*Ana's pnt of view*
"You're what?" I asked making sure that I heard him correctly.
"I'm cursed Ana." He replied again, his eyes looking up at me sincerely.
"No, you're not. Jaxon there's no such thing as curses." I said shaking my head and laughing slightly.
He was something else.
A sudden surprised washed over his face at my words, which was then quickly replaced by his usual blank mask.
"Right, you're right. You saw right through my joke." He said, in a mock pleasant tone.
I looked at him strangely, but then shook it off, "I'm going to get Sonya to make some soup for you, meanwhile get some rest, you should feel better afterwards."
"Okay." He said, and then turned his back on me.
I quietly left the room and headed down to the kitchen where Sonya was getting ready to start breakfast, given it was the weekend, and everyone was off.
"Good morning, Sonya." I greeted her, with a quick kiss on her cheek.
"Morning Ana, how was your night?" She asked, and pictures of the previous night crossed my mind.
I was shocked that the picture of me bent over with Jaxon behind me sent a jolt of surprised through my body, it was strange, but I shook it off.
"It was okay, thank you. How was your night?" I asked, avoiding eye contact.
"It was peaceful." She replied.
"How’s the master of the mansion?" She chuckled.
"He's come down with a cold. Would you mind making some soup for him, I know he really loves your cooking." I explained.
"Sure, no problem at all." She said, as she began moving around the kitchen.
"He told me he was cursed." I suddenly spoke up, the thought remaining on my mind.
Sonya seemed slightly shocked, but then smiled and shook her head.
"Jaxon witnessed his mother being murdered at the age of 5. His mother had the same blue eyes as him. His father blamed him for her death and said that since he caused her death, and his mom was the only person who truly loved him, Jaxon would never find someone to ever love him again. Being told this over and over again as a child, and as a teen, Jaxon began to believe his father, so when his father passed, he started living the careless bachelor life, believing he was cursed. Until he met you." Explained Sonya, and I was shocked to my core.
"How did you respond to him?" She asked suddenly suspicious.
"I might've laughed his confession off." I admitted sadly, now I felt like a complete jerk.
"Oh dear, well, well I'm sure he won't take it to heart, though, I can't imagine that it was easy for him to admit that to you." She reasoned.
"Ugh I know, I know. I'm sorry." I whined.
"Oh don't apologize to me, just see if he mentions it to you again, then you can right this wrong." Advised Sonya, then our conversation took a lighter turn.
By the time the soup was ready, Jaxon was wide awake on his laptop.
"What are you doing?" I asked, stepping into the room.
"Just taking care of some business." He replied, as though he didn't have a fever, and a sore throat.
"Right, because that's exactly what I told you to do." I said, placing the soup down and glaring at him.
"Ana, please, not the time." He said, avoiding to look at me.
I must've really hurt him.
"Jaxon-"
"Did you sleep with him?" He suddenly asked out of the blue.
"Who?"
"John."
"I don't think that's any of your busin-"
"Damn it Ana just answer the freaking question!" Exploded Jaxon.
"No."
"Okay."
"Did you sleep with Rose?" I asked, looking at him suspiciously.
"No."
"Yeah right." I Scoffed, I couldn't help it, it was hard to believe a player.
"See there it is right there. You tell me you didn't sleep with John and I believed you. I tell you I didn't sleep with Rose, and you automatically assume it's a lie. You claim to try to see the human behind the monster, but you don't really do. People like you automatically see a rich person, and you assume that we are everything but human." He suddenly stood up, and walked towards the bathroom.
"You shot a man in the knee." I argued, firing after him.
"Yet that didn't stop him from trying to hurt you." He turned to face me.
"You almost bashed a guy's face in." I replied, referring to John.
"He called you out of your name, excuse me for defending you." He shrugged, and rolled his eyes.
"Well thank you, but no thank you." I scoffed and turned shaking my head.
It was quiet for a second before he spoke up and asked "Why didn't you sleep with him?"
"Because I wasn't ready."
"Oh you mean like you were ready to leave me right? In fact you were so ready, the first chance you got, you grabbed it by the throat. Dangled yourself high off the ground, put yourself in danger, just to get away from me."
"Rose kissed you, on the lips, in front of me. The night of our first date! And you didn't even bother to push her away." I yelled.
