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Victor walks into the rooht fro on the switch I get the feeling he thought at first I ht’ve been asleep

He’s dressed from head to toe in refined sophistication, more-so than I’ve ever seen hierous beauty His tall forht at the door and then is bathed in shadohen he approaches the bed where I lay

"You’re leaving, aren’t you?"

"Yes," he says and sits down besidethe tops of his legs

"Are you going to come back?"

It takes him a moment to answer He keeps his eyes trained on theout ahead

"It will probably be best that I didn’t," he says

My heart lurches I s

"When Javier is dead, either Sao, or I’ll send Niklas for you"

The back ofto burn, the top ofto itch

I force the tears back

I don’t want hio at all, h I don’t knohy

"But what if others know?" I re the real reason why "What about John Lansen? What about all of the other ht know andfor me" I really don’t care if they do That’s not what I’ out that door and never seeing hi my features at first, until I notice it and let thes Indian-style on the bed and reach out to take his wrist, tugging on the sleeve of his jacket I halfway expected him to retract it from me, but he doesn’t He rests his hand upon the tops of esture, causes my throat to close up with e nervously against the cuff of his dress shirt

He didn’tto myself

Tears brim my eyelids, but I breathe the me in the eyes as his churn with conflict and indecision

I get the feeling that he doesn’t want to leave me here I feel it…I know it…

Slowly he stands up from the bed I sit here, frozen in a chaser and fear Fear! How can he accuse ?! I want to shout at his and takes up the gun suitcase in one hand

Instead, I wipe the few tears that did e to fall from my eyes and I say across the roo"

He turns only his head to look back atYou were so wrong…"

He holds his gaze onthe door and letting the darkness of the rooain

~~~

Sauess she wanted to give me time to myself because when she did finally coo, I could tell that she felt so at thatIt makes me wonder what they talked about in her bathrooer to have found out

I would hate her for knowing more than me, if she was an easy person to hate

But I realize I like her too much for that

"You know, Victor does this stuff all the time, Izabel" She patsin the same spot next to me where Victor last sat

"He’ll be fine" She srateful to hi you"

"What can you tell me about him?" I ask

She inhales a deep, concentrated breath and her eyebrows rise with that loaded-question sort of look

"Well, I’ already, so you can probably iine that I’etand really seeardless Itis better than nothing, I suppose