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ғɪғᴛᴇᴇɴ 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔
❦
The blood had dried on her face hours ago, crusting into flakes that lay against her covered shoulders. Maria was wrapped in a long blanket, the worn material falling down to her ankles like a gown. Her arms shook. The room was freezing, as a draft blew in from the open window, settling around Luca's papers that were left messily on the hotel desk. Outside, like dark shadows against the brewing clouds, birds swooped in large arcs, twittering mindlessly.
Maria sighed, closing her eyes. It was all too much. The noise. The chaos.
She felt a touch to her cheek and flinched as a cool pain shot from the shallow cut. Her eyes fluttered open again. Elena smiled as she held the cloth back up to her injured face.
"Luca told me what happened," she said softly.
She dabbed and dabbed at her face until the crimson layer of blood was cleared, her skin smooth and fresh like a newborn beneath. Maria leaned into her touch.
Elena was so motherly, so tender. The baby she carried was destined to be nurtured and loved more than any. On the worst of her days, Maris was jealous of Elena's nature. It was as if she was destined to be all that Maria wanted to be.
"I know you went back to that church. I know all I said but..." Elena said, trailing off, the cloth in her hand slowly dropping until it fell to her lap, still wrapped in her hands. "I don't know who you are anymore."
"Elena-"
"You say that all you want is to be a mother. That it will make your heart complete. But here you are, throwing it all away for a man who will kill your own brother, my husband," Elena said, and Maria hurried to make her keep her voice down. "You've been enticed by the devil."
"Don't say that," Maria pleaded.
Elena shook her head. "I don't know how much longer I can hold my tongue."
"Please, Elena. Please," she said, gripping her hands in her own. "Just a little longer. The fault is with me. Luca will not find out. And if he does. He'll be too preoccupied with me to say anything to you. He loves you too much. You were only just protecting me."
"He loves you too, Maria. You're his sister," she said, sighing softly, placing a hand to her friend's head. "That's what I'm worried about. If you were to go against him like this, it would kill him."
"But he's already killing me, Elena. Don't you see? He spreads nothing but hate and corruption. I don't want this life, but this is the life I was born to lead. Do you see?"
Elena paused, eyes trained on Maria, examining her face completely, drifting from her crinkled eyes to her downturned lips. She nodded finally, letting the bloodied cloth fall to the floor finally.
"I understand," she whispered. "Go now. But be back before dinner. I won't be able to cover for any longer than that."
❦
Maria found herself almost running as she hurried past the boundaries of her brother's territory and to the furthest she would dare to go. Soon, a hand met her waist, and she recognized Arthur straight away, as he pulled her to the side.
"What happened?" Arthur breathed, letting his hand fall to her cheek fingers glazing past the cleaned cuts.
Maria flinched. His hands were cold enough to send shivers from her neck as he brushed against her blemished skin. His brow was creased, but he himself seemed relatively untouched despite all she had heard about what'd gone down at artillery square.
"We were ambushed," she said, watching his face fall- with guilt or plain sadness, she couldn't tell. She shook her head. "I'm fine. The windows smashed when the bullets hit- I was cut, that's all."
He nodded, taking her word as his hands dropped.
"Are you alright?"
Arthur nodded, taking his hat from his head and rubbing his hand over his hair.
"Seems we've both had a rough two bloody days," he said.
Maria let a laugh escape her lips. It felt unnatural to be laughing amongst all the chaos- especially with Arthur.
Arthur Shelby. Sometimes she still couldn't believe it. God had a mysterious way of working, but she believed in his methods of good, and of healing. It was supposed to be this way, she knew. Arthur was good, he could be good. Maybe she really was his guardian angel, deterring him from the devil.
"We can't escape it," she said, laugh being replaced with a surprised gasp as his hand was on her cheek again.
His lips were on hers before she could understand what he was doing. Arthur Shelby kissed her, and in that kiss, all she could feel was compassion. It bubbled through her, moving her lips against his as if she was made to do it. Her feelings transcended all describable words.
And at that very moment, she didn't think about Elena and her warning words. She definitely didn't think about Luca and the betrayal he would feel, should he ever find out. She didn't think about the fact that their two families were at war. The hate that should have flowed between them was instead a burning passion. Maria Changretta took it whole and kissed Arthur Shelby like it was the last thing she would ever do.
