CH 29: Her Betrayal

(Explanation: Esme went to Lucifer to have her memory removed once again, and she kiiinda kissed him).

~ Alastor's POV ~

She's gone. She fled into the night and disappeared just as quickly as she did when she sunk into that water all that time ago. There's a hush amongst everyone as we all stand there dumbfounded. I begin to hear soft murmuring behind me, but I can't bother to listen to it. My mind, my attention, and my essence remain fixated on the last point in the air where I watched her run. Just waiting, pleading, for her to turn around and return.

I had destroyed her, hadn't I? I wish I could explain the love I still feel for her. It burns at the very center of my being. Despite everything that had happened, every drop of blood that came out of her skull on that fateful night, I never meant to hurt her. Not then, not now. She was the one person that I fully intended on cherishing for the rest of my days. When I saw what I turned her into, corrupting every ounce of her soul, I couldn't bring myself to ruin her once more.

Abandoned? No, I was protecting her.

This isn't how any of this was supposed to go - none of it!

There's a small pressure on my arm, and I instinctively snap my body around and throw whoever it was off of me.

D̷̞̪̻͉̱̫̝͈̦̟͉̋͛̇̒́̈́͜͟͠ͅƠ̶̧̭͔̳̭̬̝̩̯͂̅̆͆͂͂̾͆̈͐̒̀̊̉̐̎̈́͘͟Ǹ̵̡̨̩̺̱͓͍͎͉̻̗̣̼̱͕̤̜̐̍͟͠ͅ'̶̧̨̧͎̰̤̜͉̘̥̬̩̖̩̠̉͂͌̓̿̅̒̌̀̊͝Ţ̴̛͙̰̝̥̭̜̪̩͉̩̰̺̙͎͉̦͍̟͉͙̫͕̆͗̐̊̃͊͒̉̆̒̈́̇͘̕͜͝͝ T̶̢̧̢̞͙̭̘̘͈̱̺͙̥͉̩̖͓̙̗͛́̍͒͊͒̀̀͘ͅỌ̸̧̧̡̫̳͔̲̖̦̖͈̐͗̏̒̎̐̑͊͑̂͝͝U̵̫̖͆̇̍̓̃̄̈̏̚͜͡Ç̵̛͚͍͓͚̪̺̰̟̻̺̟͂͗̽́̉̿͑͆̈́͋̍͒̂͘̚̚̚͠ͅH̸̨̡̝̠̫̭̖̯͈̥̹̣̖̤͍͇̜̒͐́͒̿̿̊̇̾̊ M̶̧̧̰̹̙̼̻͈̘̻̤͈̬̟̺̗̖̭̖̺̥̟̱̝͙̋̈́̽̓̂̈́̾̆̄͌̈́̍̽̇̏̒͒̕̕͠͡͝Ḙ̴̢̪̯͉̫̗̜͎̬͈̰̫̣͑̈́̍̀̆̍̈́̈́͘!̸̫̼͖̰̑̎̂̽̈́̐̿̃̇̽̚ͅ

I hadn't meant to do what I did, it was more of an impulse, but Charlie stumbles back and falls to the ground. My eyes widen and I immediately reach down, offering my hand, only to be swiped by her wrenched partner's spear, causing some blood to leak from my wrist.

"What the fuck is the matter with you?!" She growls, reaching down and helping Charlie to stand up.

I don't say anything, I simply turn around and walk back inside, ascending the stairs. There's small pants and the sound of shoes following me, when I feel a small hand tugging on my leg. 

"Sir?" She whines.

As much as I enjoyed the little lady's presence, this was a moment that I simply had to process on my own.

"Not now..." and with that I retreat into my tower, to my solitude.

I never despised silence until this very moment. I was always the type to prefer my own company, not needing anyone to make me feel sufficient. If I would've never approached her on that barstool, perhaps I would have more self control, but ever since she turned to me in that market square, I knew I had to find out who she was. She shocked me more than I expected her to, filled with glorious surprises, and with every little word that fell out of her mouth, her control over me grew tighter by the day.

Now, she flees, leaving me in my own abyss. I approach my desk and slam my hands against the it. I sigh and sit down, placing my head into my palms and gripping my hair tightly, the only thing I could do to soothe myself. I just want to keep her here.

