The Villainess Will Die

Chapter 2

"For just a moment, he glanced up at her. And he felt something shift. Something inside of him."

~

The morning came quicker than expected. Amarissa pulled the blankets over her head and buried herself under them. She was exhausted, and she still had a long day ahead of her.

It had been two weeks since the banquet and Lucian still had not signed and returned the annulment papers. She could not see herself getting married to such a cold, heartless man. Not him. Not ever. And she was far better off without the Duke of Elrod. The man wasn't worth it, Amarissa, she told herself, and hurriedly prepared to depart.

Her breath hitched as she spotted a man leaning against the side of the carriage. His hands were holding a bouquet of over a dozen roses, which partially covered his face.

"Rissa," he said gently, as their eyes met.

Amarissa knew that voice, and all too well. His voice was like a melody she was familiar with.

"Bastien," she said, looking at him with sad eyes. Her heart dropped a little in her chest. "Remember when I told you not to come to see me anymore?"

He smiled at her. It wasn't a happy smile though. As she watched him, she couldn't help but notice the look of hurt in his face. The smile he gave her was pure sadness. She cursed him again, in her head this time, hating him for pulling on her heartstrings.

"I'm sorry," he said. His grip tightened around the flowers as he stumbled forward. "I am so, so sorry."

He took a step toward her. Without meaning to, she stepped backward as if she was terrified. A look of pure sadness passed over Bastien's features. He didn't want her running away from him, he wanted her running to him.

"Don't be angry with me," he pleaded. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "I'll be a better friend to you. I promise."

"A better friend?" she asked sarcastically, shaking her head in light contempt. "Have you ever tried to be a friend or a companion to me? Even once?"

Seeing her so stiff and cold terrified him. Why the hell did she look like that? He couldn't stand that look on her face. He missed the warm way her eyes lit up whenever she used to look at him.

"I can't sleep or eat without thinking of you." He stepped toward her, almost desperate. "I treated you so badly, so very badly. I just wish I'd been a better friend to you."

Amarissa let out a breath, overwhelmed by the sudden urge to cry. Suddenly her body and heart seemed much too full of emotion. She must have loved him dearly, she thought. I can feel it.

She hated the conflicting emotions running through her. The anger and the heartache, the pain and bitterness and the vengeance. These emotions weren't her own. They belonged to Amarissa.

As much as she didn't want the flowers, she reached out and took them anyway. If accepting them was what it would take to make him leave, then so be it. She hugged them to her chest.

"Amarissa," he mumbled, reaching out tentatively to touch her arm. He wanted to hold her. "Please, don't push me away."

"I'm not sure I can accept your apology," she said, flinching away from his touch. "So just... just stop, okay?"

A heavy silence settled between them, like neither one of them knew what to say next. Bastien, who had been unknowingly avoiding her gaze, began to move. He took another step closer. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to close the distance between them.