Chapter 41

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Eisa wasn't sure what drove her to try and speak to Hayley.

Was it her worry? Was it to apologize, for not having been there to help remove the Crescent Curse? Was it to see her face again?

She found her in her old room, packing her things into a suitcase. Eisa slowly tapped her knuckles on the doorframe, making Hayley flinch a bit.

"Everything alright?" asked Eisa, as steadily as she could.

"Yeah," said Hayley, though it sounded like she was lying. "Come in."

Eisa slowly stepped inside, the click of her heels audibly making Hayley's heart jump. "Jackson's gathering the Pack to tell them to go back to their families," the hybrid told her. "What's left of them."

"I'm sorry about what happened," said Eisa. "All of it."

Hayley shook her head. "Not your fault. Dahlia daggered you, the others went along with what they wanted, and you tried to keep us safe. This was all Klaus."

"I left," said Eisa. "I didn't check on you. No matter what my feelings... it was rude of me."

"Don't beat yourself up about it. They told me you had Isela trying to break the curse. I appreciate that. Um..." she wrung her hands together. "How have you been? They said you'd been in Germany."

Eisa shrugged. "It's been alright. Never a dull moment." Her fists balled up, finding herself wanting to blurt out a question. She tried to refrain from it, knowing the conversation would take a bad turn if she spoke about it.

Hayley noticed she seemed to be holding back from saying too much. "Eisa, you can talk to me. I know I hurt you."

The Original's lip trembled. "Yes, Hayley, you did hurt me. All I tried to do was protect you, when I advised you not to go to the Bayou. You went anyway. Perhaps, I could have been alright with that. But then, I get a simple voicemail where you said your goodbyes. A horrible goodbye, to me. You still expected us to defeat Dahlia, but you weren't going to take part in it.

"You genuinely thought Hope would be safer away from the people who would— and did— fight tooth and nail to protect her. You weren't going to let us see her again. I can understand your anger with Nik. I can understand not wanting to see me. But Rebekah? Elijah? Rebekah raised your daughter for months. Elijah did everything in his power to protect her."

Hayley gulped. "Eisa, you have to understand—"

"No, I don't understand. I'm angry, Hayley. I'm pissed. Because when everything began, with you and I, you kept pushing it, despite how often I tried to keep it from happening. I tried to explain how being with a Mikaelson would drag you in too deep. It would prove a problem. You insisted, and I let it happen, and I fell for you. I fell in love with you, and I haven fallen out of love, in the ten months since you married Jackson.

"I thought you understood that while being a Mikaelson brought problems, it also brought strength and family. But you didn't understand it. You wanted to abandon us because in that moment, it was convenient for you. You made it seem like we were all terrible villains when we'd been trying so bloody hard to be better for that little girl. So yes, Hayley, I'm hurt and angry because I haven't been able to stop loving you even though you were going to leave and never look back. Even though you're married to another person."

Hayley had teared up, and Eisa looked her over, shaking her head. "I see you, and all the memories come back, and it aches. Because it feels as though you only stuck around because it was convenient. You always had someone to babysit your daughter. Always had someone to get supplies. Always had someone to get you dresses and reassure you.

Hellfire | Hayley MarshallWhere stories live. Discover now