How did we even get to this point? It felt like yesterday that she was gracing my home with her presence, keeping everything spin and span. She had created a love within those walls, truly encompassing the meaning of being the heart of the home. Had I not been adequate enough? I never considered that my existence would cause such a spiral. If I would have loved her differently, perhaps the outcome would have been different. Though, what is love if not what I had been expressing? I didn't know any other way, I hadn't been shown that. How could she expect me to be any different than what I already was?

"My, isn't this interesting~" A voice in my head echoes, one that I've grown to hate ever since I made that foolish decision on that beach. I still didn't comprehend the extent of her power, but she seemed to be able to make connection with me whenever she pleased. It had to be some rule associated with having ownership over me, after all I could summon my pets with a simple wave of my hand. 

"Leave me alone..." I plead, but I know damn well that she wouldn't grant me any mercy. 

"Seems like your dearest has found a new interest..." She pauses, "A very interesting one at that..."

I look up from my hands to see her in the distance. Her body is limp, and she's being held by....h̵̝͔̱͂̃ì̷͇̄̚m̵͙̐̊̉.

Why does he have his hands on her?!

She had bolted from this place with such determination. Of all the place she could have gone to, how could she possibly have resorted to him? What comfort could that pest provide her that I couldn't? It felt grotesque for me to admit, but seeing her nuzzled in his chest made every strand of fur on my body stand at attention. I loathed the sight, I despised it. 

That was my woman, she was my wife, finding solace and peace snuggled within his coat.  

"Hmm, wasn't expecting that one..." That voice whispers, but I can detect a low growl of annoyance underneath her words. There was a unspoken mutual understanding hanging in the air that said neither one of us were happy about this outcome. 

I couldn't let too much time go by before I exited my quarters and made haste to the lobby. I wanted answers, I wanted them to have meaning that would explain the absurdity of what I was witnessing. Apparently, news had spread about her return as the usual two women gathered at the door. The doors were opened quickly with a gust of golden wind, the little frick and frack dragon pests circling around the wife's body inspecting her for any signs of harm. 

"Esme-" Charlie's voice crackles in concern. Honestly, the bond that had been created between the two of them considering the short time span was remarkable. 

"She's alright, Charlie, she's okay." He assures, pushing his way past me as he heads towards the stairs, "Let's just set her down." 

I couldn't tell you the conversation that occurred as we migrated to her suite, I was too focused on her. I was trying to figure out how this had unraveled so quickly without me being able to reel everything in my control. The background voices were drowned out by my thoughts as I watched her remain limp in his hold, just existing without any signs of life. 

Why did she have to receive the blow that she did? It had destroyed her, and therefore destroyed us from within. 

It had ripped our relationship apart and shredded us into oblivion. We were helpless within death's clutches. 

He places her down in her bed carefully and I cringe as he moves her hair from her face. She is completely unresponsive, just peacefully sleeping, barely moving. I hear him and Charlie leaving the room, I pause looking down at her, before turning and exiting to listen in.

My darling, I would have soothed you if you had allowed me the opportunity to do so. 

"She asked you to do what?!" Charlie shouts, cutting my attention short, "No, no dad, tell me you didn't do it." She covers her mouth and tears build in her eyes. I knew that whatever they were discussing had to be significant enough to call out to her heart, which meant that it was going to irk my soul. 

What did he do to her?

"Charlie, it was what she wanted." He puts his hands on her shoulders, trying to steady her,"She was a wreck, a complete mess, she begged me to erase them."

"Erase....what?" I growl, my hand still resting on the doorknob, glaring over my shoulder.

He scowls, "I fixed your mess, that's what." He turns to me, "You're an absolute disgrace of a man, you know that?"

Get away from me...you have no power over me. You hold no right to judge me and my actions when you yourself can't maintain a proper household. You sit on a throne of lies, believing you are more special than you actually are. You are not a god, you are a simple throw a way. 

A defective simpleton.

"A coward at your worst, vermin at best." He narrows his eyes, "Let's make one thing very clear, your wife came to me today, begging me to help her and make her forget the monster that you are."

There's a loud, deafening static that feels the air, causing Charlie to back away - but he stands firm.

"Don't worry, she had....no complaints..." He winks.

