Self-Conclusion

Three things flashed through my body: unadulterated loathing, undeniable jealously, and an overwhelming amount of sadness. But, how else are you supposed to feel when you find out something like that? News so horrific that your world cracks and falls into the abyss that has opened beneath your and leaves you smothered by darkness.
"What?" That was the only thing I could force my mouth to utter. What else is there to say when you come to find your sister and the only man you ever loved wrapped around each other?
"Oh, Valencia! You're home!" my dear, older sister exclaimed, finally ending my soul-sucking torture and disengaged from him. "I wanted the family to finally meet my fiancé, Ezra. Ezra, this is my little sister, Valencia."
Ezra did nothing but stare at me in horror. He hadn't known Adelina and I were sisters. I refused to talk about her, afraid that he would realize she was the better sister. That plan obviously failed. Adelina never talked about anyone other than herself.
"Ezra, is it? It's so nice to meet you! Adelina told us so much about you. I feel like I know you already," I said in a sickly sweet voice. I smiled brightly at him, shaking his hand. He shook my hand, too confused to do anything else. "It was nice to meet you, Ezra, but I just realized that I was supposed to be anywhere else but here."
I sprinted out the door before anyone could stop me or see that my façade was failing. Running as fast as I could, I ended up at the once place I had always avoided. It invoked the same strong feelings that were raging inside me after that wonderful encounter. This was the first time I had ever visited this place. Hopefully, the last. Death and darkness surround this location.
Cold air whipped my hair around my face and made goose bumps rise on my exposed skin. In my need to escape the house, I had forgotten to grab a jacket I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to provide myself with some warmth as I crossed the uneven terrain. I approached the cliff, stopping just before I crossed the point of no return. Gazing down, I saw the water crashing into the side of the cliff. The sun was setting, the warm hues evaporating into cold darkness.
Who knows how long I stood there? By the time I realized any time had passed, the sky had completely succumbed to night and the water below me had become increasingly violent. The water retracted far enough from the cliff that you could see the sharp rocks at the base, waiting to claim the fallen.
I was mesmerized for a second, just staring down at the death trap, thinking about how quickly things would end if I just shuffled forward a few inches.
"Are you going to do it?" a deep voice asked, scaring me out of my trance-like state. Terrified, I turned to find the person who spoke, only to find a black silhouette lurking behind me.
"Excuse me?" How long had he been there? Surely not that long. I hadn't seen him when I walked up here. Thinking back, I couldn't remember. I only remember growing cold and watching the ground. So, I guess it was possible he was there.
"Jump, I mean. Are you going to jump?" he clarified. He moved closer, but the light kept him obscure.
That was a good question. I didn't know if I had planned on it when I came up here, but I had certainly entertained the thought. The rocks were just so tempting. It would end the unholy suffering I faced at home. I could disappear into that black abyss with one quick motion.
"I don't know," I whispered. The tears that had been building since the incident finally broke the dam.
The man was close enough now for me to see him clearly. He towered over me, forcing me to look up at him. He had dark, short hair. Blue eyes gazed down at me. He wore a black suit with the jacket hanging open revealing the white button up underneath and a black tie loose around his neck. My heart stopped for a second as I took in this man. A minute later, though, I regained my senses.
"Who are you?" I demanded. For all I knew this man was a murderer waiting for vulnerable girls like me to come around.
"Bennett," he said, calmly, holding his hand out. "What about you, beautiful?"
"Valencia," I replied, shaking his hand. I was taken back by the superlative. No stranger to had ever called me that. The one person that had only used any sort of pet name for me was the same person that had brought me to this place. I banished that thought quickly before I made myself cry even worse. "What are you doing up here?"
"Oh, just taking a midnight stroll," he said, nonchalantly. His voice sounded normal, but there was a flash of something in his eyes. Upset, pain, anger maybe? He continued to talk not allowing me to speak. "Why are you here? And why are you crying?"
His questions just made my cry harder. He sounded so concerned. No one else seemed to care about me. Before today, I believed Ezra cared about me. I guess I was sorely mistaken. The whole time we were "together" he was with my sister.
Through my sobs, I was able to summarize my pathetic tale. "It turns out that the guy I have been in love with for years is now getting married. Not to some random whore, either. My sister."
My sobs transformed into hysterical laughs. The whole situation was surreal. The love of your life is cheating on you with your sister, they get engaged, and now he's becoming your brother-in-law. The best part is that he wasn't going to tell me. My life had become a bad Lifetime move.
"You're going to let him ruin your whole life?"
"He was the only thing in my life that was good. One thing after another has screwed me up. There's no fixing me or my life now."
Bennett didn't respond. Standing there, he studied me. Tears were still streaming down my face. I'm sure taking my make up along with them. Shivers wracked my body making me visibly shake and my teeth chatter. He removed his suit jacket and passed it t me. I almost refused, not wanting him to freeze, but then I realized that I could no longer feel anything from my elbow down. He led me back to a bench I had missed in the darkness. We sat no more than two inches apart. The right side of my body tingled and I couldn't tell if it was because Bennett was sitting next to me or the cold air finally being registered.
"You know, this is the part of the book where the girl meets a mysterious stranger and starts to fall in love with him," I said, trying to break the tension and lighten the mood.
He looked at me with one eyebrow raised and a smirk on his lips. "Is that you're way of telling me you've already fallen in love with me?"
"No! I was just trying to break the silence!" I said, blushing. He didn't say anything else, just laughed. A few minutes later, we were back in the uncomfortable silence.
"What if I tried to fix things?" he eventually asked. Seeing my skeptical expression, he elaborated, " I mean we barely know each other, but why not? The worst thing that happens is we find out we can't stand each other. We can try being friends, try helping each other out." This couldn't be happening. A complete stranger was more concerned about me than my family. He wanted to help me. He might be a killer, just trying to earn my trust before hacking me up. If that's the case, well, then, I guess it could be worse.
"Okay, but, wait," I said, realizing something. "What if you hurt me?"
"I wouldn't do that to you, not after all that you've been through," he said. He looked sincere. He sounded sincere. I almost believed him but everything that had happened to me, planted the seeds of doubt in me. I wanted to believe this man could actually promise me that. At this point, though, what did I have to loose?
"All right, fine. We can try this, whatever this is. I swear to God, if you hurt me, I'll be right back up here and you won't be able to stop me," I vowed. If he hurt me just like everyone else had, then what's the point of continuing. It would prove that I was meant to live in a world of suffering.
"Settle down there, precious. I know what you're feeling right now. Ten minutes before you got here, I was standing right where you were."
"What stopped you?"
"I heard you coming," he said simply.

