Walking with the Vampire |COMPLETE|

46. Exile.

'You remember now.' It wasn't a question.

Valentina slowly rose to her feet. Her body was stiff and her unyielding expression: even more so.

Nicholae's throat worked as he swallowed and tried to find the words he'd been saving for this moment. But when he opened his mouth no sound came out.
He took two steps towards her and reached out to her but she shrank away from him.

'Why did you it?'
He stopped at her question, the tears were already in place.

'I was terrified.' And that was the truth.

'No. You were ashamed to be with me!' Valentina yelled. And she didn't care who heard her. The Coven and the Vampires could all burn in Hell for all she cared.

'I wasn't. I loved you more than life itself. I still do. But back then I didn't know it.'
Nicholae broken eyes attempted to thaw her ice in her heart but she stilled it. She would not be played for a fool a second time.

Then he fell on his knees.
'I beg you Val. Please forgive me.'
She turned away. Her heart was weakening in its resolve just from looking at him.

'I took away your memories of us to keep you safe. Tiana...'

'Don't even give me that shit.' She spun around wanting so badly to claw at him.
'You did it to save yourself, you bastard. You didn't want to lose your precious family.'

'I admit that was what I thought at first. But Valentina believe me, I only did everything because I thought I was protecting you.'
Nicholae sobbed.

'I didn't need it. All I wanted was you to be with me. We'd been through so much together.' She stopped.
'Now that I think about it. Everything is starting to make sense: the secret wedding, keepingmy pregnancy a secret. God, You must have been overjoyed when our child died.'
She waited for him to deny her claim but he just knelt there as though he'd lost the ability to speak.

'My God. You're a monster.' Valentina whispered.

'Everything I did was because I put you first.'

'Stop saying that!' Valentina screamed covering her ears with her hands, closing her eyes, shutting his wet face from her sight and blocking his cracked voice.
'How did stealing my memories of us help me? Explain that because I really can't understand.'

He wanted to tell her what Tiana had told him, that the Coven would have severely punished her for leaving her post and would have punished her more still for attempting to abandon it after agreeing to the contract, he could try but where would he start from. And would she believe him? They would all be excuses.

'I know what we discussed about telling we were married, but I didn't believe we could survive simply in the name of love.'

Valentina slapped him. She slapped him hard enough that his head moved to the side. She couldn't help herself. Her body simply acted on its own unable to take his flimsy excuses.
'You led me right into the arms of the woman who poisoned Constance, Sabina and me. I could have stopped her, but I couldn't recognize her because I couldn't remember her I couldn't remember a spell to save my life. I tried to run for help but it was too late.'
She was struggling to breathe. Her words were accentuated with uncomfortable hiccups.
'But do you know who I thought of running to for help?'

Nicholae's clenched at his heart and sobbed.
'We agreed. We agreed to face the consequences together but you crumbled even before the real battle began and you used love as an excuse!'

She didn't wipe away the river that flowed down her cheeks or the rest of the mess on her face. She didn't care that she looked wildly disheveled.

'I've paid for my mistake Val.'