Consequence

Chapter 7

April 14, 1813

I ended the piano piece, lightly tapping the final keys. I wiped my tears away and lingered a while longer in the drawing room.

I didn't know what to think or how to react to what had happened between Dominik and I. My quiet, somewhat peaceful, sobs had ceased to shed and I tried to figure out how I felt.

I looked down at my wrists and stroked them. I felt pain rush through me.

I can't believe he actually hurt me, even if it was unintentional. But did he even say that it was an accident...he did apologize, though. It looked like he didn't mean to hurt me but I don't know.

Why would he say that I'm not a game? He made me sound like I was his ideal wife, but would he treat his bride to be like he treated me? He acted so confident that I would be his wife but he knew I didn't want to be anything to him.

I didn't even want to get adopted or to be wanted by anyone. The feeling of being owned by someone sends shivers down my spine.

Still, maybe I wanted to be wanted all along. Maybe I wanted to experience all of life not just freedom. Maybe I was just waiting for something like this to happen to me.

Or maybe I'm just talking way too much to myself and I need to shut up and face the facts.

These are the facts: I'm poor and he's rich, I'm stubborn and even I admit I will never change, I want freedom and he wants forced commitment, and he's reckless and I deserve to be treated right.

Dominik and I will never work, no matter how much he wants us to.

I looked at the handsome painting of him again, this time analyzing the flaws. I squinted to see if I could catch any errors.

I thought back to the last image of him in my mind and I saw blue eyes, then red, and then blue again. That's right! I totally forgot about that strange thing his eyes did. I knew it wasn't a figment of my imagination.

Was he a demon or something? I asked myself as I thought back to what Vera told me. I then remembered how cold his hands felt, like he was undead. I mentally laughed at myself and my silly ideas.

Just as I was about to continue pursuing my racing thoughts, my maid opened the door of the drawing room.

"Good evening Miss, I'm sorry to interrupt. I have a message from the master. Mr. Klein didn't want you to come to dinner tonight because he says you aren't feeling well and need your rest." She said with her head lowered, avoiding direct eye contact.

I sighed in relief, last night I skipped dinner and today I asked the maids to bring my meals to my bedroom. I was trying to avoid any encounter with Dominik, of course.

"However, Ms. Veronica insists that you attend. She told him that she saw you earlier today and you looked quite well. Mr. Klein reluctantly consented so..."

She stopped when she saw my eyes. All the makeup she put on me was most probably smudged and ruined.

I took this as an opportunity to convey my disappointment. "Do I have to go? I actually think I don't feel well now." It wasn't necessarily a lie.