I waited for him to continue, to explain. But he didn't say anything else. He continued to stare at me, making the heat rise to my cheeks. I didn't know what to say. I just wanted him to stop staring at me like that, like he could see every break and rip on my heart. Thankfully, I wasn't required to say anything. The sound of my name yelled distracted us. It was the last voice I wanted to hear right now. I shot Bennett a look of pure terror. He understood immediately.
"Well, as our first act of friendship, I should offer you a place to stay" he said calmly.
I didn't understand how he could be so calm. It was too soon to have this confrontation. I was not ready to see his face.
"That would be great. If we could just go now."
He was getting closer. His voice grew louder every second. Bennett nodded and moved forward, grabbed my hand, and led me toward a group of trees in the opposite direction of the path I had taken to get up here.
Just as we approached the first few trees, I heard Ezra's voice only a few feet behind us. I made the mistake of glancing behind me. We noticed each other at the same time. He got quiet and I stopped moving. Bennett tugged on my hand. I didn't budge at first. The regret and sorrow in his eyes caused my heart to break even more. I wanted to go to him and console him but Bennett's hand anchored me to the spot. Sensing my new feelings, Bennett pulled me into the trees and out of sight. At my disappearance, Ezra started shouting my name again. I heard his feet pounding on the hard earth.
"Go, go, go!" I urged Bennett. I needed distance between Ezra and I and I needed distance from these feelings.
He took off, leaving me to stumble behind him. There was no light. Every bush and tree root managed to grip my foot, trying to drag me to the hard, cold earth. Bennett moved gracefully, avoiding all obstacles. He slowed slightly and helped me through the trees. I held on to his hand tightly, fearing if I let go the darkness would swallow me whole. The streetlights shined between the trees and I knew I was almost safe. Bennett broke through the trees and onto the sidewalk. I was seconds from joining him when my foot caught on something and I fell forward. Bennett was there in a second, catching me effortlessly in his arms. He had me held tight against him, my hands pinned flat on his chest.
"Are you okay?" he whispered. I nodded then glanced up and got trapped in his gaze. In that second, I forgot why we were there, why we were out of breath. Until the sounds of someone stomping through the brush a few feet behind us caught our attention. Bennett released his hold on me in favor for my hand again. We took off again, our pace faster than before. "We're almost there. He won't find you."
We dashed down the street parallel to the water. He took a hard right followed by a few more turns before slowing down. I panted while I walked, trying to get air back in my lungs and my racing heart to slow. Bennett walked a few paces ahead of me, looking unaffected the sprint we just had. We were in an apartment complex now, approaching the last building in the complex. He led me inside and down the stairway, stopping in front of a door at the bottom of the steps.
"It's not much," he said, taking out his keys. He twisted the lock open then the door. He motioned for me to enter. Inside, the apartment was plain but cozy. There was a black, leather love seat and a office chair with a floor lamp behind it. The only other furniture was a coffee table and television.
"It's wonderful. Better than the home I have."
We stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. I wasn't sure what to do. Do I sit down? Do I wait for him to tell me what to do? This was a bad idea. I should have just gone home and faced whatever torture was waiting for me.
"Well, this is the living room," he walked forward toward the tiny hallway where you could see the rest of the apartment. "That's the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom." He moved into the bedroom with me following. "You can take the bed. Help yourself to any clothes."
"Thank you for the clothes, but I can't take the bed. You've already done too much for me just letting me stay here. I only need a blanket and a pillow and I'll be fine."
"That's not the gentlemanly thing to do. I've been the perfect gentleman so far and, madam, I ask that you allow me to continue," he said with a bow. "You've had a rough day, so get some rest. I'll be in the living room if you need anything." He paused before leaving, grabbing some clothes. He grabbed the door knob to shut as he left. "Good night, Marceline."
"Thank you, Bennett, for everything." He smiled and nodded, then shut the door. I looked around the room, unsure if I should dig through his stuff to find something to wear. I ignored the drawers and went to the closet to find a shirt, only finding dress shirts. I pulled a blue one from its hanger hoping that Bennett wouldn't mind and undressed. Quickly, I pulled on the shirt, feeling awkward about being uncovered in a stranger's bedroom.
I carefully pulled back the blanket and slid underneath so it just covered my legs. My phone sat on my lap, the black screen glaring up at me. I didn't know what to expect when I unlocked it. There could be dozens of texts and calls from my family or there could be just a blank screen. I wasn't sure what I was hoping for. I hesitantly unlocked the phone and found a few texts and a couple missed calls, all from Ezra.

