"Genevieve," Kaiden whispered. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were a shock to him, especially when he had been expecting someone else.
She gave him a brilliant smile. "It's been a long time, Kaiden," she replied, as if they were perfect friends. As if she didn't shatter his heart into pieces over four years ago.
Not long enough, he wanted to retort. "Four years," was what he said.
"Has it really been that long? I swear it's only been three years," Genevieve said. She really didn't care, did she? Otherwise she would remember the exact day.
"What do you want? What are you doing here?" Kaiden asked in a deadpanned voice. Personally, he wanted her to leave.
Genevieve frowned. "Well, I would've wanted a warmer welcome," she said. Kaiden stared at her with no emotion, which translated to a glare.
"All right, all right," she gave up. "I was a delivery person. I went to see a witch about something my cousin wanted, whom I'll also talk about, and it just so happened that the witch has your mirror."
Figures it was her that met up with the witch.
"She seemed to know that I had a relationship with you so she asked me to being this back, saying something like 'This tool is evil and too powerful and it needs to be locked away.' Luckily for her, I was already planning to come here," Genevieve explained.
"You've delivered the mirror. Now why don't you leave," Kaiden interrupted.
"You're being so mean," she pouted back. "I was about to tell you that I came over to you on behalf of my cousin, who said he might not hold himself back from hurting you. I'd ask what you did to him, but Luther already told me that you stole his fiancée."
Kaiden stiffened. Luther? As in the viscount who wouldn't budge away from Annabelle?
And Luther and Genevieve were cousins?
That explained a lot.
"That's terribly extreme of you, Kaiden. I think you should leave that girl alone. There are so many others out there," Genevieve scolded, irritating him.
How did he deal with her the first time, for all those years? And how the hell did he fall in love with her back then? But, he realized, he fell in love with her fake persona.
"She's not his," Kaiden stated. "And who are you to order me around?"
"I'm just worried about the girl, Anna is it?" Genevieve held up her hands as if she was innocent. He didn't want her to do anything with Annabelle.
"What do you mean?" he asked coldly. Genevieve paused before answering.
"Because I know you still have feelings for me. It wouldn't be fair to the poor girl, especially if she's in love with you," she stated, confidently.
Kaiden let out a laugh. Genevieve was so full of herself, stating things like that. In fact, she looked insulted when he started laughing. He decided to humor her a little bit.
"Oh, I do have feelings for you," he started, watching as her face turned smug. "But they're not love. Not anymore." She gave him a scowl.
Now it was his turn to explain everything.
"I was so hurt when you confessed to me, I'll give you that. I loved you and you took that, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. But I still loved you for a long damn time. I also hated you at the same time. And then I realized something after a long time: I felt nothing for you anymore. You weren't even here to fuel the hate, or the love."
But that didn't mean she hadn't ruined him. No, the string of girls after her was proof of that. The lack of a steady relationship was also evidence, which he now seemed to realize himself.
Genevieve listened to the whole thing before smiling.
"What?" he narrowed his eyes at her suspicious expression.
"An yet you're so hostile to me. If you truly feel nothing, you wouldn't be so rude right now. And don't think I don't know about your flings and that you had multiple girls living in your castle at once," she said, her eyebrows raised in a condescending way.
"Just because I'm not in love with you anymore, it doesn't mean that I can still be mad that you hurt me. Maybe I can truly forgive you in time but right now, all I'm reminded is how you hurt me in the past," Kaiden argued.
Genevieve stayed quiet for a minute. Maybe she seemed to realize that she wasn't wanted.
"You know, I don't love him anymore. And you don't seem to realize that he left me as well. You were the only one who treated me well," she said quietly, referring to Sebastian.
"So you're crawling back to me, after what? Four years?" he muttered harshly. "First, that would make me a rebound. Second, it's too late for me to take you back. So please, leave."
"I loved you too," she said. Kaiden rolled his eyes.
"Sure, that's why you slept with my brother," he remarked sarcastically. "Besides, you told me yourself that you didn't love me back."
