Part 23

[Present]

Lara looked at herself in the mirror, unblinking. She was now standing in the room which used to belong to Cardia's mother. The room was kept clean and everything was left untouched after his mother died, the butler had informed.

Lara didn't know whether to laugh or be sick by the insane truth of that information. She was surprised he didn't try to preserve her dead body, since it seemed like something he would do.

They were supposed to go clubbing that night and although she didn't want to go she had no choice. For Lucien was not asking her, he was merely telling her that she has to come with him.

The dress he told her to wear was one of his mother's and although it fitted her perfectly and was gorgeous, the mere thought of the fact that he was trying to melt her into the form of his dead mother made her want to throw up.

He never loved her, it was always his mother. When he looked at Lara, it was not her she saw. The thought hurt her more than she thought it should because she was sure she had fallen out of love with him - at least, she thought she was no longer as much in love as she used to be. But her own heart betrayed her.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and the door to the room swung open. Lucien stepped inside, his shirt a black one. His hair was unkempt but that made him look even more handsome. His grey eyes swept over her once and he smiled.

"You look radiant."

"I always do," she replied, not smiling back.

"Why do you look so sad?" He walked towards her and touched her cheek gently. "You look like you will break apart any moment. Did I do something?"

"No." She felt like she could cry any moment but strangely enough, her voice sounded composed. "I am fine. Let's go."

He kissed her cheek and then licked it. "You taste like makeup."

"Why do you know what makeup tastes like?" Lara threw the question at him, not really interested in hearing his answer.

"I used to taste mother's makeup when I was younger since she looked so pretty with it," he replied nonchalantly. Lara sighed. She wasn't even surprised anymore. "Come on, lets go."

Their car pulled up in front of a luxury hotel and she got out slowly, not really wanting to move. "You're wasting my time, love," he smiled emotionlessly. "Hurry the fuck up, Lara."

Lara still took her own time getting out and Lucien sighed before taking her hand in his and pulling her out of the car and to the gates. They walked through the large doors and past the reception to the elevator and he pressed the twentieth floor button. Lara looked out the windows of the glass elevator, her eyes sweeping over the street lights. The house he lived in was isolated and surrounded by only the Lethar property for at least twenty miles. Here, she felt more at ease, in the city full of lights and full of human lives. She looked at Lucien who stood staring at her.

"You're more beautiful than my mother ever was." he kissed her lightly. "Both appearance and personality wise. I love you."

Lara's throat felt like it was closing in. The elevator kept rising up.

"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes tearing up. She has decided to come here today for one reason and one reason only. The thought of what she was about to do made her feel guilty and she looked away from him. He looked at her evenly.

"For what?" he laughed and leaned his head back on the glass. This elevator ride was taking forever. "Not loving me? Its fine. I never expected you to love me back anyway."

"But everything I said before- I used to mean it," Lara continued gazing out the window. "You ruined it yourself."

"Yeah." The doors opened. "I am pathetic. Pathetic enough to still love you after you threw me away and were romancing with a serial killer."

Lara laughed, hysterical at the irony. Lucien looked back, his eyes meeting hers briefly. It was good to see her laugh. He knew she wouldn't stay with him and this was the last chance he was giving her to run away from him. He loved her but he was not good for her. If she was anything like his mother, she would try to run away. Somewhere far, far away, where he could not reach. He promised himself that if she did manage to achieve that this time he would let her go. Their hide and seek game had gone on for too long. He wanted to stay with her, he wanted her to love him, but he knew well love couldn't be forced. Now that he knew he had left an unforgettable impression on her life it didn't matter how far she ran away from him, she could never forget him. That was a little satisfactory but he wondered how long that satisfaction would last him after she left him, too.

He reached the casino and she raised her eyebrows. "A casino?"

He shrugged and then sat down on a comfortable chair, putting his legs on a table. "Three minutes, Lara. Do whatever it is you came to do."

Lara's heart thumped in her chest. Did he know? Of course he did. He always had a way of knowing. She could feel the money and passport weighing down her purse. She just had to make it out the building, to a cab, to the airport and then she could fly off to wherever, away from this whole ordeal.

"I won't chase after you, I'm tired." Lucien closed his eyes and Lara's heart ached. She loved him. Can she leave him behind? He was insane, sure. He hurt her, sure. But a life with him was better than a life without him. She hesitated, unable to make up her mind.

What do I do? She asked herself and looked at the gate leading out of the casino. The noises of women giggling and men grunting and the chips falling on the board mixed with the music in the background rendered her motionless.

"Run, Lara," he whispered, opening his eyes. They were trained on her and she noticed with a start that there was an emotion in them she had never seen before. Her body froze.

Pain. Tears.

Lucien was about to cry.

She looked down and blinked through her own tears before turning to the door. She refused to look back at him. Her resolve to run would not last for long if she looked at him for one more second and she had exactly three minutes to run away from him, run away from this hell of a life of a captive. She broke into a sprint as soon as the elevators reached the ground floor. Tears rolled down her cheek and she waved at a cab but before she could open the handle and get in, arms enclosed her from behind.

She tried to look back at the person who had captured her but before she could, he hit her head and her vision went black.

"Sad for you, you couldn't run fast enough."