Ezra: Marcy, please come home and let me explain.

Ezra: I love you. I didn't know you would be here. Adelina didn't tell me her sister's name. This wasn't how you were supposed to find out.

I ignored the texts and listened to the voicemail. "Marceline, please pick up. I don't know who're with or where you are but you need to let me know your safe. You don't even have to speak to me, just come home so I know where you are. I'll be up waiting and will have my phone by me at all times. Please - please let me know you're safe. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. Okay. I love you."
The tears built and spilled. I left the phone against my ear, only taking it away to push play on the message to listen to it over and over again. I was determined to cry until there were no tears left and I passed out.
Collapsing sideways, I brought the blanket up and over my head and kept the phone trapped between my head and the bed. The only noise I could hear were my sobs and Ezra's voice repeating, "I love you. I love you."

I woke up to silence. Ezra's voice was gone and my crying had stopped. There wasn't even noise from Bennett in the living room. He had to be up by now, it was morning or at least that was what the sun shining in my face wanted me to believe. My eyes were glued shut and sore. I only made them hurt more as I pried my eyelids open. I gently sat up and pushed the blanket off. I reached down for my phone and saw the pillow I used last night wet from the tears and covered in black mascara stains.
Jumping off the bed, I took the pillow case off, feeling like a horrible person. Bennett had been kind enough to give me a place to stay for the night, give me some clothes, and let me take his bed from him and now I ruin one of his pillow cases.
I opened the door and snuck my head out. The bathroom door was open and the light was off. The kitchen was empty too. I craned around the corner to see into the living room. Empty. I dashed into the bathroom, flipped the light switch, and shut the door. I turned the faucet on and threw the pillow case into the sink. The first soap I found was a bar of body soap. I grabbed it and started scrubbing at the black marks on the fabric. The dark marks lightened but were still visible. It didn't matter how hard I scrubbed or how long the marks wouldn't disappear.
After a few more futile minutes, I sighed and gave up. I draped the wet pillowcase over the shower rod and glanced in the mirror. There were black streaks all over my face and my hair was tangled and sticking up in odd directions. I turned the water back on and did my best to rub off the marks. I toweled my face off and tried to attack my hair. There was no brush to be found so I used my fingers to tame it. It didn't help. I gathered it up and roped the rubber band around it. It wasn't great but at least it looked a little intentional.
With nothing left to do, I opened the door. Bennett stood with his back to me, facing the open bedroom door. He turned at the sound of the door opening with his hands full of donuts and orange juice. When he saw me, the juice dropped to the floor. The box of donuts slid to join the juice but both of us jumped to catch it. Instead of catching it, we collided and fell backward.
I landed on my butt on the hard bathroom floor. Bennett lied on the floor across from me clutching his head. Donuts were strewn on the floor between us. I crawled over to Bennett, avoiding the food.
"Are you okay?" I asked, scared that I had hurt him.
"I'm fine. Just a little bump. I can't say the same for the donuts."
We both gathered the donuts and put them back in the box but leaving sprinkles and glaze scattered on the floor. Bennett grabbed the box and I took the juice as we moved into the living room.
"Where's your vacuum?"
"Don't worry about it. I'll clean it up."
"Please let me do it. I feel like you've done so much for me and I may have ruined your pillowcase, at least let me do this," I told him, stepping a little closer.
"My pillowcase?" he asked, confused.

