She averted her eyes and looked at the man who unexpectedly appeared beside her, making her head spin at the sight of him. Closing her eyelids, she leaned against the wall of the building with her hand and opened her eyes again, staring at his figure. She didn't know whether it was another daydream or reality. She began to get lost. Likewise, she couldn't tell the difference. There was complete chaos in her head. She got the impression that she had begun to go crazy. She felt as if her imagination was playing tricks on her, and it was all one long dream. A dream from which she longed to wake up. And although this man made her heart beat like crazy, she was afraid of him. She was afraid of what he might do to her. Even though they were once in love with each other — he had changed. On the other hand, she was no longer the old Alison. That girl had died. Reborn, she began to live anew, with no memory of the past, of whom she once was, and especially of him....
However, now it all began to come back to her. The mistake she had made in her previous life still prevented her from functioning normally. She couldn't get away from it without being punished for it. The loss of memories made everything impossible for her. She was just a helpless person who they could use to take revenge. She found herself in great danger, and only now began to realize that she must have done something truly cruel. Something so terrible that Jack was able to hate Alison, despite the strong feeling he had for her. And it wasn't just that he had gone over to the side of evil. She had hurt him in some way. There was a reason he tried to hurt her.
The woman who helped her looked at Jack with delight. He ignored her, never taking his eyes off Alison. His gaze was so intense that the girl was afraid to look him in the face. She felt him watching her intently, which made her more confused. He was the only man who caused her to feel shy. And the only man who accomplished that, her heart felt like jumping out of her chest.
She blinked her eyelids as he extended his hand to her. At first, she thought it was just a figment of her imagination, but shook it off when she heard his voice again.
- Alison.
She lifted her gaze and dared to look him in the face. He was serious. Not even for a moment did he change his face, making him look like a sculpture. A beautiful sculpture that at that moment was looking solely at her. Instantly, she dismissed all doubts about the fact that he could hurt her and without a second thought gave him her hand. He embraced her and gently drew the girl towards him. She did not object. She felt pleasant shivers on her body caused by his touch. Furthermore, she felt like cuddling into him and laying her head on his chest. She wanted to do it so much....
She lifted her head and looked at his face. He squinted, shifting his gaze to the woman, who was still stuck in one place, not taking her eyes off them.
- Why are you still here? - he turned to her in a cool tone, and then the woman shook herself out of her cupid and, confused, reddened her face. She hastily turned on her heel and walked away. A smile appeared on Jack's face, with which he made Alison's knees bend. She had a flash of memories again, only this time they were not among the most pleasant.
*
She was in a bright room, and there were many other people pointing fingers at her. Terrified, she looked around, and her gaze was caught by Jack, sitting at Rafael's side. They were both furious, but there was visible disappointment painted on Jack's face. He stared at the girl with such a look on his face that she felt as if her heart was about to burst.
- How could you do this to me? I didn't think you would turn out to be the traitor. You were the person I trusted the most. Why? - He asked with palpable pain in his voice.
She felt tears gathering under her eyelids. She felt like bursting into tears and falling to her knees, asking him to forgive her. The pain was unbearable.
- I'm sorry," she whispered quietly. - I'm sorry that you trusted me, but I did the same by trusting you. If I had known your true intentions, I would not have let you take your place in my heart. I would never have betrayed my brothers and sisters.
Jack bit his lip, and Rafael burst into a torrent of the worst curses against Alison. He hurled slander until one of the men silenced him, making him unable to open his mouth, choking on his venom.
- You contributed to turning my love for you into pure hatred instantly," Jack replied, looking into her eyes. - And I did all this with you in mind! I wanted us to be able to live a normal life, not hiding from this idiotic ban!
- It's not my fault. You yourself got rid of all feelings. You are no longer my Jack. Likewise, you are not the same angel I loved," she said. And although she felt as if she was dying out from the inside, she could not give vent to her true feelings. She knew perfectly well that this was the last meeting before each of them would serve their punishment. The last meeting in which she knew and loved him. The last meeting in which she was an angel.
Jack gave her a sharp look that made her heart pound again. He rarely looked at her that way.
- I know very well what punishment they chose for you. Don't think to yourself that I won't find you! I will, and then I will take revenge. I won't let you forget the past. Furthermore, I won't let you forget about me!
The image blurred, so Alison woke up and fixed her frightened gaze on Jack, who was still holding her hand tightly. She felt tears coming to her eyes, which she tried to chase away by hastily blinking her eyelids. He noticed them, however, because he pulled the girl close to him, making her fall into his arms. With one hand, he put his arm around her waist, while the other took her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.
- What have I done to you? Why did I feel such pain in my heart, even though it was just a memory? - She asked quietly, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
He looked at her carefully, as if to see if she actually looked the same as when she was an angel.
- You made me feel as if someone had ripped out my heart and trampled it with a shoe. You just did that," he whispered, touching her cheek. She closed her eyelids, relishing his touch. She longed for it. And even though she should have felt fear in his presence, the opposite was true. She felt like she had found a safe haven that would not allow anyone to hurt her.
Before she opened her eyes, she felt a strong dizziness, and then her back landed on a soft mattress. She blinked her eyelids in surprise when she noticed that she was lying on the bed. She lifted her head and looked around her room.
How is this possible, she thought.
*
Holding Jack's hand, she happily followed at his side, laughing and specially teasing him, which slowly drove the angel crazy. He made strange faces, and she snapped at his nose, trying to make him feel better. He wasn't the same as always. Today, in particular, he behaved differently. Not once did she see a smile on his face. Something was bothering him, but he would rather not tell her the truth. He was mysterious, and they never had secrets from each other.
- Stop," he replied in a stern tone as she once again tried to bite his ear. The smile disappeared from her face, and Jack let go of the girl's hand and walked away from her, sitting down on a thick branch. Surprised, she looked closely at his movements, but he did not glance at her once. She felt that he was angry, which surprised her incredibly, since he perpetually walked around smiling, and when something was wrong, he would simply put on a mask, not allowing her to notice a change in his mood. Now it was different. He wanted her to see it.
- What's the matter? Why are you acting so strangely? - She asked and froze when he threw her an uncomfortable look. - Jack...
- Do you all the time have to pretend to be a carefree angel who can only play? Don't you care that since we've been together, we've been breaking the rules that are set by the Archangels? Don't you worry about what will happen to us when they finally discover the truth? I think about it all the time, angel. I can't stand it when we are separated. You are the most important thing to me, and I can't imagine losing you," he said more softly, and she felt tears coming to her eyes. She thought about this every day. She just pretended that everything was fine, so in his presence she tried to be happy and live as if this were going to be their last moment together. Furthermore, she didn't allow herself to think that they could ever be separated.
- I just try to forget about it. Now I'd rather live by your side, having fun and laughing, than regret later that I didn't do it. I don't know what the future holds for us, Jack, but the truth is that we won't be able to hide for all eternity. They will eventually cover us, so I want us to be happy while we can. Do you understand now?
- So will you come to terms with it when they separate us? You will just forget about me like that! - He raised his voice, and the girl froze. She stared at him for a long moment, not knowing what to answer. It hurt her that he thought of it this way. After all, she was only trying to come to terms with the truth. - What I want most is for us to be together forever. You are the most important thing to me, angel. I can't imagine spending all eternity without you," he added, rising from the branch. He went up to her and hugged her tightly, and she rested her head on his chest. - You are mine, angel. And I'm sure I'll think of something. I won't let anyone take you away from me.