Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 208: Shattering truth (3)

"This isn’t funny, Theo. This is your life we are speaking about here. You never speak of death, even if you are telling a joke. It must be that I am still dreaming. Did I go back to bed?" Ophelia wondered, touching her forehead as she tried to remember what she had done before coming to see Theo.

"This is real, Ophelia. I want to die, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me from feeling this way," Theo said, raising his head to look Ophelia in the eye.

It was hard to share this news with Ophelia, but it needed to be said. He couldn’t let her continue planning a future in which he wouldn’t be around long enough for, or let her plan to bring a doctor to him when he didn’t want to see one.

Dante was right that Theo needed to tell Ophelia the truth.

Ophelia laughed and expected Theo to join her in laughter. She pinched her hand in an effort to wake her up from this bad dream.

Dante needed to leave for war, so her mind was in a negative place. It had to be the reason why she was hearing this now.

"I am going to pretend that you didn’t say this. That after all your efforts to keep fighting and be better, you have not come to this decision. Please," Ophelia pleaded, needing to hear Theo take it back. "Tell me that this is some awful joke."

Theo looked away from Ophelia when her eyes filled with water and a tear slid down her cheek. He didn’t like to see her cry, and he hated that he was the reason behind her pain.

"I’m sorry. You endured a lot of punishments to keep me well. I have made it this far thanks to you alone, and I will forever be grateful, but I am tired, and I am in pain. I hate lying in bed while the world goes by. I hated knowing that I was the reason you could not leave the castle," Theo vented.

"I know that this is selfish after all you endure to keep me alive, but I want to die. This is no way to live. Don’t hate me for it," Theo said, not wanting this to be the reason they were no longer close. "Please try to understand my wish."

Ophelia’s tears dampened her dress as they dripped from her cheeks. She wiped them with the back of her hand and tried to force a smile, but it wouldn’t last. She covered her mouth with her right hand, trying to stifle her cries.

Ophelia wanted it to be that this was an awful dream, or she had heard wrong, but it was all real.

Theo, who had been the only family she had for many years, wanted to leave her.

Ophelia was sad, angry, and disappointed, but she also knew she couldn’t force Theo to do what she wanted from him. She had given him many reasons to want to be alive, especially now with the castle, but they weren’t enough.

If all that Ophelia did for Theo up to this point wasn’t a good reason for him to want to be alive, then there was nothing she could do now.

Ophelia turned her head to the right to hide her tears from Theo. She hated to let him see this side of her because, between the two of them, she had been the one to keep herself together since their well-being all rested on her shoulders.

Tears started to fall from Theo’s eyes as witnessing Ophelia cry made him emotional. He had very few times overheard Ophelia crying when she thought he was asleep, but never had he witnessed it.

"I’m sorry. I truly am, but this is what I want," said Theo.

Seeing Ophelia cry did nothing to stop Theo’s thoughts about wanting to die. His mind was long made up, and there was nothing Ophelia could do to stop it now.

Ophelia abruptly stood up. "We will continue this talk when I return. I need some time to think about this and come to terms with it. I won’t be long."

"You are owed time," Theo replied, relieved that Ophelia hadn’t lashed out at him. Still, Theo hated that Ophelia wouldn’t look him in the eye.

Theo fidgeted with his fingers as Ophelia walked to the door. He hoped that Dante wasn’t too far away, so Ophelia would have someone near to comfort her.

Ophelia walked out of the bedchamber, doing her best to keep her emotions at bay whilst Theo could still see her.

Once she exited the chamber and closed the door, Ophelia stormed off. There was someone she had to see as anger plagued her mind.

"Lady Hastings, does your hand hurt?" Alice asked as she followed Ophelia closely. She was puzzled by Ophelia’s sudden change in appearance.

Alice didn’t get a response. Instead, Ophelia wiped her tears with her hand as she carried on.

Alice shared a look with Thomas. "What happened?" She mouthed, hoping Thomas had the answer, but he shrugged his shoulders. ’He’s always useless,’ she thought.

Alice could only quietly follow Ophelia.

In the end, Ophelia made her way to Giselle’s bechamber.

Ophelia didn’t wait for the guards to open the door. She opened it herself and entered the bedchamber, finding Giselle getting dressed with the help of maids.

Giselle looked away from the mirror before her, curious who could have been rude to intrude without her permission. Her guards dropped once she saw it was only Ophelia.

"Ophelia, dear. You frightened me. I was about to-" Giselle was silenced by Ophelia’s hand connecting with her face.

Giselle stumbled back, caught off guard by the attack. She palmed where she had been struck and looked at Ophelia in disbelief. Before she could yell at Ophelia for disrespecting her, another blow came, and this time, it was harder than the last.

Giselle’s face turned sideways due to the brunt force of Ophelia’s hits.

Giselle seized a moment to grab Ophelia’s hand just before she could be struck again. "Have you lost your senses?!" Giselle yelled, furious with Ophelia. Her cheek ached, and all Giselle could think of was how her face would swell in the morning.

Ophelia didn’t respond with words. Instead, she used her free hand to strike Giselle again.

If possible, Ophelia wanted to strike Giselle until she was no longer breathing. Slapping Giselle didn’t satisfy her.

Ophelia landed one last hit before Gisellle grabbed both of her hands.

Ophelia took deep breaths as she stared at Giselle.

"Thomas, escort Lady Valthorn to the dungeon," Ophelia gave the order.