but nice towards you. I remember falling in love with you all over again, and refusing to acknowledge it, because acknowledging it meant acknowledging that you had managed to climb over the walls of ice I previously had thought were so effective, again."

"Hades." I finally whirl around, thick tears rolling down my cheeks again. His eyes light up for a brief moment when he realises that I'm finally turning around, but that relief quickly morphs into horror when he catches sight of my tormented expression. That just makes me cry even harder; it's the first time in months that I've seen his expression so open, so full of unabashed emotion. "Why are you doing this?"