Corrupted hearts || 1

37

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN ❦ AURELIA
"I don't want you here." His words strike so fucking hard, shoving a stake right at my heart, I straighten and hold my chin high.

"I'm here anyway," I say and sidestep him, if he really didn't want me here there were a lot of ways to just make me leave, but he's barely trying.

And I'm going to take that chance, my eyes flit around, taking in the mess, Elias is organized, neat, and just not like this, everything is scattered around the floor.

Broken Glass, shattered vases, I clear my throat and try to ignore the knot along it, he shuts the door behind him.

And I turn, eyes clashing with his dark pained ones, agony sparks in them matching what I've been feeling for the past days, everything is twisted.

It took me a while to even process what was happening, it broke me, but all I'm sure about is that I need to be here for Elias, I'm not leaving him alone after what we just found out.

I don't know who needs the other more, but all I'm sure of is whether Elias wants me here or not, I'm staying either way, even if it's in another room, but we both need each other, and pushing me away won't fix anything.

We need to discuss things face to face, and while I'm not the biggest fan of confrontation, this needs to be talked about even if it'll hurt like a bitch, that night felt almost unreal from how shocking it was.

I need to tell Elias everything my father said to me, and he needs to  just talk even if I don't want to know what he'll say, I'm not giving up on him and running away because of it, even if it's the most complicated thing ever.

I love him, it didn't take a genius to figure, He doesn't speak or utter a single word, just stares down at me, with a look I've never seen before, "We need to talk." I start, it's like our roles are reversed right now.

He's the one who usually informs me about that, I'm the one who runs away, his jaw ticks, but he doesn't protest, I walk toward the couch and sit down, beats pass before he curses and follows me.

"You need to tell me what happened." It's going to be painful but I need to hear both sides, to know if my father is lying or not, "What do you want me to say? That your father is the reason my mother took her life? Pity, you're already aware." Regret fills his eyes as he speaks almost instantly.

His words are sharp, cutting, but I understand, "I am." I let out in a whisper, ignoring the emotions rising up my throat and clamping it shut.

"He talked to me about it." I add when I realize that he won't speak unless I do so, "Apparently, your mother and my father—were in a relationship, but well, My dad was married and he couldn't be with her, it was basically cheating." My stomach roils as disgust spreads through my body.

As much as I haven't sympathized with my mother throughout my whole life, right now, it's understandable why she hates my father so fucking much, she knew about his cheating, and she knew about Elias's mother's suicide, that's why she hates him so much.

The past few days felt too unbelievable, I was outraged, but slowly, everything started to make sense, my mother wasn't just evil she hated my father for a reason, and my father's drinking habits didn't arise from nowhere, he said it was the guilt he's been carrying for years that pushed him to drink and smoke drugs.

I don't even realize that my eyes are prickling with tears until one falls down my cheek and reaches my lips, the salty taste hitting my tongue, I glance at Elias again and breathe out.

"Then...your mother got with your father, and well it's clear that he was shitty, and she loved my father too much, however, he stopped seeing her, he stopped interacting with her generally, he feared your father, he wasn't—in love with her, those are his words, but she still reached out for him." I don't think Elias knows that himself, but the story is easy to connect.