The blanket whipped in the wind as I tried to spread it out on the warm sand. Once it touched the ground, I secured it in place by throwing my bag on top of it. I stretched out on it, letting the sun heat my skin and disintegrate the black tendrils that had attached themselves to my ankles, trying to drag me down to the black abyss.
Free of the darkness, I took out my phone and book from my bag. I shoved headphones in my ears to drown out the sound of the ocean and the laughter of the happy families littering the beach.
Before I turned on the music and picked up the book to get lost in someone else's problems, I watched one family playing in the shallows. Two parents smiled as they chased a little girl up and down the shore. She shrieked and giggled every time they got close to her. The joy on their faces was completely real, like they had never felt any sorrow. It reminded me of a time when my mother was still alive and my world was still intact.
My parents chasing me into the ocean, catching me right before a wave bowled me over. They carried me out into the water. Water splashed us as we stood there, our arms around each other, smiling. That was our last true moment as a family. After that, my mom was gone and Adelina and her mother moved in, completely destroying my life.
I quickly opened the book wanting to drown the dark thoughts that were creeping up on me. I turned on the music, muting the world around me. I rolled over on my stomach immersing myself into someone else's world.
It was the sun going down that finally pulled me back to reality. The lack of light hindered my ability to read. I sat back up, ready to pack my stuff up and leave when I noticed a shadowy figure in front of me.
"Hello?" I said, yanking out my headphones. "Who's there?"
The shadow moved closer, stepping into the last rays of light. When our eyes met, I froze. He had found me. His hazel eyes were pleading with me not to go, not to run again.
My hand was poised over my bag, ready to snatch it up and run. His eyes flickered away from mine and in that second I jumped up and tried to sprint away. I only got a couple feet away before his hand clapped down on my arm and pulled me back. His arms held me against him keeping me from getting away, despite my struggling.
"Valencia, please stop," he begged. The desperation in his voice caused me to stop my fighting. I left my hands on his chest where they had been trying to push him away from me. "I'll let you go if you promise me that you won't run away."
I nodded but planned on bolting as soon as he released me. He must have known what I was going to do because he didn't let me go.
"Valencia, promise me."
I had no choice. I wasn't strong enough to break his hold on me. It was time to face him and what he had done to me, to figure out why he had done it. There was no point in running, he would always find me. He knew me to well.
"I promise," I eventually conceded.
He looked weary but slowly retracted his arms. I broke out of his grasp hating that he was so close to me.
"What do you want Ezra? I think you've done enough."
He backed away and ran a hand through his hair before he answered. "I know everything I've done was wrong. Honestly, I can't tell you why I did it."
"Then why come here? Why cause me more pain?" I asked. I couldn't keep the bitterness out of my voice. It took everything I had not to yell and scream at him, to tell him exactly how I felt at that moment.
"I want to be honest with you. I didn't know you would be here! That you were her step-sister. The way she talked about you didn't describe you at all. She said you were a poor pathetic orphan. That isn't you. You are strong and beautiful, " he said.
I couldn't help but laugh. "Strong and beautiful? I guess not strong and beautiful enough for you."
"You were. You are. But you always seemed like you didn't need or want anyone. It was like you closed yourself off from everyone, from me. I loved you. I still do. I was ready to wait for you but you never acted like you wanted me to," he explained. He collapsed on my vacant blanket, dropping his head in his hands. "When I met Adelina, she was so different from you. She craved my affection. I resisted her, my heart refusing to give up on you. Things just started happening and I couldn't stop them. I wanted to tell you. There were so many times I picked up my phone or my keys, prepared to tell you. Then I would picture your beautiful face with that sad expression and I would stop myself, unwilling to hurt you."
"So, if I hadn't been the poor pathetic orphan step-sister, would you have told me or left me pining after you with nothing?" The tears were streaming down my face. I didn't try to stop them or conceal them. I wanted him to know exactly what he did to me. "Did it ever cross your mind, that in order to not hurt me, you wouldn't propose to another girl?"
