¬Thief of her Heart.

¬Chapter 17. |Broken.|

Once he walked out of the dance studio, Eric could feel his heart break into a million pieces, but he knew that he had made the right choice. Belle, remained inside as she felt the exact same thing, an emptiness in her chest, as she let out a sigh. It was his choice, he had his reasons, and she had to respect it, no matter how much it hurt her.

The following days, Eric had went back to his usual routine, spent most of his time between his house and the mansion, where Angelica was yelling at him most of the time, but he had spent an amount of time looking after Belle, as well. He spent hours outside of the dance studio, and then followed her to her house, only to make sure that she was okay, and no one had harmed her, not yet at least, since it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Belle was not doing much better, since she was all over the place. Not being able to focus on anything, since he was all she could think about, and she was worried about him, worried about how he was or what he was up to.

One night, Eric was outside the dance studio, across from it, as he watched Belle teach. The way she moved, the way she was so focused on it, her smile, her everything. He hadn't realized how much he cared about her, not until he could no longer be around her. That night, was the last night he'd be able to even watch her like that, even with distance between them. The one week Angelica had given him would be over, the next day. And he knew. He knew that he couldn't harm her, he wouldn't. Which was why after looking at Belle for a few more minutes, with a broken heart, he called Angelica, officially and finally admitting to her that there was no way he'd harm Belle, in any way. He couldn't. But he also knew, that this could be Belle's end. He knew, that Angelica wasn't kidding, and since he didn't get the job done, her and the rest of her people would. But trying to do anything about it.. Would only mean getting both himself, and his parents killed. That night, Eric hadn't slept at all. He remained awake all night, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, thinking of every moment he and Belle had spent together.

The next morning, he got up, taking a shower, and getting dressed into a pair of black jeans, and a blue shirt. Putting on his vans, he fixed his hair a little, letting out a sigh at his reflexion through the mirror, once he noticed the visible dark circles under his tired, and stressed eyes. Walking downstairs, he left his house and made his way to his favourite  coffee shop, the one that was just down the street of Belle's work. Entering it, he took a deep breath, walking towards the register, where he ordered a latte, standing there to wait for it. Once he got it, he made his way to the table near the window, the one him and Belle had sat the afternoon they were there. He stared outside, sipping his coffee, until he heard the front door of the coffee shop open, automatically looking towards it. It was her. Her, with her simple jeans, that purple top she loved, and her black leather jacket, ordering a latte as well, as usual, before taking it, sitting down on an empty table at the other side of the shop, near the other window. She looked tired. She looked.. Sad. Seeing her, Eric bit on his lower lip, millions of thoughts running through his mind, his heart beating like crazy. He made a decision. A last minute decision, like they called it. He stood up, making his way towards her, sitting at the other chair, on the other side of the table. Belle widened her eyes in surprise, staring at him.

"I have to talk to you.. Please, hear me out before I regret this, before it's too late, before.. Before. I'm so sorry, Belle. I lied to you. I lied to you, hid so many things from you. You're in danger, and maybe not completely because of me, but it's my fault, too."

"What are you talking about?" Belle mumbled in a confused tone, as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'll explain everything.. I know, Belle. I know about your parents. About your life. About your habits, about your friends.. I know everything about you. You see, I have to tell you a story." Even though Belle was confused as hell, she nodded slowly, curious about the what he was going to say.

"No one knows about this. But now, you will. You know, being an only child, I always got all the needed love and affection by my parents, but also made sure to give it back, make them proud, be the right son to them. My parents both had their jobs, yet still had time for me, and our lives were always good enough for us, peaceful. But, one day, it all changed. My mother got involved into a car accident. She'd lose her sight for good, unless she had the needed surgery. We couldn't afford it, Belle.. And my mother loved her life. She loved seeing.. I mean, she always adored taking pictures, being creative. I couldn't let her lose it all, I couldn't let her and my dad become miserable, and lose their joy. It would kill her, him, and me.  I had to find the money, I had to help her. I ended up finding them. By getting involved with the wrong people.. By getting involved with a gang.. The kind of gang that causes pain to people, the kind of people my parents always warned me to stay away from. They killed, they tortured, they did horrible things. And I couldn't do any of that. So I, was in charge for other things, since the start. Things like getting information on someone, stalking someone, learning things about them and reporting it right back at them.. I never harmed anyone, unless I had to. Cases like self defence, where I could not survive without doing so. I never told my parents, or any of my friends, about any of this. I've carried this by myself, since the start.. And now, I'm telling you, even though I know that by doing so, I'm putting both myself and my parents in danger. I was warned to never talk about this. I was also warned that if I ever betrayed them, or tried to get away from them, they'd harm the two people I love the most, meaning my parents, and then me. And I know they weren't, and still are not kidding. But there's more to this.." Eric felt weird letting it all out, relieved that half of the weight he was carrying was now off his shoulder, but also stressed out, not only because of what was going to happen next, but also because Belle was staring at him with the widest eyes ever, the most shocked expression, like she was speechless to the point she couldn't even move.