𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖯𝗂𝖺𝗇𝗈 | 𝖬𝗂𝖼𝗁𝖺𝖾𝗅 𝖫𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖽𝗈𝗇

Chapter Sixteen

Slowly, Ana turned her face towards Michael, freezing him on the spot. She stared into his eyes, blood smeared against her face. "Read it again." Her voice had an audible break.

He narrowed his eyes. Had she not been paying attention? Nevertheless, he didn't dare deny her of her request. Michael watched her eyes begin to shine, and he took a breath as he began reading again. Her eyes began leaking slow tears as she let out soft whimpers, the words he was reading beginning to have an impact on her.

"Read it again." She cried once he had finished again.

He frowned, feeling his heart ache at the sight of her tears. His blue eyes held sympathy, and he gently caressed her hand. "Ana, you should-"

She shook her head, letting out a sob. "No, I want to hear it again."

He swallowed nervously, his eyes going back to the words. Her sobs began filling the rooms, short sobs with gasps of air. It sounded almost like she was having difficulty crying, and his eyes kept averting back to hers. Her hand was gripping his tightly, and she watched his lips as he spoke. He got halfway through the letter before he decided he couldn't read anymore.

"Ana, let-"

"No!" She snapped at him with tearful eyes. She let out a sob as she shook her head. "Michael, I need you to read it again."

Her sobs stilled, her breath becoming choppy and short as she breathed. His own eyes teared up again, and he ever so slowly brought his forehead to hers. He caressed the back of her neck, listening to her pained breathing as she tried to force back her tears. "No." He whispered. "I'm not reading it again."

Her eyes closed as her forehead leaned against his, and her hands gripped the fabric of his jeans as she let out a small cry. "Michael."

The way she said his name caused him to let out a tear. It was a mixture of disbelief and realization all at once. He knew she was close to the edge. "It's okay." He whispered back, kissing the bridge of her nose.

He didn't know what was the right thing to say, so he simply followed his heart. "You can cry, Ana. You can let go. I won't let you lose yourself."

He was practically reading her mind, because Ana was desperately trying to keep herself from falling over that edge. To hide herself away from the grief that she had experienced those years ago. Her mother was dead, she knew it wasn't a dream. But she was battling away the pain like a soldier, and she knew she wasn't going to be able to fight much longer.

Michael rubbed his thumb against her cheek, and he slowly pressed his lips to hers in a delicate kiss. A kiss that said a thousand words in one simple motion.

And then it happened. Into the kiss, her lips parted and she let out a pained sob. And one by one, they rained out of her like bullets. He pulled her closer to him and he let her lay her head on his lap, one arm laid underneath her waist as the other was placed on her back. His head rested against her shoulder blades, and he let out his own quiet sobs as she screamed out her pain into him.

It was like this for hours. Screams of pain and heartache filled the room while they laid in a pool of blood. She cried for so long, and he wondered if she would ever stop. Even if she didn't, he wouldn't mind. He'd never let her go.

But eventually, she did stop. And Michael had realized she had fallen asleep. He hated the blood that inhabited her, tainting her beautiful skin like a poison. But he couldn't bring himself to wake her. She was able to escape her pain for awhile, and the thought of him taking that from her seemed impossible.

So, he let her sleep, ignoring the numb feeling of his legs. He could only see half of her face, due to her curled against his lap, and he gently ran his fingers through her hair. His back leaned against the wall, and he let his mind wonder.