"I guess not. I would have told you," he said with conviction. He looked at me again, seeing the glistening streaks running down my face. Jumping up, he walked up to me and cup my face in his hands. I didn't resist, wanting to feel him touching me. It reminded me of the times we were together; the way he makes me feel. "Valencia, I'm sorry. I love you. I'd do anything for you. Just say the word and I'll end it. We can start over, we can run away. Anything you want, please just say it."
"Ezra, you have no idea how long I've waited for this. I've wanted to profess your love for me and offer to take me away from this awful place and those horrid people. I love you," I told him smiling. He smiled in return. He was happy I was saying this, thinking I was telling him that I agreed to go back to him like none of this ever happened. Before I knew what was happening and could protest, his lips were on mine. I didn't know what to do. The pressure of his warm lips was enough to push all thoughts from my mind. It wasn't until that his arms pressed me up against his body that I realized what was going on. I planted my hands firmly on his chest and shoved him away roughly. "Ezra, no. I love you but it's too late. We never were officially together and it's too late now. I believed we could wait it out and the time would be right for both of us. But, looking back now, we were always doomed to be nothing more than a fantasy."
He stared at me shocked. After that, I had nothing more to say to him. I snatched the blanket off the ground where it had been forgotten. I left him standing there, his mouth hung open while he watched me walk away again.
I hurried back to Bennett's apartment, scared Ezra would follow me and figure out where I had been staying. Checking over my shoulder a few times, I slid into the building. I followed the hallway down the stairs and slipped the key into the door on the right. Pushing the door open, I found Bennett lounging on the couch. At the sound of the door, he glanced over and rolled off the couch. He half-crawled, half-ran to me.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" he said quickly, holding my face the same way Ezra had a few minutes before.
"I was at the beach. I was reading and got caught up in the book. Ezra found me. He forced me to stay and talk to him," I explained. I leaned into his hands, the warmth from them calming my tears.
"What did he say?" he demanded. He looked genuinely concerned about me.
"He offered me what I've always wanted. He said he loved me and would take me away."
Bennett's hands slipped off my face. He took a step back. He looked hurt but was trying to hide it from me.
"Well, congratulations. I'm glad that you are getting what you want. Feel free to stay here for as long as you need."
He turned his back on me about to walk to the couch. What was he talking about? Then it clicked. He thought I accepted Ezra and was running away with him. Laughing, I grabbed his hand and spun him around to face me.
"I didn't finish my story. I told Ezra that it was too late for us. He made his choice and that choice wasn't me. Besides, someone has already given me, at least in part of what I wanted."
The loose grip on my hand tightened. He pulled me forward slightly. "Who would that be?"
"You. You've given me a place away from my family. I will never be able to repay you for your kindness. Without you, I may not have even been here."
I closed the distance between us, our chests touching, our hands still clasped. The only way to keep eye contact was to crane my neck back. We smiled. My encounter with Ezra made it clear. I loved them both but my feelings for Bennett have swelled and engulfed my heart. Ezra had shrunk to something almost insignificant.
"Valencia," Bennett whispered hesitantly. I nodded, waiting to hear what he would say. By now, the tears had dried on my face leaving it stiff. I felt his face come closer. His lips barely touching mine, his eyes staring into mine. "I don't know why you were sent up to the cliff at that moment. I thought it was a sign for us, that we were meant to be there at that exact time to meet. This time with you has been the happiest of my life. So, I can't say that my reasons for keeping you here was purely selfish. I know are dealing with a lot with your family and what's his name, but every time you spoke about him I wanted to find him and hurt him, hurt him a thousand times worse than he ever hurt you. I've done everything in my power to help you and make all those negative feelings go away. I don't want to just give you part of what you want. I want to give you everything you've ever wanted and anything you could possibly ever want. I love you, Valencia."
With that, his lips pressed fully down on mine, not giving me time to comprehend what was just said. It took a couple seconds to process the words and the feeling of his lips pressed on mine. I detached myself from him, wanting to confirm what had just been said.
"What? What did you say?"
"I love you," he repeated. He stared at me, gauging my reaction.
"I love you, too."

