The Redeemed Soul [Dorian Gray]

The Truth

Dorian marched down the steps to the lake and Rosemary followed him, asking questions along the way. "What happened to the ducks?" When he didn't reply, she repeated the question again and again until he answered.

"They flew away."

She chuckled at his disgust towards her behaviour. Who said that you needed weapons to torture someoe? "And what happened to the tea table?"

"It broke."

"Wow. I've never seen a table break before. How was it?"

"Don't make me demonstrate."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind it."

Though Dorian didn't want to admit it, it was good to hear Rosemary's voice again. He knew that he broke her trust but he had gone too far to turn back. He had to look forward to the never-ending future, not the one that he wanted to have....with her.

"Do you think it is going to rain?" She asked.

"I don't care."

"Well, you should, because petrichor is an amazing feeling...wait, why would you know about it?"

He didn't say anything to her remark. "Yes." He mumbled to himself.

She knew that her questions were getting out of character but she needed to annoy him as much as possible to win the World's Best Annoyer Award that she would give herself.

"Stop it!" He spitted out after she asked him about dinner.

"Stop what?" She asked, sounding innocent.

"Stop asking me questions!"

"Give me the painting then."

"No!"

"Then what is for dinner?" She asked once again.

"Just stop it!" He exclaimed.

"Why, what is the matter? I'm only going to be borrowing the portrait. It will be in a perfect condition. You know Basil, so, what. Is. The. Matter?" She wasn't sure whether she was asking him about himself, but the portrait was all that mattered that day.

He stared at her. "Do you really want to know?"

She placed a hand on his arm. The Dorian that she knew was still in there somewhere and she just had to talk with him. "Tell me the truth." She spoke calmly.

"Fine." He took her hand and dragged her back to the house.

He led her up the stairs and into the door that would lead to the attic. Rosemary wondered why they were going that way because it was the room that Dorian once confided that he feared.

"Mr. Gray?"

"Don't talk or I'll change my mind."

They reached the attic door when he let go of her hand. It was dusty and darker than usual. Dorian took a brass key out of his pocket and looked at it, disgusted by what he was thinking and what the key opened.

"Mr. Gray?" She called to him when he was starting to get lost in his own thoughts.

"Are you sure that you want to know the truth?" He asked but she didn't answer. The icy prick that she had felt was growing stronger. He didn't wait for her reply and opened the door wide, beckoning her to walk in. "The painting."

She was uncertain but walked in anyway. Victor knew that she was in the house and he would rescue her if anything happened. She walked in and looked at the dusty old attic for the first time. The windows were closed with old drapes and cardboard boxes lay haphazardly. There was a mirror in the room with broken glass that fit harmoniously with each other, representing a part of a whole.

Dorian took a few steps in, uncertain himself. He knew the horror, yet the truth, that waited for him as he walked to the end of the room and stood in front of the red velvet cloth that was covering something. "Why have you...?" She pointed to the cloth.

"You wanted to know the truth." He pulled the cloth down and revealed the painting. "Here is your painting."

Rosemary closed her mouth with both her hands, trying not to scream in shock. Her eyes widened almost as soon as the velvet touched the wooden floor. "No." She whispered.

"That is my soul. My deal became true." He started to talk obnoxiously.

The painting was rotten, Dorian's face monstrous. He was decaying and she shook her head, knowing that whatever was happening to the portrait couldn't be possible. A moth sat on the portrait and Rosemary was half-hearted to shoo it away. After all, even underneath what she was seeing lay the actual truth. She knew that the rotting was a facade.

Unknowingly, she took a few steps forward, not hiding the emotions of fright on her face. She moved her hand forward to touch the painting but was afraid to do so. "Oh, poor Dorian." She whispered and turned around.

Dorian was standing right behind her. He had quick tears in his eyes when she heard a clutter on the floor. She looked down and saw a piece of glass from the broken mirror nearby. She looked at him in horror as he stumbled away from her.

"You." She gasped. "You were going to kill me!"

"Rosemary-"

She pushed him away with force and he hit himself against a stacked box of cardboard. "Stay away from me!" She shouted as she rushed out of the room and out of the mansion.

He had shown her his worst nightmare but even then, her response was that he was innocent. He did not deserve her one bit. Maybe listening to Henry had been the best choice after all. He would have destroyed her if they had courted one another.

"What have I done?" He stared at the painting with utmost disgust and wanted to tear it up for ruining his life. "Rosemary." He breathed out and his actions in the past month flashed before his eyes once again, reminding him of his self-indulgence.

Rosemary took a deep breath only once she was heading to her house in the carriage. "Is everything okay, Miss Hallward?" Mr. David asked her.

"Yes." She answered, her voice cracking.

"Are you excited about France?" He asked her. "I've heard it to be beautiful. The city of love, they call it."

"Love." She scoffed silently. "I can't wait to leave."