Page 84 of Blood and Roses (Tainted Hearts 3.5)

So I closed my eyes and hopelessly dreamed that when I opened them again, my Angel would be here. That our fairy tale wasn’t bloodily tainted.

My eyes opened.

Silence.

Emptiness.

Nothing.

Just…empty. Alone yet again. It fucking hurt, and I clenched my eyes closed again, choking back a horrible sob. The droplets of tears slid down my cheek, almost burning in realization.

My Maria was never coming back. No matter how many times I closed my eyes and dreamed of her…it was all broken.

Her blood had flowed…red as roses.

My palm laid over my bandaged chest, feeling my heartbeat. The bullet I took to save my family, it didn’t kill me. It almost hit my heart, but it missed.

I thought I had died. I remembered seeing my Maria, but then she disappeared, and I was thrust back into the present, alive, breathing.

It wasn’t my time to go yet. It wasn’t my time to reunite with my Angel yet…but one day soon. Maybe I was kept alive all this time for this. A purpose. Maybe I was meant to be here, to save Alessio and his family.

So many years ago, I failed mine.

This was my second chance.

I hadn’t had a chance to save my Angel, but I saved my son’s Angel.

I couldn’t save my Princess, but I saved Alessio’s,

A full circle of life. I found my redemption, and it felt like I could finally breathe a little.

My gaze found our portrait on the wall. My Angel was smiling down at me.

I miss you in ways that nobody could comprehend. No even words can understand.

I wanted to beg her to come back. Come back, Angel. Stay just a little longer. Let me kiss you one more time. Let me feel your arms around me. Let me love you. One last time.

But I knew she was somewhere so far, far away, way beyond my reach.

What a funny way to live our vows…till death do us part.

No. Not even death could separate us.

Maria was mine. Always would be. And I was hers. Till my last fucking breath.

There would be no other. For my Angel was the only one.

And that was my vow.

My Angel had wanted a fairy tale. I had given her that. I was her salvation. She was my redemption. Except as much as our fairy tale was beautiful and mesmerizing, it had a sick, twisted ending.

Angels deserve happily ever after.

Monsters like me don’t. My darkness became hers, and our life became tainted.

We didn’t live happily ever after.

I touched the portrait and traced her beautiful, smiling lips.

But when I did have her in my arms…when we had each other, when we were together, we were happy. Love stories like ours didn’t have endings.

It lived on forever. As beautiful and as flawed as it was.

Until we meet again, Angel.

THE END

Or is it?