I was beside him feeling and smelling the magic that filled the room. Red pimples that kept changing colours quickly spread across Nathaniel’s chest. I looked at her and she was still crying.
"He’s a bastard, and I want him to suffer," she said then disappeared from the room. In a matter of seconds, Nathaniel’s entire chest was black, and he was screaming in agony.
I couldn’t remember the entire evening after that. I was too numb and too shocked to think about what I’d done after Meredith left. I must have called an ambulance, because next the thing I remembered I was in the hospital waiting to hear how he was doing. A few hours later, the healer came out and told me he’d been poisoned. It was nothing serious, but he was in a grave amount of pain and had to stay in the ward for a couple of days.
The healers wouldn’t let me see him, so I went home. Meredith chose to hurt Nathaniel back. I should’ve let him tell Meredith from the beginning and none of this would’ve happened. He could’ve ended it without hurting her so badly, without having her see the two of us together… I was so stupid.
The next day I felt like I had nothing left. Nathaniel was mine again, we loved each other, but we’d hurt too many people in this new transition. Mum was at work and my shift wasn’t starting until later.
The situation between my parents hadn’t been resolved. Dad was adamant to keep away from Mum. He was probably afraid to know how she felt, wondering if they were going to make it through this, but I was surprised when he called me.
"Hey, Dad, how are you?" I asked wondering if he had good news for me.
"Hey, hon, listen I need to be frank with you," he began with strained voice. "Your mother filed for divorced this morning. My solicitor called."
I looked at the phone opening my mouth, wondering if this was really happening. I didn't know what to say, the silence stretched for several moments.
"Dad, no, no. I’ll talk to her. She isn't—"
"Hon, it’s better to let go. I chose love and took a risk, but it didn't work. I always knew that your mother couldn’t handle me, as me. Your mother is the love of my life, but it’s better to hurt now than later. It’s better to let go."
I disconnected the call and sat down on the sofa staring at the wall. Dad didn't just give up, he couldn't just let go. He wasn’t that kind of person. He didn't even try to fight for her.
As I sat like that for hours I slowly began to understand his reasoning. Mum was a human; she didn't understand magic, she felt betrayed. Dad wanted to spare her more pain and anguish, so he accepted the consequences of his actions.
Then I thought about my own situation and I called a taxi. I knew what I had to do.
I went straight to the hospital to visit Nathaniel. We’d been through a lot, we pushed each other—we loved each other. When I arrived, he was lying on the bed; his chest was covered with bandages. He was pale, and his eyes were close.
Minutes passed, and I sat there looking at him, imagining if we were ever going to get married and be happy, like we were supposed to.
"How long have you been sitting here?" he asked after I dropped my head thinking about the night that we were together.
I looked at him and smiled lightly. His hazel eyes were shimmering, he tried to move but his face contracted with pain.
"Just a few minutes," I replied. "How are you feeling?"
“I'll survive but I guess I deserved this. Meredith shouldn’t have found out like that. She didn't deserve that kind of break up."
"My parents are getting a divorce; they’re not going to make it through,” I said ignoring his reflection about what happened.
He didn't say anything at first, he just stared at me.
“Julia, it’s going to be okay.”
“No, Nathaniel, it’s not. My dad isn’t even fighting for her; he’s giving up.” I began to cry, then clutched his hand. My heart was in pieces.
“Listen, we’re not them. I’ll fight for you. Do you understand? That’s all I’ve been doing all these months that you’ve been pushing me away. I love you and nothing you say or do will ever change that. You’re the one for me.” He reached over to dry my tears.
“I love you too, Nathaniel. You have to promise me there will be no more games, no more running away when things get tough. If you want this relationship to work, these are my terms.” I choked back a sob. “We’ve hurt so many people to get where we are. We can’t let that happen again. This is our final shot.”
“I promise, Julia. Whatever it takes.” I leaned across the bed and kissed him, hoping he would feel all the love I felt in my heart in that very moment. And he did.
We learned a valuable lesson—love hurts, but if you face your feelings head-on, then you won’t hurt others in the process. We had a lot to make up for, starting with making amends to the ones we hurt the most.
Thank you for reading Elf’s Affection (The Witching Hour Series Book 3)
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Elf's Affection: The Witching Hour Series Book 3 Page 25