Heartless (Completed)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Saturday and Sunday passed in a daze as I remained in my room, barely moving. I only left when Mama and Papa called me to eat. They bombarded me with questions, asking if I was okay or if I was in any pain. All I could manage to tell them was that I felt unwell and had no appetite.

By the time I arrived at school, it was already late. As soon as I stepped through the doors, I saw a throng of students sprinting towards the field. Confused, I wondered what was happening and why they were in such a hurry. I joined the fray and ran towards a girl who was also hurrying along.

I tapped her shoulder, breathless from the effort of catching up. She stopped and turned to face me.

"Excuse me, what's going on? Why is everyone running?" I asked, gasping for air.

Her face contorted into a scowl when she saw me, as if I had just insulted her. She glared at me with a look that seemed to say she might slap or pull my hair any moment. Her chest heaved with deep breaths, clearly agitated.

"This is your fault! If it weren't for you, Art wouldn't be over there fighting!" she yelled at me with a fiery anger before running off again. I stood frozen, stunned. Art? Fighting? Why? How? What happened?

I ran towards the field, despite my reluctance to get involved, driven by the need to understand the situation.

When I reached the scene, I had to push my way through the crowd of students before I could see clearly.

As soon as my eyes found Art, they widened in shock.

"What right do you have to hurt a girl, huh?!"

Adrian's roar echoed through the air, a powerful bellow of rage directed squarely at Art. My breath caught in my throat as I watched Adrian, whose fury had transformed him into something monstrous. Oh my God! Tell me this isn't happening. I turned to face Art, whose lips were bleeding, likely from the brutal blows Adrian had delivered. Oh shit! Despite the blood staining his lips and the visible signs of weakness, Art wore a grin, as if Adrian's words were nothing more than trivial nonsense.

"You're a damn fool! If I had known this was how things would turn out, I would have stolen her from you long ago!" Adrian yelled, his voice cracking with intensity. He flung his arms in a dramatic gesture, his gaze drifting off as if lost in thought. He laughed, a sound of disbelief and derision. His eyes locked back onto Art's with a lethal glare.

"Steal? There's nothing to steal because she wasn't mine to begin with! Are you out of your mind?" Art retorted, laughing despite his injured state, his voice tinged with a mix of mockery and pain.

Around us, I could hear the anxious murmur of female voices expressing concern for Art, but I chose to ignore them.

"Why should I be surprised by your treatment of women? You've been a monster for a long time. I've told Eliann about this, but she wouldn't listen because she loves you! And this is what she gets? I kept silent out of respect for her and her feelings," Adrian's voice was firm and filled with contempt as he spoke to Art.

"How can I love a woman when I don't feel anything for her? Look, I gave her what she wanted. I gave her the experience. Isn't that enough?" Art said with a twisted grin, his nonchalance maddening.

Adrian's fist collided with Art's face with a force that made my eyes widen and my hands instinctively cover my mouth. Shit!

"You bastard! You don't do that to her! You're more of a monster than I ever thought! Why did I ever let her chase after you? Damn you, Monteleone. Hope you rot in hell, you son of a bitch!" Adrian's voice trembled with fury as he screamed at Art.