Dreaming of you keeps me asleep. Being with you, keep me alive.
- Anonymous
Mia's dreams was topsy-turvy. One moment she was in a lush green garden, enjoying the sun and stuffing her face with cake and tea. The next, she was running from a crazed killer. As she ran, the background of her apartment melted away and Dante appeared on it. He stood there, looked at Mia with a pensive expression and took her hand in his. She was laughing as he whispered something in her ears. "I love you, Dante.", Mia said to Dante. She looked him in his eyes and his dark eyes turned pitch black.
"Aarrrgghhhh", Mia screamed as she woke up in cold sweats.
Mia was back in the room of luxury, Dante's museum/home. She felt something fluffy on top of her legs, and was comforted by the sight of Milo, her pup. Mia felt weird about the whole situation and what Victoria showed her earlier on. As she thought about Victoria's eyes, she got goosebumps crawling up her arms. 'What did I get myself into? Am I really in Hell?', Mia thought to herself.
The other pressing matter was the dream she just had. The last scene felt so real. She said the "L" word to Dante. The gorgeous guy who told her she was married to. Not that she minded a bit, he was one helluva (pun intended) fine guy but she really had no clue what to believe in anymore. But she felt like she knew him and there was a sense of familiarity with Dante. But the thing was, she was absolutely certain that she had never met him.
She grew up in an orphanage. St. Mary's all-girls orphanage, and the only guy she knew was the Father who was a kind man with warm eyes and he was 54 years old. The other people who were there were the nuns; again all-female and even the cleaning crew comprised of an all-female team. Her world was mostly shut in within the confines of the church, and once she was 18 was she kicked out of the program as she aged out, and she was living on her own working part-time jobs.
But surely, a man of Dante's caliber and stature, if she had met him, she would not have forgotten him. He was gorgeous to say the least, high cheek-bones, well defined eyebrows, dark luscious eyes, with an equally silky and voluminous black hair which Mia would love to run her finger through.
Mia snapped out of it. 'What was she even thinking?' She absolutely did not know him plus she was doubting what Victoria and Dante told her. She was married to Dante and in Hell. It sounded ridiculous but with what Victoria showed her, she was reconsidering things.
'Besides the one thing I do know for sure is Milo and he is right here if what they told me was true, then Milo serves as proof as I had Milo before I was technically married and maybe I really did lose some portion of my memories. For now, let's just go with the flow and believe that I really am in Hell and I am married to Dante.', Mia thought to herself as she went back to cuddling with Milo.
****
Dante looked over at Mia's sleeping form after he laid her down and tuck her in. "What do you have?", Dante spat out his words, his eyes never leaving Mia.
The shadow emerged from the curtains and answered Dante. "It has been done. He won't be able to track her any further."
Dante hummed an approval to the shadow.
"We need to discuss . . . her.", the shadow spoke.
Getting no response from Dante, the shadow took it upon itself to continue.
"She can't stay here. She does not belong here. The Gods will be angered if they know that she is here."
Dante interjected, "IF. If they know."
"It's only a matter of time before the Gods find out one of the mortal reached Hell before her timely death. Besides, even if she were to die, she still does not belong to Hell. She has committed no sins to warrant her time here.", the shadow argued.
"She is home and safe with me.", Dante spoke firmly.
"That is not for you to decide, Dante.", the shadow getting annoyed with Dante's lack of reasoning. For someone of Dante's caliber, who has never faltered in any decision-making, is so weak to a mere mortal. Like the Prophecy that was foretold, there will be no God nor Demon that would be able to defeat him but he will have one weakness which will lead to his downfall. This mortal was his one weakness and why he was so obsessed with her, the shadow couldn't comprehend.
If the other demons, knew his weak point, there was no way, Mia would be safe here.
"Plus she is on her third life now? Isn't it her last life to be reincarnated? If she dies an unnatural death again, her soul will never be able to be restored. And she will dissipate into nothingness."
Getting no response from Dante, the shadow sighed heavily and continued. "This is unfair to her. A human should have a fair chance to decide what he or she wants in their life. They are the creator of their own destiny. They can aspire to have their own dreams and choose their own path. Mia has already been denied this twice already. You doing this will hurt her again. And this time again, your selfish ways will only end up hurting her."
"I won't let that happen ever. She is safe with me.", Dante stubbornly refuted.
The shadow moved closer and hovered around Mia and gasped. "What did you do to her Dante? What have you done Dante! This is an abomination."