"You broke the special clause. Number one."
I stared at him in disbelief, my mouth hung open.
Is he fucking being serious right now? Even now he would...!
But I guess that’s it. This was Ares, this was him.
"You knew what would happen the moment you did, and yet you did it."
He looked at me like I had crossed a line, gone to a point of no return.
"Y-You’re blaming me?" I hated the way my voice cracked. "And for what? For loving—"
"Don’t," he warned.
His eyes turned cold, so stony that it reminded me of the first day I walked into his office for an interview, and when I told myself this man was the worst kind.
"For loving you," I finished despite his warning. "For loving you!"
Smash!
I jumped as the glass shattered in Ares’ hand, the shards raining to the floor mixed with his blood.
My body screamed at me to go to him and stop the bleeding, to hold his hand so that it wouldn’t hurt anymore. But I didn’t.
A hefty silence stretched until I found the courage to speak.
"I-I’m a human being, and so are you. You’re just as capable of love as I am."
He ground his teeth so hard I could see the veins popping beneath his jaw. "We don’t need... love."
This was the first time I actually discerned so much hatred, almost like the word tasted like poison, like the word was poison.
How come I have never seen it until now? I always thought the special clause was all about sticking to business, but it never was.
"What do we need then? The fucking? Is that what I would ever amount to you? A body to keep your cock warm? A means to control?"
Was Agatha right?
Ares didn’t reply, yet something inside me still clung to desperation.
"Is it... not possible to love me?" I asked quietly, tears streaming down my face.
"No," he replied in an icy tone, and those shards pierce my heart, deeper than anything I have ever felt, but his next words didn’t amount to the pain tearing me apart from the inside out.
"The contract is terminated, Ms. Lane."
Everything spun, but I held myself from falling because I knew damn well the moment I let it, I would hate myself more.
"You have a month to leave the penthouse. Rest assured, payment will be wired to your account."
The devil always gets bored.
Naomi’s words to me that night at the All Hallows’ Gala came through like a curse.
Did he never feel anything for me, even a little bit? Was it only ever about the contract, even when I tried to silence the voice that said it could be more? Was I truly gonna end up like Naomi after all?
I leveled my gaze, rubbing the big diamond ring on my finger. Just like my heart had been cut off, I took off the ring and tossed it at him, the sharp clatter ringing in the air.
"Go to hell, Ares King..." I said. "But I guess you’re already in it."
Ares grabbed his suit jacket and came towards me. Everything slowed down before my eyes as he walked past me, the sound of his departing footsteps drowning my sobs.
The moment I heard the doors, I released the anguish that I had been storing. It felt like my heart was gonna split apart, and I had to hold onto the sofa for balance.
~☆~
I felt something nudge my leg, and when I lifted my face, I found Loki looking at me, using his paw to tap on my foot as if to grab my attention.
Staring into his yellow eyes, I caved, allowing my legs to rest, and carried him to sit. He purred when I stroked him where he liked it.
"Here we are again, buddy. You found me drowning in sorrow just like the first day we met..." I could feel the tears coming again, but I don’t have the strength to continue crying.
Loki looked at me.
"Yeah, I’m gonna miss you, too, buddy."
"Ares!"
A voice came through.
"Cat? Ugh! Where are you guys, and why’s the living room a mess? Cat?"
I was glad to hear her footsteps fading away, but my bliss was short-lived because her shadow was right at my door now.
"I can feel you. You’re in there, aren’t you, Cat?" She banged her fist against the door. "Open up!"
When I didn’t answer, I prayed she would just go away, but then I heard a click. I shot my eyes to the door. Just to be sure, I grabbed my glasses and wore them.
Is she fucking picking the lock right now?
I got the answer to my question when she opened the door, fixing her hairpin in place.
"There you are! Didn’t think I would find you, did you?"
"You need help."
"I already found it, and I’m over the moon... now my sweet cat." She walked in, and Loki scurried out. "Why the fuck is your wedding ring on the floor? How many times are you gonna lose this? Look, I admit I was the reason you lost it the first time, but we’re way past that, aren’t we? Oh, and what is blood doing on the...."
Her rants finally came to a halt when she observed me. I was sitting on the floor, my knees to my chest, a box of tissues beside me, and many used ones.
"I don’t need the ring anymore," I replied.
"What the hell?" She looked at the ring and then at me before a sigh released from her. "It happened, hasn’t it?"
I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering what she meant because I clearly hadn’t told her what happened.
"Ares is bored..." she said, shaking her head. "I don’t believe it, I can’t... because you’re different and you—"
"Athena... Please stop."
"No! I mean it, you’re different."
"I’m not," I mumbled. "He terminated the contract, and..." I paused. "I don’t want anything to do with him anymore."
"You don’t mean that, do you?"
"I do. I’m done. I just can’t, not like this, Athena, not like..." I broke again. "I can’t."
"I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind, now just stay right there and don’t go anywhere. Okay?"
I didn’t stop her as she hurried out. I stood to my feet, opening the wardrobe to pack my things, at least what I owned.