Must I Be Your Bride? - Chapter Sixteen

I clutched William, not letting him go as we sat in the back seat of the car, silently listening to the car motor. George and Nancy were sitting in the front, both of them in a pretty bad shape - cuts and bruises surrounding their body. But once William tried to ask if they were ok, trailing out apologies, they only shoed them away and hugged us. They understood.

Even though I wanted to, I forced myself to not doze off, to stay conscious; too afraid that William would take that opportunity to try to get rid of me again. I couldn't understand why I was opening myself up to vulnerability, even after hearing that William simply demanded for me to go back. If it weren't for the sovereign, then we wouldn't even be here. The last thing I wanted to do was thank that horrible man; also knowing that William was doing the contrary.

I made myself not think this though, only being conscious to that part where William also held me tightly in his arms, not giving any sign of letting go.

It was a long drive, and by the time the car went to a halt, the sun was already in the sky, trying to brighten up the mood. I hadn't moved at all, and I still didn't. I heard the car door open, and William slowly lifted me out, just like he carried me in.

"What happened?" Someone asked. I recognized Demitri's voice.

"We got caught," William snapped in a way that silenced everyone.

I felt the gush of wind, heard doors open and close - his hand leaving me for a quick second -, and soon, William was taking cautious steps. He leaned down, and once I felt him place me onto a bed, I knew this was my cue to let go, but I couldn't. I was scared that he might do something crazy again.

"It's ok," he murmured into my ear, his hand finding its way to my hair. He reaches for my hands, and after some effort, he finally is able to entangle me from him, to see my face.

Pain. It never leaves his eyes.

I wanted to be mad at him, to yell; to do something to react to what he's done, but I can't. That was the last thing I could ever do.

He. Lied. That's all I have to think to feel the tears sting my eyes. I actually find myself jerk away when he reached for my face, and I instantly regret it. Because I needed his touch to heal me, myself, just like Demitri did with my wounds. I get William's hand and place it on my cheek, where it was making its way to, and start to feel the healing process. But it doesn't stay there for long. Instead, I find him watching me, too busy working his eyes and brain to make anything else in his body respond.

"You lied," I say quietly, clearing my hoarse voice. "You said you wouldn't leave me."

He looks away, looking as tired as any sleepless person could be. "I was saving you."

"You were saving yourself from drama," I snap accidentally. But this time, I don't regret it as much.

This surprises him, and he looks at me again. "Drama?" I could hear the sarcastic humor in his voice, nothing amusing about it. "You think all of this is about drama? Do you know how mundane that sounds? It doesn't fit in this world, Serene."

I had to be the one to look away this time, to remain strong. No, I've done enough crying. "Admit it; you don't want to marry me! You only had to say so." I sighed, forced to clear my throat again.

A long silence followed, but William soon answers. "I don't..."

He finally admits it, and my eyes shut, trying to ignore how that made me feel. It was too late to back out now.

"I don't want you to live this life," he sighs.

"Why?" I snapped again.

He made an attempt to get to his feet, but, out of instinct, I clutched his hand to stop him, but he kept his gaze out his window. I hesitantly sit up, feeling a bit dizzy as I did so, and followed his gaze.

"Do you love me?" I say, sort of afraid to get an answer.

With another sigh, I feel William wrap his arms around my waist and give me a quick kiss on my neck. "That's a foolish question. You know I do."

My heart starts to race at the thought of this never being a game.

"But you want me gone," I force out.

"No," he whispered. "I do not."

"Then why - "

"I told you. Because I love you." I feel another kiss.

"That's not a good enough reason."

And then I feel it, right on my neck. A smile.

"Love is always a perfect reason."

"To separate?"

Silence proves I was right.

"Yes," he finally says. "You don't want to get married."

That's when it all comes to me. All of these days, I've been dreading at the
thought of marrying. Every time I would see a wedding dress, every time the wedding was even mentioned, I would feel sick. Maybe even now, the thought of marrying made me feel wheezy.

"I want to stay with you," I say.

He reaches into his pocket and lifts the ruby necklace before wrapping it around my neck, his now chilly fingers burning my skin. I clutch it as soon as its on, and realize I won't need it much longer.

Knocks on the door somehow made us turn grim, and William stood up to go open it. The maids rushed in, smiles on their pale faces, all of them happy for us. As soon as they grabbed each of my hand to pull me up to my feet, I managed to argue.

"We must get you ready for breakfast," the maid says.

"I'm not hungry," I say. Which was a lie. Of course, I was starving. But I didn't feel like facing anyone right now. I only wanted to stay with William; not caring if he didn't want me here with him.

"We will be eating here," William agrees, calming me. Before the maid
could protest, he took my hand and led me to his living room.

We were silently watching a horror movie when the maids walked in with our breakfast. They didn't disturb us; they only placed the trays onto the table before us and rushed out.

And it was like the old days, where I hid into William with every scary part, every disturbing part, as we ate our breakfast that thankfully came with those delicious cookies. The only difference was that we didn't speak. Not once.

The light in the room slowly started to fade, and before we knew it, the day was gone, and night was here. William got to his feet to turn on the fire before taking his seat next to me. I could sleep like this, in his arms. But I'm still too afraid to daze off.

"We should sleep," William says after a while. I don't answer though; I don't move. "You can sleep, Serene."

I hesitantly hummed a reply and he helped me to my feet. He lifted the covers of his bed and motioned me to get in them, but I only managed a step before looking at him.

"Stay with me?" I say.

He slowly nodded, so I went under the covers and gave him space to slip next to me. Sure, we were still in our day clothes, but did that actually matter?

We faced each other and only stared for a moment. Then I couldn't help but lean in and give him a kiss. It was his lips I've been craving all day, and it wasn't until now that I had the guts to go for it. It was a short kiss though, because then he wrapped his arms around me, signaling for me to go to sleep. I couldn't, not until I heard his calming breath that assured it was safe to.
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I am SO SORRY. I've been gone all this time and with no Internet. I went to Nevada and then Las Vegas (not a place for me!). But I'm back! And I'm really bummed that I can't post on weekends but the next time I do post (probably Monday) I will try to make sure I post the last chapters. We're almost to the ending! I hope you enjoy and thanks for being patient!