I'm going to rip your tongue out of your throat for even daring to think about doing that.

I go to take a step forward, but feel a strong choking sensation from inside my throat, causing me to hesitate. As much as I would love to be able to say that I sunk my fangs into the devil himself, I was still tethered to his monstrosity of an ex-wife.  

"Don't you even think about it..." Oh one day, one day, I will learn how to free myself from her grasp.

He sees me back up from him, in a split second of weakness, and he smirks like the disrespectful son of a bitch that he is, "Nothing to say? Not even, thank you?"

I take a deep breath and smile menacingly, passing by him and returning to my quarters calmly.

~ Time Skippy; Later On That Night ~

She's forgotten about me once again, and there was nothing I could do to reverse it. She made that decision all on her own, her choice, and her freewill. She made the undeniable choice to forget what I had said to her, placing us right back in the same position we were at in the beginning of the day. It was obvious she had no desire to remember what I had done in our lives together, but rather remain in the ignorant bliss of our new budding romance. 

I should be overjoyed, this is what I wanted. I didn't want to go back to not having any connection. Having us rewinding back to this day alone would mean that we could continue to build on the feelings that were starting to blossom once more. I could continue to see that pinkish hue build on her scales while I'm around, see how she would show me a frisky attitude, while also very much being coy and charming. 

Although, there is a deep sense of betrayal within me from her. If she would have just listened to me, she would understand that there was nothing to be afraid of. Our love was safe, she just had to trust me to believe that. I could make her believe that, though I could understand how that concept would be difficult to comprehend. Trust wasn't something that most people had towards me. 

Then again, I did grab her by the hair that night and demand control over her. Now that I had assumed my demon persona, the memories connected to that darker part of my soul had been broadcasted to my mind. They were no longer hidden, but on full display. 

It was sickening. I held regrets. 

Deep ones. 

She never looked terrified of me before then, and now she remains uneasy around my presence.

My ego and my temper were always my biggest enemies, which is what I imagine led me to be here in this realm in the first place. If I was a soul possible of redemption, I would say that perhaps I could become more self aware and therefore change my ways. I would become more forgiving, more patient, mor- 

Oh who am I kidding, this isn't a childhood fable. I'm no Scrooge. There was no ghost of Alastor's past coming to guide me in becoming a better person. 

I'm in Hell, it is my responsibility to assert myself here and come to my full potential in order to survive. 

"You know..." I hear a voice whisper, once again inserting itself in a space that it didn't belong, "He isn't telling you the whole story..."

A small red orb appears by my side, but I turn away without interest. Then, I hear my beloved's voice,

"Forget I ever heard a single word that came out of his mouth...I rather still believe that my husband is out there, with a pure heart for only me, than to truly be a wolf in sheep's clothing...watching me suffer for all these years alone."

Oh, my darling, trust me, my heart bleeds for you only.

The vision continues...

"You're beautiful..."

A low growl escapes my throat and I can feel my antlers stretching further out.

"You're a beautiful soul...You're naturally kindhearted and giving... inside...you're definitely angel material..."

Her eyes sparkle as she looks at him, with a look that used to be specifically reserved for me. Even in all the years I've watched her from a far, she never looked at any man with those eyes before.

"Before you..."

"Yes?"

"Could I?"

"Could you?"

It's a disgusting sight, not one I can bare, as I turn away from the view and grit my teeth. It disappears, and I know she has vanished from my mind, leaving me in my own all consuming rage. How dare she? I could ignore all the other objects she had in this world considering that she had no idea who I was to her, but this time was different. She purposely seeked his affection, she looked at him with those pleading and admiring eyes that she used to gaze into mine with.

I slowly walk to my door, opening it and pivoting to hers. I enter softly, without making a sound. She's still peacefully sleeping on her mattress. God, even though she was a treacherous serpent, she was still so hauntingly beautiful. Her hand rests by her face, that damned ring shining faintly.

I smirk, well, she can handle her own...can't she?

"Well, my dear, you won't be needing this anymore - will you?"

I retract my claws, leaning forward, and slipping it off her finger with ease. She whines and turns to her side, sighing contently.

Since you want to forget me so badly, why don't we see how you handle yourself now?

🖤Words: 2410🖤

~ Artemis 💗🦌