Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 24

Hades~

The papers had been delivered for corresponding signing, and even with the pen in hand and the document before me, my mind wandered back to the princess.

Those damn eyes were seared into my memory like a brand, the open refusal to submit to me maddening. She should have accepted by now, yet she attempts to end herself instead.

Her laugh echoed in my head, the memory of that sound making my skin prickle. That smug bastard was right—she had managed to get under my thick skin. Nothing and no one should have been able to incite such a visceral reaction from me. I knew myself to be level-headed and calm, no matter the situation. But that damn woman...

She was too much of a coward to endure a little while of hardship. Yet the way she had put the gun to her head would not leave me. Her eyes had been filled with defiance, daring me to embrace my disdain and end her myself.

I ran my hand through my hair, my vision darkening. I had to keep myself in check before I lost it. My left eye began to sting. I pulled out the third drawer and retrieved my pills. I swallowed the pills dry, feeling the bitterness coat my tongue.

I slammed the drawer closed, my hand flexing as if to crush something. I felt my fountain pen give way beneath the force of my grip. I threw the pen; it hit the wall, piercing it.

Damn her.

I got up from my seat, unable to remain sitting in the chaos that my mind had become. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. I took a long drag and felt some tension leave me with a single breath.

It had been a while since I’d laughed like she had yesterday. Hollow, filled with nothing but anguish as I had held her bloodied body to myself. No tears had come—my body had none to provide—only laughter as her body grew colder and colder beneath my touch.

My jaw locked, the tension returning. I took another drag, letting my broad shoulders slump. I had been so damn close to pulling the trigger. So close to letting her head burst open from the impact of my bullet at point-blank range. But in the end, she would have won. In turn, Darius Valmont would have won too.

I puffed out a cloud of smoke, watching it swirl and dissipate into the air. The nicotine helped, but only slightly. It couldn’t quiet the storm inside me—the raging conflict between what I wanted to do and what I needed to do.

And that fight—her damn refusal to bend, to submit—made me want to break her all the more. Not just physically, but in every way that mattered. I wanted her to understand that resistance was futile. That there was no escape, no salvation. _{freewebnøvel.com}

"Your Majesty," a voice came over the intercom. I returned to my seat, pressing the button.

"Yes?"

"Her Highness, Lady Felicia, has arrived. She will be with you shortly."