Chapter 11: Chapter 11: And What Now?
"And I can't either." Someone's voice resounded in the room and my heartbeat dropped. Oh no.
I slowly looked in the direction of the speaker and my heart sank. No, it wasn't possible. He couldn't be here.
"What—Mr. Rodriguez?" Jazelle stood up and turned around. The surname made my heart pound loudly.
He put up a small smile.
"Ms. Jazelle. Pleasure."
She was super excited when she saw him. She went over to him and stood at a hand's distance.
"You should've informed me in advance that you were coming over. I would've made some arrangements!"
"Same reason I didn't." He made himself comfortable on a seat.
She looked at me and then at both of us simultaneously. "Uh, this is—"
"Oh, I know. Scarlet Walker, am I right?"
I looked down and nodded slowly.
"Oh, so you're like friends?" Jazelle was excited over this too. I sighed within myself. Great. Another problem.
"Yes. Old friends." he looked at me. I could feel his gaze on me, even if I continued looking down.
To make it less awkward, I looked up and flashed a small smile.
"Well, this has been wholesome! I never knew you two had met each other. I am so excited about the wedding ceremony. So many friends!" She exclaimed and I saw him smiling.
"I am happy for you."
I scoffed inside my mind. From what I know about him, he can't be happy for someone else. He just can't be. Although it has been a while since I met him and I don't know him anymore… but how much can someone actually change?
"Well, I think you both have met after a while. How about you both spend some time? I have to deliver more wedding cards!" She picked up her bag from the desk. I stood up.
"J-Jazelle! Wait!" I shouted and she turned around.
"Yeah?"
"I…uhm, you can't leave like this! I-I mean that I came to meet you. Let's talk for some time!" I tried to make it convincing.
"I would love to stay but we'll definitely talk on the phone later. You both should really catch up!" She winked and left.
Somehow, I thought that Jazelle wanted me to talk to him and get close. God, only if she knew the history.
As she went out and the door was closed behind her, breathing became suddenly difficult for me. I stood up and took my bag. It was best to leave.
"You walk out that door and I'll think you walked out that day too."
I stopped when he said that. Memories flashed across my brain and I turned toward him with a tired face.
"I don't want to remember it. I don't wanna go through all that again. So please don't talk to me."
He scoffed.
"How did you manage to forget it in the first place?"
"It takes time. Remembering it again doesn't help."
"Yeah. It doesn't disappear with time." He stood up. I took a step back while keeping a sharp eye on his movements.
He rolled his sleeve up and I saw a tattoo. It had 'Scar' written over it. I looked down.
He kept looking at me.
"That's…" I whispered.
"Every single day. Every single day it haunts me."
I looked down and tears threatened to come out. Those painful memories recurred in my brain and I couldn't shove them down anymore.
"I… you should… you should get it covered."
"Is that what you did?"
I looked at my arm. The tattoo was covered up with another one.
He glanced over it and something changed in his eyes. He looked at me and it felt as if his voice was filled with hurt. "Why did you do this?"
"What?"
He came closer and I tried to take a step back but collided with a table. I looked back for a second and by then, he was towering over me.
I could feel his well-built body against mine.
"Why did you leave?"
"I…"
He exhaled heavily. "Scar. I won't leave without an answer today."
"I don't have one," I whispered.
"No. You have one. Tell me."
"No."
"Let it hurt. Just tell me."
I closed my eyes tightly and the tears finally streamed down my face. "I…"
He kept quiet until I finally had the strength to answer him.
"I… I made a mistake."
"What mistake?"
I got away and he looked at me with a frown. I looked down and shook my head vigorously. "N-no. I won't tell you."
"Did you cheat on me?"
His question made me quiet. I closed my eyes and stood without saying anything. For a second, it felt as if I even stopped breathing.
Then I heard a loud noise which made me open my eyes with a shot. He had thrown a table down on the floor and his hand was bleeding since it was made of glass.
"Maxence!" I shouted.
He took a step back.
"Every single person told me this and I called them all a liar. I defied and denied every person I ever knew for you. I believed… the sky could fall… but my-my Scar can't do that. I lived this long thinking it was a misunderstanding. But now, I know the truth. I can't live with that. So, leave. Leave like you always do!"
I sobbed. Seeing him like that hurt me. I don't know why. He had changed… he had changed a lot.
I tried to come close to remove the glass pieces from his hand but he pulled it back. I looked at him and he shook his head.
"Not now. Not after all this time, Scarlet."
I looked down. "I am sorry," I whispered, but I just heard shallow breathing. When I looked up, I saw him with a sad smile.
"I forgive you."
I smiled sadly. "Then—"
"But I can't bear this. I just… I love you." He took out a knife from his back and I gasped.
"What the hell are you—"
His face had a smile. His eyes were set on me before he looked at the knife in his hand and took a deep breath.
"Max. Don't do anything stupid." I whispered.
"You said the same that time. You said the same and…" His voice trailed off as he looked down.
"I know. I am sorry. Just put the knife down. Please."
He looked at me and sighed. "I… but…"
I smiled. "You can put it down. I know you can."
The knife fell from his hand and hit the floor with a sound. I took a deep breath before I ran into his arms and hugged him.
He hugged me back.
I had my eyes closed for a while. When I opened them, my face was covered with horror. I saw Xavier standing by the window — and not with a good expression.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone