Chapter 143 - Wrecked Inside

Making her sit over the couch of her living room, Clara slowly brought her a glass of water with a small bowl of some cookies to calm her down. Eva was still sobbing silently, lowering her head down with a dismayed look prevailing all over her face.

"Have something. I bet...you haven't consumed a drop of either water or a piece of food until now." She placed the tray before on the table anxiously looking at her.

"I...don't want it..." She declared.

"Eva, what you will get from torturing yourself like this? Why don't you ever listen to me--"

"I am scared...Clara..." Before she could conclude her words, her sonorous pitch sounded much intense and husky. She sat still, squirming her fingers and trying hard to endure the inner turmoil she was striving through.

Looking at her with a sad gaze, Clara slowly sat beside her on the couch and tenderly tapped her arm to comfort her. "Eva, I can understand what you are feeling inside..."

"I am so...fucking scared...Clara. I...I am afraid of is going back to my lonely dark life... Zeus, not only had saved my life but he was the reason for my life. I had thought...we would be each other forever... We were so happy in our own small world we had built-in... 

Where did it all go wrong, Clara? Why did my world crumble down as if...it was all just a dream? How am I going to live with these hurtful memories?" She whimpered, clenching her fist in anguish.

She sat still for a while and didn't utter a single word to her as a response. Unable to find the correct reciprocation of her laments, she was being fretful for her.

"Clara...I had always believed that mythical creatures do exist in our world. I didn't even flinch when I came to know he was a non-human... I was prepared to accept his every form but why... wolf? Why did he have to be a werewolf? Clara, you know...how despicable these animals have been always to me. They snatched my family! They took away my happiness! Even...I had told Zeus how much I despised those malevolent creatures... Still why? Why did he keep it all hidden? What am I going to do now?" She started sobbing again sounding devastated, doomed in distress.

"Eva, don't stress yourself too much..." She gently grasped and drew her head over her shoulder to console her broken heart responding softly. "You are not alone. You can stay here no matter how long you want, but...I will be always next to you. I will hear your whining, your pain but don't bottle up everything inside. I will make sure to cheer you up in every possible way, so don't feel lonely and scared, okay? You have me...always and forever..." 

Shedding warm tears on her shoulder while gripping her arm tight, she was grieving quite hard closing her eyes. "Hic... I am sorry...I am so sorry for treating you badly...Clara... hic... I don't know...what did I do to...deserve all these? Why does my...happiness always gets snatched away from me...hic..."

"Misfortunes are like unwelcomed guests in our life. They always come out of the blue when we least expect them. It's not your fault, Eva." She patted her head, softly whispering her words sharing outside the window with a blank gaze in her eyes. 

...

"Zeus? Where have you been, my son?" Aelia screamed out aloud as she gushed down the stairs, rushing towards the entrance as Zeus and Ivory walked in slowly inside. Antonio too followed her with a frown grimace since they all were quite worried about his whereabouts followed by his sudden disappearance.

Zeus had already attained his usual human form but from his facial eloquence, he seemed badly devastated. His upper bare body was covered in dust and bruises from the intense fight within the woods. The portion of the arm where he was bitten by the hellhound was wrapped with a bandage sopped in blood. Ivory was holding his arm tight providing him support while he was strolling at a staggering pace.

"What happened to you, son? Why is your arm injured? Did you fight with someone? Where have you been past 2 days? Why didn't you come back home?" She solicited him so many queries, looking extremely perplexed.

"Aunt Aelia...umm, I guess Zeus needs a bit of rest now. He has already suffered a rough patch today...and these queries might puzzle him a bit more." Ivory came to his rescue as he stood still, lowering his gaze and absolutely silent.

"But--"

"Aelia, let him rest for some time. Save your questions from later." Antonio forbade her from bothering him any further and quietly shifted his gaze towards Zeus frowning his brows. "But Zeus, you do have to answer us some certain questions." His voice sounded stern and sonorous.

Without uttering a single word, Ivory quietly directed him inside, straight upstairs towards his room. While he was heading orderly, Czar clutched open his door, came, and stood outside his room glaring at him looking irked. Both Zeus and Ivory halted their pace as he was about to speak out.