"Because she was being watched!" He fired back, shocking me.
"What?"
"She was being watched. Rose has been a long time friend, abused by her father and his men, because her mother wasn't around. When he was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, she came to me for help. We came up with the plan of pretending to be lovers, get married, and when her father passed signing everything to her "husband", me, we were to divorce and she keeps everything I inherited from her father. That's what happened. So yes she kissed me, but I didn't sleep with her." He explained.
I sighed, I never really knew the whole story.
"Oh, Jaxon, I'm sorry I didn't-"
"Of course you didn't. You never took a chance to do anything. You never gave me a chance. From the minute I walked into that café and you took notice of me, you never gave me a chance, you automatically assumed I was bad news. But then I saw the way you interacted with others, the way you smiled at the elderly, and played with the little children. I noticed the beauty you had radiating from inside, so I figured maybe you'd have some for me. But nothing, I got nothing. Maybe my ways of giving you a chance to know me wasn't the best, but still, I gave you the opportunity to show me the kindness you showed others, and the kindness you showed was out of fear, it wasn't genuine, like the one you showed Sonya, or Stewart, or anybody else.”
“When you worked as my secretary you were nice to everyone, but me, the timed you weren't looking at me with fear, you stared me down as though I was the dirt under you shoe. I literally admitted to you my biggest fear, I needed you to say something comforting, give me some hope that the curse wasn't real, but instead, you laughed and threw my confession back in my face. Admit it Ana, you have no respect for me, you never did, you never will." He declared, breaking my heart.
"Jaxon that's not-"
"Get out."
"What?"
"Get out. Leave. You can go. You repaid your debt." He said in such a cold tone, I could hardly breathe.
"Jaxon stop-"
"Forget it Ana! Just get out! Leave me alone, and never come back. You're free to go." He said, then he pulled out his phone, and I could only assume that he was calling the bald eagle.
"Take Analeina home. She's done here."
A few minutes later, the bald eagle was driving me away from the mansion. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to Sonya.
All the words, all my feelings, things I wanted to admit to Jaxon, they were all lodged in my throat, my chest felt heavy, but I couldn't let it out.
*Jaxon's pnt of view*
I slumped against my sofa, my hand holding a bottle of scotch. My head was pounding, I felt chilly, but I knew my skin was burning up.
I felt like crap.
Sonya approached me quietly and sat next to me.
Without giving it a second thought, I leaned my head against her shoulder, and she patted her hand against my cheek.
"You let her go." Spoke Sonya.
"I let her go." I confirmed.
"Because you're in love with her." She said making an observation
"Because I'm in love with her." I finally admitted out loud.
"Okay, then. Come on, up to bed you go." She said, babysitting me.
"No, I want to stay here." I said.
"Okay, we can stay here. Do you want a better option for a drink, I can make your favorite." Offered Sonya.
"Yes please." I confirmed, and she tapped my hand, took the bottle of liquor and left.
A few minutes later Sonya came back, with a cup of her specialty vanilla bean hot chocolate.
Nobody made it the way she did, it was the perfect remedy.
We sat in comfortable silence, just drinking our cocoa, when something hit me.
"She's not coming back, is she?" I asked Sonya, the fear piercing my heart like a silver knife.
"Love, in my opinion is a magnet, if you love her, and she loves you, somehow, someway, you guys will find your way back to each other."
"Okay." I said then I stood, kissed Sonya on the cheek, and I headed up to my room.
*Third person's pnt of view
The day became unbearable for the separated lovers.
Ana's tears ran unending, and Jaxon tortured himself... He went back to the dark place where his blood stained the bathroom floor, and his skin burned in agony.
That night, Ana's pillow was soaked in her salty tears. Her eyes burned, her chest heaved harshly, her throat gasping and constricted, her heat shattered, bleeding, and in pain.
She loved him.
She loved Jaxon.
But he didn't love her.
He kicked her out.
He was done with her.
And now it was up to her to mend her broken heart.
Jaxon laid on his back, silent. Mute. Waiting on a darkness to envelope him forever.
For once he actually felt something other than cold.
He felt numb, empty, lifeless.
His pathetic heart wept with every pulse.
He felt alone.
Two hearts were broken that night.
And two people shared a lonely sleep.