The Pain that Made Her Beautiful

PMHB ch 38

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Marcus was mortified. What have I done to her!

“Nayeli! Answer me, please!” He said frantic.

Nayeli’s face was snow white; she was cold to the touch. Shock, disbelief, terror, and trepidation coated her face and, the blood drained from her face made her look dead with her apprehension-filled eyes.

“What did I say?” He asked filled with anxiety.

“He knows my name—he knows my name!” Nayeli blurted, horror as clear on her face as the tears, which continued to cascade down her cheeks.

“Nayeli, who, who, knows your name?” Marcus asked, genuinely worried, “APOLLO!”

“What, man!” Apollo answered from outside the window.

“Fetch Warick, now!” Marcus demanded.

When Apollo saw the look on his face he merely dipped his head and replied, in a hushed tone, “Yes, my prince.”

Five minutes later, Warick was in the wagon cradling Nayeli like a lover.

“Nayeli!” Warick turned to Marcus, his ice blue eyes piercing straight through Marcus with suspicion, “What have you done, Roman!”

“I don’t know, I really don’t know, Warick. All she said was, ‘He knows my name’.”

Concern swept over Warick’s face, fringed with horror, he knows!

“Nayeli, Nayeli, who knows your name?” Warick asked, he seemed frantic to know whom, but hopeful it wouldn’t be… someone, who, Marcus did not know.

 Nayeli’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Warick’s voice directed at her.

“Him!”

“Who is he?” Warick asked tenderly, disturbed.

“Th-Than… Than-nos. Thanos, knows my name,” at the revelation of his name, Nayeli’s eyes widened in fear and her tears poured out of her eyes with renewed vigor.

“No,” Warick said quietly, then raised his voice louder and spoke to Nayeli gently, “What has he done to you?”

It was more rhetorical than anything, and both Marcus and Warick were shocked when Nayeli began answering, “’ Nayeli, when I knew you only as Rose, I could not fully suppress your liveliness. You know, I feel powerful now. Don’t forget, now that I know your name, I own you. You will always share my bed with me, no matter how much you try to run away from it, you will always be mine: you will always belong to me. I will always find you, no matter how far away you are; my name, my voice, and my face will always haunt you in your dreams; through your whole life; in your mind’,” Nayeli sobbed deeply and inhaled raggedly, “’ You will hear my voice around every corner, you will look over shoulder when you feel like you’re being watched in the market and you’ll see my face staring back, and when you fall in love, on your own wedding night, it will not be your husband you make love to… b-but me. You are mine, Nayeli.’”

Each sob Nayeli let loose sounded like a death toll in a requiem to Marcus’ ears. He could feel the tears welling in his own eyes: his wedding night with Nayeli was eminent and, because of this brute, this monster, Thanos, Nayeli would never, could never, be his.