Genevieve walked closer, making him take a step back, into the wall. But she didn't pause. She stood right in front of him, looking him in the eye.
"I know I said that. But I realized my feelings for you too late. Right after Sebastian left again," she stated.
Kaiden was surprised by the way she kept insisting. He was going to tell her to give up when she moved even closer to him, pressing her body against his and placing her hand on his chest.
He stiffened, wondering what she was trying to do. "Genevieve," he said, his voice a warning.
"You still love me," she said and then tip toed to kiss his mouth.
Kaiden stayed still, not responding to the kiss. He never thought that they would ever kiss again.
He also never thought that he would be thinking of someone else while it happened.
When Genevieve kissed him, all he thought about was Annabelle and how different they were from each other. Although they were both stubborn, Annabelle's was the kind that motivated people to try their hardest, to be their best. Genevieve's broke people down.
His feelings for Genevieve were basically non-existent, like he claimed earlier. The way her kiss didn't affect him anymore proved it, giving him a sense of relief. It was nothing like the way Annabelle made him feel: powerful and weak, passionate and gentle, loved and cared for.
And he loved her in a way he had never loved Genevieve.
Although he fell heavily for each girl, Annabelle made him feel complete. And she accepted him completely, even with Kai's original terror and the way Kaiden himself could be cruel.
He was completely in love with Annabelle.
Who was not the woman his lips were touching at this moment.
Genevieve pressed against him harder, probably hoping for him to respond, or at least give a reaction.
He was just about to push her away when he heard a sob.
Genevieve detached herself from him, making it so that he didn't have to push her away.
Kaiden's eyes darted to where he heard the sound, and there he saw Annabelle looking at them.
He paled. Shit. She saw them.
"Annabelle," he whispered softly. She flinched as she backed away. Then, she whirled around and ran away, disappearing within a blink of an eye.
~~~
Anna's vision was blurred by her tears. She hadn't meant to let out that pathetic sob and give herself away.
"Anna!" she heard him call from far away, since she had sped over to another place. He must've figured out that she was currently Anna, based on her speed.
But she felt as broken as Belle at the moment. She repressed Belle even more, so that she wouldn't have to suffer this new, agonizing pain.
Her heart ached as she remembered what she had just witnessed. Kaiden and his ex-girlfriend, kissing, for a whole minute. A minute felt like eternity when seeing the person you loved kissing someone else.
More tears slid down her cheek. First, finding out her and Belle's past, now this. How much pain could she handle? Maybe she was physically capable, but mentally?
Were they back together? After four years of separation, did he still love Genevieve? Even with what she thought they had this past month? Even after that night when she gave herself to him? Did he simply toss her aside because his former love came back?
This was entirely different from when he kissed the other women on their dates. Back then, she hadn't loved him. And back then, his attention wasn't solely devoted on her. She had thought that he returned her feelings, as unspoken as they were.
She planned to hide in the secret hallway that was connected to the ballroom. Kaiden would probably look in her room first, so she wanted to avoid that area.
When she heard footsteps behind her, she whirled around, ready to fight him.
But her aggressive stance relaxed when she saw Lenore.
Lenore must've seen the tears running down her face because she asked in a concerned voice, "What's wrong Belle?"
Anna broke down, collapsing to the floor. In that moment, she couldn't even stand the thought of him and what he did. But she couldn't help herself from replaying the moment.
"Belle!" Lenore rushed over and hugged her. "Tell me what's wrong. Who hurt you?"
She could hear a sense of anger in gentle Lenore's voice.
"Kaiden," she choked out his name. "He-he kissed his ex-girlfriend."
The more Anna was forced to think about it, the angrier she became. She had been played like a fool. She knew he was extremely charming but she had trusted that he would keep it from doing much. Like kissing.
And to think she let herself love a libertine like him.
But when she looked over, she was surprised to see Lenore looking furious. "He's an idiot," she narrowed her eyes. It was strange to see her so angry.
Her eyes turned gentle when they landed on her again. "Don't cry over him, Belle," she ordered, sternly. "You don't deserve to shed those tears and feel that pain. It will break you."
