I Would Kill For You

24. Heart Thief

❝ the heart has its reasons which reason knows not. ❞

blaise pascal

__________

I shut my eyes in anguish, afraid that the ironclad walls around my heart will simply dissipate into thin air, leaving it bare and susceptible to breakage. I could feel it cracking in my ribcage, atrium by ventricle, ventricle by atrium, under an avalanche of raw emotions.

Anger, sadness, denial, betrayal; they unravelled inside me, started devouring my insides. I gulped down a sob, begging the skies, begging the universe that when I opened my eyes, Ellie's arms wouldn't be draped around his waist, her lips wouldn't be on his. But they were, and there was nothing I could do to get that image out of my head. It was now forever imprinted in the cells of my memory. I could feel the blood leaving my face, my extremities going cold and numb. When I opened my eyes, Damian was just pulling away from my best friend, his dark hues locking with mine. I saw the mortification on his face as he realised that I witnessed their kiss, I saw all colour fade from it, going livid.

"You're here." he said, his voice cracking up with emotion. He was genuinely surprised by my presence, and I threw it in his face with all the acerbity I could garner:

"I was. Not anymore."

I glowered at Ellie, although my anger wasn't directed at her, and she returned a contrite, almost scared look. I knew it wasn't her fault. How could she have known how I felt about Damian, when I hadn't told her anything? She asked me if I had feelings for him and I had stayed quiet. But she confessed her love for him to me and yet I was selfish enough to lead him on, I was selfish enough to...

And Damian? Did I really have the right to reproach him for kissing Ellie? We weren't together. He was free to do whatever he desired, and so did I. But it still hurt, it hurt like hell. Even the thought that he never liked me that much, and he could easily replace me with my best friend was a poisoned arrow that kept pronging my pride.

I didn't wait for his reply; I bolted out of there, desperate to get out. I heard the guardian's indignant shout after me:

"Hey, get back here! Don't make me arrest you again!", and it took me a moment to realise that he wasn't talking to me, but to Damian, who had run off after me immediately. I knew that I stood no chance in outracing him, even though I had a head start, but I kept on dashing like my life depended on it. He was fast, much faster than I possibly could have thought, and before I could make any other step, his hand gripped mine, pulling me towards him. Simultaneously, his other hand settled on my waist, to prevent the collision of our chests under the force.

"Let me go!" I exclaimed, not even trying to be quiet. I attempted to yank my hand from his, but to no avail. Blinded by jealousy and rage, I slammed my palm against his chest, pushing him away from me. He merely staggered back an inch, and his grip tightened around my waist.

"Rosabel, stop fighting. Please." he asked me pleadingly, his tone as soft as silk, as if he were desperately trying to calm a hysteric child. That only infuriated me more, and I kept on struggling, not even listening to his pleas.

"All right. The hard way it is then." he concluded with a sigh. I suddenly stopped, frowning, giving him the opportunity to drag me closer to him by my waist. He noticed a closed door to our left and slid there, lifting me in the air shortly with one hand. He leant against it and it opened easily under our weight. It was a small room with four screens, that were linked to the cameras. They showed the main hall and the corridor of the prison cells from different angles. There were two empty chairs in front of the desk, and there was no one but us in the room.