He never did, he didn't come back, instead took my soul along with him too.
Goodbye, goodbye Luca, goodbye...
I stared at the casket as it was being taken away.
Goodbye my love, goodbye.
My eyes were focused on the casket, until it was long gone from my sight, my heart felt empty, yet so full that it could burst at any moment.
"Let's go... Let's go home."
Kalix said from behind, his hand went to my shoulder, caressing it.
"Come!"
Giving me support, he made me sit in his car, before sitting beside me as the driver started the engine of the car.
"Drop me at my apartment! I don't want to go with you, I want to stay alone."
I stated, while staring outside.
I didn't hear him say no to me either, and the driver drove to the complex, he walked along with me and went to my apartment to see me off.
I was remembered of the time, when Luca had dropped me here after the dinner, when he had asked me out.
Tears brimmed my eyes, yet I didn't let a single one drop.
Closing the door behind my back, I locked it, and threw my purse on the couch, as my body got slumped against the wall, making the whole apartment visible from there.
"Why?" I mumbled.
"Why me?Why always me?"
I screamed loudly, that broke into tiny sobs, hiccups that never once stopped.
Luca's face flashed in my mind, in front of my eyes, the memories of him here, as I looked over at the open kitchen where he cooked for me.
Staring at the couch where he calmed me down.
One after another, tears dripped from my eyes, as I shut my eyes closed, reminiscing the moments I lived, moments I spent with him barely a week ago.
The sweet comfort I felt, the warm feeling that stayed while he was near, close to me.
That was long gone, I was no longer warm, no more shielded, I was alone, I was cold I had turned hard.
My heart cried and so did my eyes.
My soul was a wreck, Luca was my everything when I had nothing.
It was as if, he had seeped out of the tiny gaps of my hands when I wasn't looking.
Left when I became careless, when I showed negligence.
He left because I couldn't care much, he left because... I couldn't... protect him.
I hid my face more in my knees, despising myself.
Despising the day I came into this novel.
Despising the day I had started reading the novel.
Despising myself for wanting to fight someone else's fate.
The phone that was in the purse, buzzed on the couch.
The phone that Kalix had bought for me when I was still in the hospital.
Wiping my tears, with half dead steps I walked closer to the couch and took out my phone from my purse.
Mr. Vernon, the screen displayed.
Receiving the call, I pressed the phone against my ear.
"Hello? Laurel, it's me, Xavier."
"Hmm, I know." My voice came out raspy due to the heavy crying and screaming.
"Can I meet? I actually wanted to talk to you at the funeral house, but I couldn't, plus you weren't looking that good so I thought I should talk to you when you are relaxed."
My brows dipped in confusion.
"Talk about what?"
"Don't worry, it's not something to worry about."
I let out a sigh lf relief as he reassured me.
"I have some things, that I think would make Luca happy, knowing that they are with you, if you may can you tell me where you are, like are you at the Miller estate or your apartment?"
"At the complex." Answering his question, I quickly ended the call and sat on the couch.
Staring at the phone...Before this call, the call I got before was from Luca...the call that I never received...
The call I didn't got to receive, and now it was too late.
Opening the keyboard, I typed Luca's number, that I had memorised to my hearts content.
As I dialled the number, the call went on voice recorder.
Just before I could hear his voice, I ended the call.
No... I... it's my fault, I shouldn't... I killed him...
A weird sensation filled my heart, getting overwhelmed because of it, tears brimmed my eyes, standing on the bay.
The fall and rise of my chest got heavier, making it difficult for me to breathe and I could feel all the blood rush upto my head.
With blurred vision and shivering body, I tried hiding my face in my knees, whispering and mumbling things that might calm me down, but nothing worked.
Digging my sharpened nails in my soft skin, I let out a soft sigh, feeling the tension, the exhaustion inside me easing... with every drop of blood that dripped on the floor, it got poured out of me with along with it.
Resting my head behind on the couch, I stared at the ceiling, tears continuously streaming down my cheeks, as the couch, that was once beige, now had gotten red polca dot print on a small area where I was sitting.
It was a matter of time, matter of days after Franklin had caught glimpse of the man with me.
Why did he? Why did it had to be him, it was changing... The plot was changing, I was changing it...then why?
I was with Luca, not Cassian, Luca was mine...not someone else's...
My eyes burned from not blinking, while I was busy with my mind filled with various thoughts.
Luca was supposed to be alive...he should have been alive.
I am Laurel, I...am the Villainess.
I was the one whose death was written and fated.
I remained on the couch for how long? I don't remember... I just got up to open the door, when the door bell had rang.
Xavier stood on the door, with some other of Luca's friends and their wives.
I couldn't even greet them, I didn't had power to do so...
However, they greeted me as if they would a normal person, not someone who they had a beef with and it felt as if it was genuine too.
As they walked in, all of them were seated in the living room.
Alex and his wife Ravena, Dane and his wife Lilly and Harris and his wife Diana.
Xavier however sat alone with a bag in his hands.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
I forced a smile on my lips and gave my shoulders a slight shrug.
"How can I be?"
His expressions fell on my words, as he let out a sigh and then stretched his hand out, which had a the bag in it.
"What...is this?"
"Some things that belonged to Luca, and I think it'd be good if you have them now."
Taking the bag from his hands, I looked inside it.
Two files, a small pouch, a few other things and lastly a journal.
I took out the files, and opened one of them.
It was the papers of Luca's company...
Ownership papers...
My eyes widened, staring at the papers in my hands.
"What? I mean why are you giving this to...me? You... should take it back!"
I was about to hand them back to Xavier when Alex's words stopped me.
" Luca wanted this...a few days before you were kidnapped, he had talked to us about wanting to transfer his company under your name, according to him, he wanted it be to yours, even before you both get married."
Married...
" B-but now...this."
I didn't know what to say now, he had planned it already? Did you he know that he might die? Or was it just a mere coincidence?
"Keep it, Laurel, respect it as one of Luca's last wishes... accept it, even on the day after you were discharged from the hospital, Luca was with me to prepare the ownership papers for you, but he all of a sudden left in a hurry and the paperwork was left incomplete."
Xavier explained, while I was staring at the papers.
Diana, who was sitting beside me held my right hand, while the file was in my lap, I looked at her as she passed me a smile.
"I...we all know that we were not in good terms with each other before, but Luca was like a brother to us and we have never seen him that much happy ever, you were the first ever woman to come in his life and last too, so please take it, it was Luca's and now it's yours."
Lilly said softly, looking at me with the same soft expression others gave me.
I didn't know what to say, what should I say? What to say?
I felt her squeeze my hand one last time before letting go of it.