Anna blinked at her. Lenore really was acting different. And why did she sound so sure when she offered that advice? As if she knew that feeling? Did she too cry over him? Her and Belle never even knew about it.
"Anna!" she heard a faint call, making her tense up. Lenore looked in the direction. Kaiden wasn't in sight yet, but based on the direction of the call, he would get there soon.
Both Anna and Lenore rose to their feet, but Anna was ready to run if she had to.
And this time, when she ran, it wouldn't just be away from him, but from the castle itself. It was a firm decision; the current environment would place too much stress on her and Belle, and unfortunately, the same goes with their home. But she knew that he couldn't physically leave the grounds. He said so himself a few months ago. Once she was off castle grounds, she would decide what to do.
Lenore glanced at her from the side. "You know I'm your friend right? I will be here by your side if you need help," she said.
"You are my friend and I am yours," Anna replied, speaking the truth. Even though Belle had more time with her, their shared memories made it easier to trust her.
Trust was a tricky thing, especially with how everything had been going that day. But she needed to have it if she wanted to succeed.
"Can you stall him for me?" Anna asked. "When I need it? I have some departing words I'd like to say."
Lenore looked worried. "You're leaving?" she asked, waiting for her to nod. "Alright. I can do that."
~~~
Kaiden rushed to where he thought he heard a conversation between two females. He had immediately left Genevieve to go after Anna, despite her efforts to keep him there. She could be dealt with later.
When he turned the corner and saw Anna, he felt some relief. But Lenore was also there, looking angry at him.
He examined Anna first. There were trails down her face where the tears must have fallen. Her violet eyes were rimmed with red, more evidence of crying. His stomach twisted as he knew she had cried. Damn it, and it looked like she cried a lot.
He really messed it up by not shoving Genevieve away right away. Why did he let himself think so much? Why didn't he think after he pushed her away?
"Kaiden," Anna said, her voice flat.
"You have to let me explain that," Kaiden blurted out. "That kiss you saw didn't mean anything-"
"Shut up!" Anna yelled, quieting him. "You're despicable. I trusted you and you played me like a toy. I gave you my heart, my time and I thought you returned it. But I was wrong."
He really wanted to tell her that she was right. That he did return her feelings. But she barreled on.
"I know you had a history with her. You told me how in love with her you were so I understand where you are coming from. But I didn't think that you would drop me as soon as you saw her," she said, her voice wavering.
He inhaled sharply. Her accusation made him feel small.
"Annabelle," he wanted to address both of them. "I don't love her anymore, I swear."
But she ignored him and turned to Lenore, giving her a look. Lenore took a deep breath and stepped forward. But Kaiden was watching Anna turn her back and starting to walk away.
"Anna," he called out, walking after her.
Suddenly, he flew through the air and landed against the wall. The first though that came to mind was him wondering if Anna was that mad to physically hurt him. It would be justifiable.
But then he realized that gravity hadn't done its business and bring him down. He was being pinned against the wall by an invisible force.
When his vision focused again, he saw Anna looking as shocked as he was, but she was still far away. However, Lenore was staring blankly at him with one of her arms held up, facing him. It almost looked like she was pretending to hold him there against the wall from far away.
Or maybe she wasn't pretending.
"Lenore?" he asked hesitantly. She didn't look like the meek, shy girl he had known her to be.
"Actually, my name is Agatha Lenore," her words brought dread into him. "I guess you didn't pay attention or remember that at all. It would have saved you the effort of trying to find me out."
His eyes were widened. Agatha had been disguised as...Lenore? But their personalities had been so different. In fact, they were polar opposites.
"At first, I was disgusted by what you did when you round all of those girls up. I was trying to teach you a lesson and it looked like you were having fun. But then I realized that you were just trying to break the curse," she continued, her appearance starting to fade away into Agatha.
Her platinum hair darkened a little and her eyes turned from light green to hazel. Her nose grew slightly sharper and her other facial features started to shift.
