The Aftermath (Book 1)

Chapter 15

I laughed harder when I looked at the expression on Mark's face. He was not amused at all by our lovely bar buddies, but they were very funny to me.

"Well thank you for keeping us company, even though we did not ask for it. Have a good night." He said ushering me out of my seat and towards the door. I waved at the people who we talked with for the last few hours.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked me for the 100th time.

"Yes Mark. I am fine."

"Do you ever wonder if we had dated would things be different?" He asked with his hands in his pockets.

I looked at him, "When I told you I loved you more than a friend. You laughed in my face. You were so in love with Jewel that the idea of us was comical to you."

"I still love her you know. I just can't get over this. The last ten years. THREE FUCKING YEARS! How could she do that to us? How could she do that to me? Had we had each other we would be standing here happy not in pain over the people we chose."

"Would we though?" I asked looking at nothing.

Mark ran his hand over his face. "I mean who really knows? But I would like to think there is a happy ending for us in some life in the universe."

I drank my beer silently. I couldn't care about what anyone else thought or societal opinions. Nikolai was the love of my life and nothing would ever change that. Whether we were together or not. But I wouldn't want to not be together. Seeing Prince Charming that way really put things in perspective for me. I would never want to be without Nikolai. Ever. In any lifetime.

"Love can't be destroyed. It haves up and downs but if it's real nothing can really destroy it. I'm not condemning him to hell for cheating. I can't. I love him. I am in love with him. It may be stupid or weak to you but to me it's how I show my strength. I can't pick up and move on as if we meant nothing. He means everything to me. He is literally the axis of my world. What was done, was done and I'm still hurting . But guess what just like I have done so many times in my life. I will heal and it will be a scar that reminds me of what was done. I can not dwell on it anymore."

Mark stared at me for a long time.

"It's not weak or stupid. You love him and he loves you because like you said nothing real can be destroyed. You guys are bouncing back because you want each other. Jewel might love me but she doesn't want to be with me anymore. Hasn't for a long time but I ignored it because I loved her and she told me she felt the same even when I saw different. I just chose to love her through it but she didn't meet me halfway. I.....I just hate that the girls will have to see us split." He said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

I hugged him tightly as he cried on my shoulder.

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Walking into the Munteanu's I was greeted by silence. Weird. The house was spotless with no signs of the six boys who lived here. Kala wasn't answering her phone and after not seeing her for three weeks I decided to stop by. Their room door was open and I walked in.

"No... no.... Please... no...", Kala said sobbing. "FUCK!" She screamed as glass shattered.

I ran to the en suite bathroom. The glass was nowhere near her but her phone lay in a pile of it across the marbled floor. Blood was running down her leg and starting to pool at her feet.

"Honey?" I said softly trying my best not to startle her.

She turned to me slowly her face pale with tears dropping from her chin.

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I hated that I was falling back together and she was falling apart. It was always like this between us. I guess the universe knew we only had each other so we had to take turns not being okay. I watched her sleep. She had always been a tormented soul even with her gentle aura. I remember when I read her dream journal and told our parents the extent of the torment. They got her help giving her outlets to express all that sadness she carried. When she met Florian it all seemed to gather on an island and float slowly away. Until now.

My phone rang. It was the hospital. Where we already were.

"Hi Mrs. Ripley, we can not get ahold of Mrs. Munteanu and you are the next to call. Good news, Mr. Munteanu is awake." The nurse said cheerily.

"Great. I'll be there shortly." I hung up with her and walked the short walk across the hall. Private rooms for the rich and famous were all held on the same floors.

I walked in to him sitting up. Running to him I hugged him as tight as I could around the sling and casts.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again," I whispered trying to swallow the thickness in my throat. I never wanted to let him go. For Kala to lose the one thing that had been good too her? I hugged him tighter.

When I pulled back I smiled at him, but my smile started to slip at the confusion in his eyes. Even though he had a smile on his lips.

When the nurse left he leaned forward and whispered, "Who are you?"

"That's not funny," I said with a small shake in my voice.

"No it's not. So again who are you?" He said seriously.

"Prin- Florian.... It's me Elaina your sister-in-law."

He looked at the black band on his finger.

He asked me the date and I told him.

He closed his eyes, "I can't remember a thing after 2010. The last twelve years are fuzzy or non existent to me. Fuck."

"Fuck." I said at the same time he did.

Yep. We were utterly fucked.

Hello readers! This book only has 20 chapters so the end is coming! Stay tuned.