74

ARTEMISIA

I did not know how long I had been in the crossed leg position-my now favourite position- I was in. All I knew was I didn't feel like standing from the spot I sat in.

I let out a deep exhale and clasped my palms in front of me.

I felt nothing. Only the soft whistling of the wind that rustled the curtain and the warmth from the candle lighted around me which enveloped me, was what I felt.

I was alone with no one to lean on.

Yet, it was relaxing to know I was away from everyone. From the outside world and reality of what my life was.

The lies, betrayal, and all.

Then, it all came back to me.

My teeth clenched as the memory I had been trying to shove aside surfaced. I bit my bottom lip as it trembled.

Sin had cheated. He had freaking cheated with my little sister.

I wanted to push out the thought but it wasn't as easy as I had thought.

I had naively trusted him. I thought he was different from everyone. Yet, he had shown me how callous he could be.

I didn't know how I had come to prefer him hitting me sometimes to what he had done.

I was hurting.

My heart ached and I bit my bottom lip again as my body began to tremble.

What have I done wrong to deserve all the things that were happening? I asked myself as I gazed up at the ceiling.

I was aware no amount of questioning myself would give me an answer.

I couldn't answer my questions yet I needed an answer.

Aside from that, I desperately needed someone to tell me it was a lie.

I had even given Emma up to three pregnancy tests to try again after seeing the five she had used.

I didn't want to believe everything that happened.

But, it was the truth. No matter how hard I try to block it out of my mind.

Emma was pregnant for sound.

The door to the room opened, jarring me out of my thoughts. And I turned to it, "I don't want to see your face!"

"It's me, Artemisia," Julie said as she stepped into the room.

"Oh, Julie." I flushed because I had assumed it was Sin that had stepped into the room.

I darted to her and wrapped my arms around her.

I sobbed into her chest and she let out a loud groan.

"Sin betrayed me. He did such a horrible thing with my little sister. I didn't think he had it in him but I realize Emma had been right all along."

"I know everything he did was wrong, but your sister isn't innocent in all of this. She is part of the betrayal." Julie said.

Emma wasn't.

But I was far more furious with Sin than I was with her. He was my mate. We freaking exchanged vows on the altar!

Now, it seemed everything had been a joke to him. I was a joke right from the start and it hurt badly.

The urge to unleash my anger on what was in the room surged through me. I felt like breaking everything my hand could reach.

Even if I didn't get pleased whilst doing it, I believe I would be satisfied momentarily.

"What did I ever do wrong to Sin?" I sobbed into Julie's shirt and she rubbed my back.

"It is so mean they treated me in that manner."

"Your sister is evil," Julie murmured. "And I wish I can deal with her myself. I won't hesitate to make her pay for all of this."

It was what Julie could do. She didn't give threats for nothing and she always followed through with everything she said.

But I didn't want her to deal with Emma. I didn't want to deal with her as well.

Yet, I couldn't let her win. I couldn't let her gloat at me whenever she saw me.

For Sin, I didn't think I would ever forgive him for what he had done.

He broke my trust and lied to my face. He made me believe nothing was going wrong and attempted to make me forget on several occasions by making love to me.

Goodness, how gullible was I? I Iet him touch me after he had been with Emma.

How many times had they done it? Once, twice? I didn't know.

But I could not brush off the image of them tangled up in a sheet from my head. The image I had last seen.

The little food I ate earlier regurgitated to my throat and the urge to barf filled me.

I surged out of bed into the bathroom on time to empty the content of my stomach.

"Artemisia!" Julie called. She sat beside me on the floor, grasped my hair, and rubbed my back whilst I threw up more.

"S-Sin!" I moaned, grasping my aching stomach.

"I am here for you," Julie murmured over and over again.

*****************

After I finished throwing up, I felt the sign of fever brewing and I stayed in the room for a while in case I got sick.

Again I didn't have anywhere to go. I was aware in no time the news of Emma's pregnancy would circulate the whole of Merene.

Everyone would know Sin was a cheater! They'd know my little sister was a slut.

But some might take it as nothing since it was rampant in merene, most of the men- werewolves, and humans- had a lot of concubines. They saw it as a normal thing to do so far they perform their duties.

And again, the news might not come out. Sin was powerful enough to stop it from spreading.

He was a king and not an ordinary werewolf. It would be a scandal if the news came out and it might taint his image as well.

I didn't know which would happen and I didn't care. What I didn't want was pity directed at me.

Rolling to my side, my eyes caught a framed photo of Sin and me. I grasped it and tossed it across the room

A small smile played on my face as I heard the shattering of glass.

It made me feel good. Perhaps, destroying things wouldn't be as awful as I had thought.

"Hey," Julie exclaimed, dodging yet another frame I tossed towards the door.

"Wow, I didn't know you were having fun." She joked. A small smile played on her lips as she stepped into the room.

Then it vanished almost as soon as her eyes settled on me.

"Oh, darling." She mumbled.

"I am fine," I repeated it over again. Even as she embraced me, I didn't stop.

I realized I was trying to assure myself rather than her.

I wasn't entirely fine but I wanted to be and I didn't know how I would be as well.

It felt as though each time I thought of what was going on, my heart ripped into two. And I couldn't fathom what had gone on even after the heart ripped.

I only wished I would be happy soon because it seemed the happiness wasn't forthcoming.