"You were using all of us, putting us against each other, just so you could find the girl that would break your curse. Do you know how selfish that makes you? Do you think that a little kiss at the end of the year will mean nothing to them? All of them have feelings. I was lucky enough to know how you were, so I could make sure I didn't fall for you again," Agatha continued.
Anna was as frozen as Kaiden was, although she wasn't being held in place. So she didn't know her friend's true identity either. But now she was starting to find out the truth behind his curse and the curse breaker.
Shit, everything was falling apart.
"I sent you that letter when I found out that you kissed all of us at least once. Originally, I just came here to monitor your actions, just as a neutral person. But after that, I was so irritated with you and how you chose to break your curse. You could've chosen one girl to work on, but you went with six," Agatha glared at him.
Then, she relaxed a little bit. "But you're not without your good points, that's why I didn't taunt you some more. You started focusing on fewer of us and you started to drop that condescending attitude of yours. And recently, I thought you found someone that you loved. Truly loved. I thought there was some hope in you."
Agatha turned out to have an interesting motive. He never would have guessed that she was just there to watch him improve. Or worsen, based on how she had ranted earlier.
"But every time you seem to get better, you ruin in by acting like a scumbag," her voice turned angry again. "I had already forgiven you by the time I came here. I had forgiven you when you started to narrow down your choices and act more like a human being."
Agatha paused in her rant and turned to Anna, who was still there. "Go," she ordered quietly.
Anna hesitated before doing as she said. She turned around again and ran away.
"Anna!" Kaiden called out, watching her get further away from him. He desperately wanted to get out of Agatha's hold so that he could chase her down and tell her everything. And how he loved her.
"No!" Agatha turned back to him. "This is what I won't forgive. You hurt my friend. You played her like you did with me."
Kaiden shook his head, insisting that he didn't. What he needed now was Kai.
"You made her cry!" her voice raised. "Do you know how many times I've seen her cry? Just once. And that was because of you. She loved you and you didn't love her back," she accused. "Instead, you go kiss another one of your exes."
Tears started welling in his eyes as he realized that he wouldn't be able to catch up to Anna. That he wouldn't be able to tell her the truth. He knew what the look between her and Agatha meant. She was leaving him.
"That's not true. I love her, I love her so much. But I realized it too late. That's what happened. My ex, who is still my ex, kissed me and that's the only thing I realized. That I love Annabelle. But I can't tell her now," Kaiden choked out, trying to explain without falling apart himself.
Without thinking about how the woman he loved was trying to run away from him, hating him and thinking that he was just using her.
He felt himself drop to the ground, landing on his knees.
"So you do love her?" Agatha asked, quietly. He looked up and silently gave her his answer. "She has a head start now. I'd go now and probably let the beast take over. I suppose you both have feelings for her," she stated, solemnly.
Kaiden nodded and let Kai take control. They both needed his speed anyways if they even wanted a slim chance of catching up to her.
Kai immediately sprinted out of the castle. He started cursing as he ran.
~~~
Anna was almost to the gates, which marked the end of the castle grounds. It was snowing and windy, making her wish she had warmer clothes on.
But she was already outside and Lenore, no, Agatha, could only stall for so long.
She was still surprised about that. Lenore, of all people, a witch! She was further shocked to realize that Lenore's - Agatha's - mother was the one that accidentally cursed Belle.
Once she was past the gates, she slowed down. If he got past Len- Agatha, he still wouldn't be able to physically reach her. Mentally, he would haunt her thoughts.
She had heard the Agatha's words as she had ran away. Her heightened hearing wouldn't allow it to pass. They had both been played by him. And from her earlier rant, Anna figured out that she must've had her heart broken by him as well. So yet another one of his exes, but not one he loved. Kind of like her and Belle.
"Anna!" she heard once again. So he got past Agatha. But he was on the other side of the boundary.
She slowly turned around to face him one last time. But from this distance, she could see Kai's golden eyes. He slowed down by the gate, opening it and hesitantly reaching out to see if he could pass through the supposed barrier.
