Separate Paths

Reaching the elevator doors of her apartment building Anai'ya took a peek at the man beside her. The bland expression on his face and the relaxed shoulders told her that the earlier conversation was over and done.

Rolling her eyes internally she pressed her floor number and the two ascended to the top floor in silence. A tinge of sadness came over her at the nature of their relationship. He was no longer the boy she grew up knowing nor was she the same girl he grew up loving. They had both walked the same path but along the line, they came upon a fork in the road, and their paths split. He went his way as did she. Two hearts beating as one heading in opposite directions never to converge again.

Many years ago when Hope was still alive they shared the purest of feelings for each other. He was the boy in shining armor in her life. He was someone she believed would be with her forever. She didn't know what love was at the time but now thinking back on it she was certain they loved each other before they even knew what love was. Such open and guileless love was mercilessly destroyed by fate.

After everything that happened with her family, she thought that the last thing to be taken from her would be him. Her haven. Her peace, but destiny said otherwise. Over the years their relationship soured and went from best friends to friends and finally to frenemies. The harsh reality of life made it this way. There was no going back. It was far too late.

Casting her eyes to the floor a tiny tear appeared in the corner of her eye. A last goodbye to the memory of their childhood together. She knew that from this moment forward they would be farther apart than ever before. The days ahead would only make their hearts colder towards one another.

He was here to help the man she hated the most in this life. His reputation and the nature of his work opened up the doors to working with anyone who could pay the price.

The man she once loved would work against her with the man who ruined her life while knowing the person he was helping Andre protect against was her. The irony of the situation was ridiculous. His ability to separate church and state made her angry but also made her admire him for it. It was a skill she wished she could master.

Hearing the elevator alert them that they had arrived at her floor they both stepped out and headed towards her apartment. The sounds of their steps echoed in the long hallway, the only sound between them was the small clicks of their heels on the marble floor.

Entering her home her little grey cat ran towards her purring as she picked him up and rubbed her face against his. A genuine smile graced her lips stunning the man beside her.

He felt envious of the cat receiving all of her love. The emptiness he felt inside as he watched the happiness dance in her eyes pained him. She never looked at him this way anymore. He suddenly felt extremely jealous of all the attention this scrawny cat was receiving that he could not get.

The deepest part of his heart where he hid all the love he had for her was getting smaller and smaller. The girl he loved in his teenage years had turned into a cold-blooded killer. The cunning and scheming woman she was now broke his heart. The coldness that surrounded her was enough to freeze Antarctica a hundred times over. He couldn't even see a shadow of the girl he loved in her anymore.

In all honesty, he was angry that she chose this version of herself over Hope. He wanted to punish her for giving up the light that had shown so brightly inside her for the darkness. Anai'ya killed his Hope, she was hellbent on destroying everyone and anyone who did her wrong. Revenge was all she could see, it blinded her to the point where she slept, ate, and breathed it.

He wanted to show her that this wasn't the way. He knew Andre and everyone who took her happiness away deserved her ire but he wished she wasn't directly involved with their downfall. She didn't belong in this world, she deserved to live, to laugh, and to love. He wanted her to live, to move on, and make her parents happy in the afterlife.

He could understand why she believed they wanted her to take revenge because that's how warped her mind had become. The hatred inside her blinded her from the truth. Her parents more than anything had wanted her to live a happy life, to live a life of forgiveness. He was there when they took their last breaths and they made him promise to safeguard her happiness and her brother's.

However, it had proved to be the hardest task he had ever been given. He thought that after they were gone she wouldn't have to suffer again but he was wrong. The trauma she endured with that family, the physical torment she went through forever changed her. He did everything in his power to help her regain the person she once was but it was to no avail. She refused to accept help from him or from anyone for that matter. She chose to let the darkness overtake her heart turning it black. It was easier than trying to heal her pain. That's why he was angry at her, she pushed him away and kept him at arm's length.

The hardest things in life don't come easy, healing from your pain is harder than taking the path of revenge. He wished with all his heart that there was still a small chance to redeem her. To save her. Whatever he had to do to achieve this he would do it. Even if to the outside world it seemed like he was against her and siding with her enemy he was fine with that. As long as the outcome was her soul he would do whatever was necessary to bring Hope back.