Page 18 of Uprising

My mother glances at my father. He frowns for a second, clearly weighing it up. He wants everyone to know a Capulet is the wife of the Governor but he needs Darius’s favour.

“You want her to take your name?” He says.

Darius smiles. “She’s my wife. Why would she not take my name?”

I don’t say anything. None of this concerns me after all. I’m an object being sold here. A ware being passed from one owner to the next.

“Fine.” My father says. “But any children you have will bear both your names, both Capulet and Blumenfeld.”

My stomach churns just like it did every time Paris used to bring up the idea of children.

“Naturally.” Darius says so smoothly it feels like someone is walking on my grave.

They’re sealing my fate right now. The three of them. They’re here, literally picking at the pieces that make my corpse, deciding which bits of me they want and which bits aren’t worthy to keep.

And from what I can tell it’s the same shit as last time.

The only parts Darius wants is my name, the bits he likes to fuck and my womb. The rest of me is surplus to requirements.

Rose

We’re in his house, in his bed, curled up. I don’t know what the time is. I don’t care.

I only know Roman is here, that he’s with me, and in this moment that’s all that matters.

He leans in and kisses my lips gently, softly.

I feel the lingering imprint of that kiss so deeply in my soul as he does it.

“Rose.” He murmurs.

Even the way he says my name does something to me.

I blink, feeling a wave of sorrow, a wave of guilt. My tears are falling hard down my cheeks.

He brushes each one aside with his thumb but more fall.

Only they keep falling. They don’t stop.

“I’m letting you down.” I whisper it.

“No.” He says.

“I am. I’m betraying you.”

He shakes his head.

“I can’t do this, not without you.”

“You can Rose, you’re so much stronger than you realise.”

I sob then. I’m not strong, I’m weak. So weak. I keep ending up in this same shitty situation and every time I’m out manoeuvred. Beaten. Pathetic.

He pulls me in, holds me to his body, and I can smell him as I bury my face into his neck.

“Forgive me.” I say.

“There’s nothing to forgive.” He says back.