The Dark Monster

23. Regrets

3rd person pov:

Achilles has changed alot in a month, he was cruel before but now his cruelty know no boundary. Everyone is afraid to go near him even his mother and Fin walk on eggshells around him. No one knows what he has done to Flora and where is she. Nobody but only he knows about her. His mother had begged her to end her punishment but he don't listen to anyone. He has told Amanda that he would never see her face even again and that she is no one to him from now on.

You can also see dark circles around his eyes as he can't sleep at night not with the thought that his flower is in darkness. He went to give her food when only she is asleep he don't want her to see him. He doesn't want to see hate in her eyes, he did said that he don't care If she hates him but in reality he does care, it broke his heart but he doesn't want to be played by her once again.

He was afraid that his father would be disappointed in him that he was fooled by a girl. He never wanted to disappoint his father even if it means punishing the girl he fell for. He was stupid, he didn't know how to love someone. It wasn't his fault his father always taught him that love is a weakness that he can't have.

All these days she spend in that room, he punish himself for putting him there. He would whip himself every night only stopping when he couldn't take anymore of it.

As always he went with the dinner to her room thinking that she would be sleep, when he reached there he saw the room was dark. The lantern which he placed in the room for her ease wasn't lit. He looked around the room, it took him a moment to see I'm darkness.

The moonlight coming from the window was enough to make out a silhouette sat by the bed. It was her, he moved towards her and placed the food on the ground near her but he didn't heard any movement from her. He looked up to see her eyes closed. He stand to go out but something stopped him from leaving, something felt odd. He again gazed at her face, her beauty always mesmerised him.

The innocence she held always pulled him towards her. He remembered the first day he saw her under that tree reading a book. He was enthralled by her and he decided that he would have her for himself. He wanted to approach her like a normal guy but he knew that once she knew about his real identity she would run for the hills and that thought made him take that step of taking her by force.

Gazing at her he decided that its enough of her punishment and from today her punishment is ended. He leaned to pick her up but her skin felt so cold under his touch that he flinched for a moment only then he felt the horrid stench of blood around them.

"No, no" he shook his head like a mad man when he realized what's happening or what has happened already. He gathered her in his arm and ran outside towards his room. The light in the room let him see the blood around her wrist, she had sliced her wrist. She had ended her life. He stood motionless gazing at her wrist. A tear rolled down his eyes as he took the sight in front of him.

Just then Beatrice came in the room and gasped at the sight infront of her. She ran towards Flora and try to stop the blood by wrapping a cloth around it but she also knew that it's of no use. She can't save her, she started crying and glared at his son who was also crying by now. She has never seem him crying only when he was a child. Her heart clenched at the sight but her heart was crying for the girl who she took as a daughter.

"Are you happy now?" She yelled at him.

"She is punished, your justice is served" she shouted.

"Mother ..please save... her" he stuttered.

"She is gone" she whispered looking at the girl.

"I don't think she will make it" Beatrice told her son who was close to dying himself.

"I never wanted her to die.. it wasn't my intention" he kneeled down on the floor his face in his hands. The women looked at her son and she felt immense pain seeing him so weak. She didn't say anything but went out towards her cottage she took few herbs and made a paste. She ran back to his house and saw her son in the same position she left him in but this time he was gazing at Flora with tears running down his cheeks.

She went towards Flora and untied the cloth around her wrist, she carefully cleaned the wound and then applied the paste all over it. Her heart was still beating she couldn't give up. She has to help her.

"Flora child you have to wake up" she pleaded kissing her cold forehead. Then she went towards her son.

She patted his head but his gaze didn't waver from his love.

"Pray to God, Achilles only God can help her" she said and then went out of the door crying.

He sat there like that for two more days, his mother would come and change the bandage but all this time he didn't move from his place, he hadn't eaten anything. No one was allowed to come in his room only his mother could come. He wasn't talking to anyone just praying to God to give back Flora's life. Her heart was beating it was a Ray of hope for him. He was holding on to a thread around her.

He never came near her afraid that he would hurt her if he goes near her. He had decided that once she will wake up he will take her to his father and will leave her there. He don't deserve her!

Third day her mother forced him to stand up and go eat something, she forced him to take a bath which he declined and a last he heard a pained groan from Flora. He called his mother at once as she checked on her, her face illuminated in happiness.

"My child you are so strong" she cooed at her when Flora opened her eyes. Flora was confused she looked at Beatrice but it seems so weird to her, the light the familiar faces. It was so weird for her after living in darkness for that long the light was bothering her. Beatrice noticed that and shut the curtains. As soon as she was awake he was gone. He couldn't face her after what he has done to her.

Flora was so quiet she would do anything Beatrice will told her to without any complain. If Beatrice would feed her she would eat, she won't talk. It felt like she is in some trance physically there but mentally she was far away in that dark room alone.

Beatrice would often cry seeing her so quiet and always staring in a distance. It hurt her seeing Flora like that. She had told Achilles about her condition as he hasn't came himself to see her. He was heart broken after listening that, he wanted to kill himself for doing that to her. He lost her forever, he broke her at last.

He won at the end but was that win even a win when he lost one most precious thing he ever wanted for himself.