𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐈

~Grief~

-"Memento Mori- (phr.) "remember that you will die"; a reminder of morality or the inevitable transformation of life into death."-

______________________________

(Play song now)

Shock.

Denial.

Anger.

Bargaining.

Depression.

Acceptance.

Reconstruction.

The stages of grief.

They walked into the hospital with all eyes on them.

Oscar held Thea's unconscious body in his arms with dried tears, while Luca held her lifeless body in his arms. Luca was too shocked to do anything. To hear or to even feel. He just held her dead body close.

The parents waiting for them with anticipation of seeing their daughter again. And they walked in, Luca waited in the hallway with her body so that they could prepare themselves and let them have their good news.

They needed the good news in all of this madness.

Oscar set her down on the bed while Elena and Alec kissed her forehead with happiness. When they realized that Midnight and Luca weren't there they hesitantly asked because of everyone's bloodshot eyes.

Blade walked into the hallway and stared into her empty lifeless eyes that had yet to be closed. Everyone thought that she was dead inside and emotionless before...but now...it was a reality. An empty abyss that refused to be forgotten.

Luca sat with red eyes against the wall as he cradled her body, stroking her hair with his fingers.

It seemed the universe hated him the last few days. It was trying to take away his will to live with each bad thing. First Thea's kidnapping, then Bianca...and now -and now.

He didn't have anyone to blame now.

Bianca was dead. He couldn't even kill her for what she almost did to him.

Alexei was dead. Too quick. Alexie died to quick. He couldn't even torture him and kill him slowly for what he did.

Midnight-

She was gone too now.

Leia and now her.

Everyone had left and everyone was going to leave. He couldn't think -couldn't breathe.

What now? What was going to happen now? Was he supposed to go back to Italy and live the rest of his life like a walking dead man? No. He couldn't go back. He couldn't leave her here. Alone.

He had to stay here. Stay here for as long as he could.

Maybe if they were more prepared and attentive to Alexei, they would have spotted this from a mile away. Maybe if he had never put his gun down when she commanded, he could've shot him before he had the chance.

But nothing they could've done would have changed this outcome.

He realized that his soul was forever entwined with hers. She entangled herself into the web of his cruelty and she stayed still, untangling it, bit by bit.