Eryxᯓᡣ𐭩
I leaned against the cold stone wall of the hallway, thinking about her. She had changed. The confident, almost defiant look in her eyes was a far cry from the girl I used to know, the one who used to laugh with me, challenge me, push my buttons just because she could. But there was something else there now-a coldness, a detachment that hadn't been there before.
Seeing Evelia again after all these years was like a punch to the gut. The way she looked at me-cold, distant, full of hate-it twisted something deep inside me. I had thought about this moment for so long, replaying it over and over in my head, imagining what I'd say, how I'd act. But none of it prepared me for the reality of standing there, facing her, with all that history hanging between us like a noose.
She had disappeared without a trace, leaving me in the wreckage of what our lives had become. We were just kids back then, but it didn't feel any less real. I had been angry, confused, and more hurt than I'd ever admit to anyone,she hates me for what happened, for how things ended between us. And maybe she has a right to after what I did.
But damn it, I was a kid, too. I was just trying to help her, to save her.
I hate her for what her father did to mine. That betrayal, the way it destroyed my family, it's something I can't forgive. Not now, not ever. And as much as I hate to admit it, part of me feels guilty for how things ended between us. I was too young to understand it then, but now... now I know that guilt doesn't change anything. It doesn't make up for what was lost.
I was lost in these thoughts, the anger simmering just beneath the surface, when I heard footsteps approaching. I didn't need to look up to know who it was. Cassian always had a way of finding me when I was brooding, as if he had a sixth sense for when I needed to be dragged out of my own head.
"Eryx" Cass's voice cut through my thoughts, casual but with that underlying concern I knew too well. "You're doing that thing again."
I glanced up, meeting his gaze. "What thing?"
"That thing where you look like you're about to kill someone," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Not a great look, by the way. Might scare off all your admirers."
I scoffed, pushing off the wall and shoving my hands into my pockets. "Not in the mood, Cass."
"Clearly," he said, stepping closer. "What's going on? You've been off since- Evelia"
I tensed at the mention of her name, but I didn't bother denying it. Cass knew me too well for that. "She's back," I muttered, more to myself than to him.
"Just waltzes back into my life like nothing happened."
Cass leaned against the wall beside me, crossing his arms. "And that's bothering you because...?"
I shot him a look, annoyed at how he could be so casual about this. "Because she left, Cass. Without a word, without anything. Just disappeared, like none of it mattered."
He was silent for a moment, studying me with that thoughtful look he always got when he was trying to figure out what was really going on in my head. "And you hate her for that."
It wasn't a question. Cass knew how to cut to the heart of things, even when I didn't want him to. I clenched my jaw, the words coming out harsher than I intended. "Yeah, I do. I hate her for leaving, for abandoning me. And I hate her for what her father did."
Cass nodded slowly, his expression serious. "But do you really hate her, Eryx? Or is it just easier than admitting you still care? She hates you. Can't say I blame her, but still..."
I looked away, the question hitting too close to home. Cassian had a way of seeing through the walls I built up around myself, but this time, I wasn't in the mood to let him break them down. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that she's back, and I'm not going to let her walk away again without facing the consequences."
Cass sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Revenge isn't going to fix what happened, Eryx. It won't change the past."
"I know that," I snapped, more harshly than I meant to. I took a breath, trying to rein in the anger that was threatening to spill over. "But it's all I have left. I can't just let her think she can come back after the shit her father did and everything will be fine. It's not fine, and it never will be."
Cass studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "So what are you going to do?"
The question lingered in the air between us, heavy with the weight of everything that had been left unsaid. I didn't have a clear answer, not yet. But I knew one thing for sure: I wasn't going to let Evelia just slip back into my life without paying the price for what she and her family had done.
"I'm going to make sure she knows what it feels like," I said finally, my voice cold. "To lose everything. Just like I did."
Cass didn't say anything for a moment, then he sighed again, shaking his head slightly. "Just... be careful, Eryx. Don't lose yourself in this. She's not the same person she was back then. And neither are you."
I nodded, but his words didn't fully register.
Evelia Allis, now that you're back. You're not leaving. Ever. Again. I won't let you. You'll stay and face the consequences. You'll see what it feels like to lose everything.
Hades, your most beloved father. You are the one he cherishes above all else in this world, the sole beacon of hope he clings to. But let's see how far the two of you can flee from my grasp, for even the strongest bonds are tested when pursued by forces beyond their control.