"Why the heck you didn't come back home? Your beloved parents were charging me for your disappearance! Why the hell I have to be blamed every time?" He snapped.

"Czar, can you please bicker with him later? He isn't in a state right now to be blamed for your issues! Give him some space." She abruptly answered his charges in a serious note, groped him tighter, and started heading again towards his room. 

For a while Czar stood still, gawking at them from behind since his gestures were piquing up his curiosities. Scrunching his brows, he murmured on his own, "what the heck has happened to him? Why did he look like a corpse?"

...

As soon as they stepped inside the room, Ivory made him sit up on the bed supporting his back against a pillow. Zeus was all mute, holding a despaired expression, and didn't even budge to glance at her, even once.

"Zeus, have some water." She stretched her arm holding the glass of water and sounding concerned about him. His heart was badly bruised inside and turned him into all numb in pain.

He didn't answer, neither tried to grip the glass from her. He sat still, lowering his gaze, and sighed out heavily.

"Zeus, I know you are suffering a lot inside. But...the poison would start affecting you badly if you don't keep yourself hydrated at least--"

"Ivory." All of a sudden, he murmured out.

"H-Hmm?"

"I want to be alone...for some time." A husky, dismayed voice escaped his pale reddish lips as he whispered out his wish.

She kept looking at him for a while, surging her eyes wider. From his answer, she seemed a bit offended, quivering her jowls a bit.

"Zeus...I don't want you to be alone in such a wrecked state. You have me! I can stay by your side and console you--"

"I don't want anyone to be my side." His cold voice pierced her heart sharp as he mumbled it out. Slowly, he raised his chin up and gazed into her eyes. His dark eyes were glistening in tears and it seemed he was trying hard to hold himself from breaking down in front of her. "Please...I want to be alone, Ivory." 

Hearing out his heartfelt plead, she didn't object anymore and unwillingly nodded her head, looking much glum.

"Alright...if that's what you want. But...don't you dare feel yourself all alone. You can cry on my shoulder as much you want. Nothing matters to me in this world, more than you Zeus. Hope...you will understand it someday." Her deep low voice sounded sullen as she continued peering at him with a sad gaze.

Zeus didn't utter a single word and turned his gaze outside the window, gawking at the murky endless sky. Slowly, Ivory walked out of the room followed by his silence.

Warm droplets of his painful tears dripped down his cheeks as he stared at the dawning sky. His mouth was speechless, but his insides were stirring in pain but he was unable to scream out aloud expressing the agony. Quietly looking at the sky, his heart was reminiscing all the beautiful memories he got to spend with Eva. Her smile, her soft voice everything flashed out right before his eyes wrecking his heart into countless pieces.

"Even after knowing how would things eventually end...why did I still hope for a happy ending? Why do people have to change..." He sought himself, swallowing his tears.

.......

Clara was preparing some bean sprout soup for Eva inside the kitchen while she was lying down on her bed. She was looking all pale and numb and that's the reason Clara decided to feed her first with something. 

"Why are you still awake?"

"Huh? Aaaaahhh!" All of a sudden she shrieked out in surprise, hearing the sonorous deep voice just behind her in the kitchen. Gulping in shock, she saw Czar was standing right behind her, crossing his arms and staring into her eyes.

"Why did you scream out?" He sounded a bit displeased.

"Master? Why are you here so suddenly? What are you doing here?"

"I was feeling bored so I decided to wake you up from your slumber with my sudden visit. I teleported myself here but I didn't expect you already wake this early morning. It's 6 am right now--"

"Why are you here without telling me prior, master? You shouldn't have come here!" She interrupted him, looking all perplexed.

"Clara? Did you just scream aloud? Is everything alright?" All of a sudden, Eva probed her in a loud voice from her room as she heard some footsteps approaching towards the kitchen. Czar was quite surprised by the unexpected response from Eva as he looked at her face in confusion, gulping down.

"Little duckling is here?" 

"Shit! She is gonna find out about you!" Swirling her pupils, she murmured out in fear.