GINEVRA The dull sound of my phone going off brought me back to consciousness, but that consciousness came with a head jamming pain. My throat elicited a groan, my heavy eyes doing a shit job at taking in my surroundings, my hand sliding around the empty space on the bed in search of the device whose sound had become louder by the minute. My voice, groggy, whispered, “Ginevra speaking.” “Are you high?” Cyrus’s voice blared with anger. With a roll of my eyes, I sat up on the bed, raking a hand through my hair. “I wish I was. Why’re you calling so early in the morning?” There had been a pause. Frantic breaths met my ear, a grunt followed. “Why do I have to be responsible for you per favore. . .” A groan, low in his throat, thick, erupted. “You have to be in Rome for the banquet of the commission.” Shit! With speed, I sprang up from the bed and slid out. My throat had elicited a scream of, “fuck!” As I ran into the washroom. I consumed too many pills yesterday’s night. That much

GINEVRA A dirty smirk marred my face, my eyes squinting with mischief. “Oh, there’s one theory which I’d absolutely love to test out.” The frequency of my words held seduction, the kind that had Ricardo’s eyes glazing over with lust. Ricardo’s front pushed into me, his bulge straining against his pants. “Oh yeah?” I blinked up at him, batting my lashes demurely while my tongue had been slowly gliding across my bottom lip. “Mmhmm.” He groaned. “And what theory might that be, princess.” I chuckled. Typical men. My left hand cradled his face, my thumb stroking with tenderness. Ricardo leaned into my touch with a moan. “It is a shame, Ghost.” I tsked. “If only you weren’t such a liar, If you hadn’t betrayed me, I wouldn’t have had to do this. . .” The implication of my words were yet to be deciphered by Ricardo when I pushed my blade into his stomach. His eyes snapped to mine, and I shot him a smile as I continued to bury my blade into him. In a split second, I was flung across

GINEVRA I stepped on the accelerator like a mad person on the loose, swinging my car from one side of the lane on the highway to another. I drove like I had been living with a death wish as I continuously took out my frustrations on myself—both with words, and with my actions. The back of my head had continuously met the headrest with hard slams, and my fist had continuously rammed into the steering wheel with so much force my knuckles were ripped apart. "How much more do I have to endure in one day!" A scream tore out of my throat, my eyes brimming with tears. Elena's words clouded my thoughts, disorienting my conscious state, forcing out screams of profanities from my mouth. I had tried so many times to shut out my raging mind, but nothing had worked. Without the pills, my mind was the loudest—sickeningly loud. The voice in my head was constantly reminding me that I was a failure. That voice had continued screaming my shortcomings at me until my skin shivered with guilt.

GINEVRA "Fucking coward." His eyes, sharp, were on mine. “What did you just say to me?” “You heard me, Ghost, you are a coward. You get off on running away from your problems instead of facing them like the man you pretend to be.” A chuckle, filled with darkness, resonated. “I run not because I am fainthearted, but your tears. . .to watch you cry, Ginevra, right in front of me, because of me, that I cannot stand.” “Quit with the pretense, Mr. Sanchez. Nothing you say or do could ever change the way I feel about you. I hate you.” Ricardo’s brows shot up, “You hate me?” “I do.” I answered. He said, “No you don’t.” “I do hate you, Ricardo Sanchez. With every breath and every tears, and every pain which you have caused me–I hate you.” Liar! My subconscious sang furiously, forcing a staggered breath from my parted lips. I love you, Ricardo. The words hung heavy on the tip of my tongue, weighing heavy in my heart. Those words, I hated so much, and yet, there were meant for the m

GINEVRA Continuous humming of a song relentlessly echoed through the walls of the shower, firm fingers massaging my scalp, nearly lulling me to slumber. Ricardo had been tending to my body, his hands against my skin, delicate, soft, gentle as though he feared he would hurt me if he handled me with a little roughness. My smile grew so big my cheeks were physically hurting. Ricardo was excessively playful–it surprised me, how relaxed he seemed to have been with me. How he laughed carelessly while he teased me, how his eyes held glistening excitement. Perhaps, he truly was happy. Perhaps it had pleased him to know that we could still share intimacy even after his lies were discovered. Perhaps for a moment, we had forgotten the status of our relationship. We had forgotten the enmity which existed between us, and opened up to each other–giving ourselves to one another as we were. Void of any meaningful association–in our purest form. The shower wasn’t a quick one, but it was one I