And just like Kaiden had promised those months ago, he couldn't get through. It was as if there was a physically wall there that prevented him from going any further.
A frustrated look came upon his face, but it saddened when his gaze fell on her.
"Don't leave," he whispered, breaking her heart again. "I love you. We both do."
She stayed still, not sure what to even think of at that moment. If she left, she would leave Kai too.
"But she kissed him and he didn't push her away," she said quietly.
"He wasn't participating. He was thinking of you, luv," Kai claimed. "He was telling the truth when he said that the kiss didn't mean anything. And I should know."
Anna went quiet again. "Please, luv, come back," Kai pleaded.
Should she? Could she?
But before she could make a decision, she felt a quick sting on her neck. The sharp pain made her fingers fly up to touch her neck.
Her head felt a little fuzzy and she found that she couldn't concentrate or focus. Was that a dart sticking out of her neck?
Anna's eyes started drooping and her body felt weak.
Then she collapsed to the ground and blacked out.
~~~
"Anna? Anna!" Kai yelled out, watching her fall to the ground. He pounded his fists on the barrier, wishing he could get past and see what was wrong.
Right after he confessed to her, she placed her hand on her neck and then fell over. He swore he could see her hand cover something but since her hand was in the way, he didn't know what she had been covering before she collapsed.
"Damn it!" he swore. His Annabelle was just lying there in the snow, unconscious, and he couldn't do anything to help her.
When he heard a crunching sound, as if someone was walking through the snow, he paused his panicked pacing to listen where it was coming from. He turned his head to face the sound.
On the other side of the barrier, he saw Genevieve, dressed for the winter weather. Her boots must have made the crunching sound when she stepped in the snow. He also noticed the horse that walked beside her, which also made a noise.
At first, he was surprised by her location. Wasn't she just at the study? Was she leaving then? Then, an idea came to his head, bringing relief. She could drag Annabelle over the barrier so that he could help her.
"Genevieve?" he called out, trying to grab her attention. If she wasn't the only one that could help Anna right now, he would have never bothered talking to her.
She walked toward him, along with the horse. "Hello, Kaiden," she called back. Kai disregarded the fact that she called him Kaiden.
"Can you please move Annabelle over to me? I'm afraid I'm stuck here," he replied, anxious to get Annabelle back into a warm environment. While they had superhuman strengths, they could still feel cold.
"You're stuck?" Genevieve asked, sounding delighted. "That just makes my job easier."
Kai paused. Job?
She strutted over to the unconscious woman, leaned down, and plucked something from her neck. His eyes widened when he saw a dart in her hands. But how did she know that was there...
No.
"What are you doing?" Kai's voice was on the border between warning and desperate.
"I already told you. I came over here on behalf of my cousin," Genevieve stated, as if it was obvious. "He wants his fiancée back."
No. No, no, no.
"Don't you dare!" Kai snarled, knowing what she was going to do.
Genevieve ignored him and picked Annabelle off the ground, nudging the horse at the same time to kneel down so that she could place Annabelle on the horse.
"If you don't stop this right now, I will tear you apart, limb from limb," he threatened, although he was secretly terrified. Panicking about how Annabelle was in the process of being taken away.
"That's not nice," Genevieve pouted. "I'm just the messenger. And the deliverer, I suppose."
"Damn you," Kai growled. She looked slightly hurt by that but he didn't care.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. But she mounted on the horse and trudged away, with Kai helplessly watching the woman he loved being taken away.
"If I ever see you again, I will make sure I'm the last thing you'll ever see!" he yelled at her retreating figure.
He banged his fists against the barrier in anger, putting all of his effort in. But all his body seem to do was bounce off the wretched invisible barrier. Then, he slid down to the ground, feeling even more helpless.
He failed her. He broke her heart and failed her.
************************************************************************************************************
A/N
Okay, so the original chapter was just super long. So I broke it into three small parts, which means I'll post one chapter each day, for three days (this is the first day).
Also, you may have noticed the new cover and title.
Any thoughts?
Vote/comment/fan!
:D