“This might sting,” he warned; it felt like a small electric shock through my neck. My body tensed and I winced in pain. It only lasted a moment though. He lifted his fingers from my neck and the look of satisfaction crossed his face.
I pressed my own fingers to my neck to feel for the mark, but I felt nothing.
Joseph’s mark was gone.
…
“I can’t believe I didn’t even get a phone call!”
My best friend, Rita, woke me the next morning. She stood at my doorway with her arms folded across her chest and her frown deepening as she stared around my pale features. It was the next morning, and I knew my father or one of my brothers, would alert her that I have returned.
Rita is one of the strongest and fiercest grammar warriors I knew. She’s been training most of her life and by 10 the time we were 10 years old, my father hired her to protect me. He trusted her because of her strength and determination to protect the kingdom. We became one of my best and most trusted friends.
I knew she’d be upset that I disappeared for 3 years. I never wanted to abandon her, and I missed her every day.
My entire body felt weak, and I struggled to sit up in my bed. I stared at the cup at my bedside; my handmaiden, Laura, brought me tea last night before I went to bed. I almost forgot what it was like to have Laura’s care. She has worked for the family for years; she was assigned to me when I was only a little girl. She must have felt lost with me gone the last 3 years.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly as tears filled my eyes.
“We haven’t heard from you in 3 years, Mariana. We were so worried,” she came around to sit beside me on the bed. “I was so worried,” she added with a small croak.
I stared at her through my misty gaze; I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer.
“Oh Rita,” I sobbed. She quickly wrapped her arms around me and held me tightly. “It was awful… it was so awful. I lost her. I lost her,” I kept sobbing.
“Who?” She asked, trying to keep herself together for my sake.
“Alice,” I sobbed. “I lost Alice.”
“You’ll get her back,” she whispered, tightening her hold around my frail body. “I promise.”
I looked up at her and saw her eyes were also misty; she hated to see me this broken apart. I hated worrying about her just as much.
She stared around my face with a small frown.
“You’ve lost so much weight,” she whispered, observing me carefully. She looked around my body and then her eyes landed on the small needle marks along my arm. She gasped. “Oh Mariana,” she cried. “What have they done to you?”
This only made me cry harder; she joined me in crying as we embraced.
…
I was dreading returning to the home I shared with Joseph; but I had to get my belongings from him, along with a couple of important documents from his office. Thankfully, I didn’t have to go alone. Rita accompanied me; after we finished talking and crying all morning, we both got dressed and took one of the cars back to Joseph’s home.
His car was gone, so either he was working, or he was at the hospital with Tina.
I went through the home with a small bag, gathering my supplies. I grabbed the little clothing I had from my bedroom and some jewelry I had when I first moved in. Anything he bought me, or I received while I was married to him, I left alone. I didn’t want to take the memories with me.
I heard the loud sound of something falling in the kitchen, which startled us both. We made our way through the house and toward the kitchen, only to find Joseph’s younger sister, Ella, attempting to cook herself food.
She was useless when it came to the normal household things.
She scoffed as soon as she saw me entering the kitchen.
“Where have you been?” She hissed. “I’ve been waiting for you to make me breakfast.” She folded her arms across her chest.
During my years of living here, she always treated me like I was her personal servant and not the Luna of the Alpha.
“Your brother and I have divorced yesterday,” I told her, trying to keep my tone even.
Her eyes widened and she stared at me for a long while, trying to see if I was joking or not. Once she realized I was serious, she broke out into a grin. I knew she would be happy of the news, she never liked me.
“Well, in that case, don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” she said cheerfully.
I rolled my eyes and began walking out of the kitchen. Rita followed closely behind as we made our way out of the front door, only to be stopped by Ella.
“Wait,” she called after me, her tone hardening. “Why did you return here?” She asked suspiciously. “What’s in the bag?”
I looked at the bag and back at her.
“My stuff,” I told her. “I wanted to come when Joseph wasn’t around.”
“Are you sure you aren’t trying to steal something?”
“I already told Joseph in the agreement that I didn’t want anything of his,” I said flatly.
I could feel Rita tensing from beside me as she was trying to keep her cool.
“So, you wouldn’t mind if I looked in your bag?” Ella asked, tilting her head to the side.
I straightened my stance and threw the bag in her direction.
Rita took a step toward her like she was about to attack but I grabbed her arm, keeping her steady. She looked at me and I gave her a knowing headshake.
Ella examined the contents of the bag carefully before rolling her eyes and throwing it back at me.
“Fine,” she muttered. “Get off our property.”
I said nothing more as I got into the car; Rita slid into the driver’s seat and revved the engine.
“Wait a minute,” Ella spoke loudly enough for me to hear inside the car. I rolled down the window and tried to keep as calm as I could.
“Your wedding ring. It doesn’t belong to you anymore. I supposed you are going to try to steal that and sell it so you can keep ends meet? Being an orphan that has nothing and all.”
I stared at her for a long while; I almost forgot the wedding ring was still in my hand.
I looked down at it; it was a large diamond with a golden band.
I didn’t want to keep it as a memory; I didn’t want to remember anything.
“Get rid of the wedding ring,” Rita muttered, reading my expression.
I pulled the ring off my finger for the first time in 3 years. Just as Rita pressed firmly on the gas, I threw the ring out the window.