I couldn't help but smile as I walked up the sidewalk to the front door of his - no our - apartment building. I pushed open the entry door and skipped down the short stairway to the door of the apartment. I fumbled with my keys, trying to get them out of my purse and finding the right one. Sliding the key in the lock, I opened the door and dropped my bag on the couch by the door. "Ben?" I called out. It was odd that he wasn't out here waiting fro me. He's always in the living room to greet me when I get home. I glanced into the kitchen and it was empty. He had to be in the bedroom. His car was here and he hadn't told me he was going anywhere. Walking down the rest hallway, I approached our bedroom door. There were some muffled noise coming through the door. My smile reappeared knowing I had found him.
Bursting through the door, I saw Bennett in bed, but he wasn't alone. Both people were topless and the woman straddled him. Two pairs of eyes turned to see who had interrupted. One pair was wide with shock and regret. I turned away from him to stare at the woman who was ruining everything. My mind went blank. The same face staring at me, annoyed, was the exact same face that smiled at me from the picture on the nightstand. The picture of his deceased fiancée. With her doppelganger here, I knew I no longer stood a chance.
"Sorry I interrupted," I said quietly. I backed out of the room, ignoring all Bennett's protests. I darted for the door and rushed out of the building. I followed the exact same path I had gone down to reach the building on the first night. That same night a promise was made, but promises are meant to be broken.
I could sense him behind me, following me, trying to stop me. I didn't even slow down until I got there. I only stopped when I was back in that same spot from our first night. He stood behind me, a couple feet away, not saying a word.
I took a deep breath then looked down. The water was violently throwing itself against the side, reaching for me, ready to pull me down to the rocks I couldn't see but knew were there, waiting for me.
"Valencia!" he called. I turned my head back to look at him. He was terrified, it was written all over his face. I returned it with a sad smile. My body tilted forward, hanging in a delicate balance of control. He moved forward, reaching out for me, but I gave control to gravity, letting it pull me forward.

BENNETT POV

I raced forward, determined to stop her before she fell. My hand stretched out in front of me, ready to clamp around her arm and pull her back.
When my hand made contact with that wonderfully smooth skin, I didn't hesitate to wrench it back to safety. Valencia's body collided with mine, throwing us backward. My arms wrapped around her refusing to release the security they provided.
"What are you doing?" Valencia demanded, struggling to break free. She stared down at me, allowing me to see the tears running down her beautiful face. "You broke the promise. You hurt me."
Her accusation was right. I had hurt her but she didn't know the truth. "You didn't give me the chance to explain. If you would just let me explain what you saw happening, and if you don't want to be with me any longer, you are free to do as you wish. All I ask is you give me a chance to explain." She paused, considering my words. After a few agonizing moments, she finally conceded. I loosened my grip on her slightly, only enough to give us room to shift into a sitting position. I held her in my lap facing me and explained what would happen. "I knew Aria had a twin sister, Acacia. I had seen her a few times. There was always something strange about her. I didn't like her.
"When Aria died, she became stranger. At her funeral, Acacia came on to me. She cornered me on my way out. She attempted to convinced me to love her, telling me I could have Aria back, that being with her would be just like being with Aria. I knew it wouldn't be. They were so different...." I trailed off.

A constant beeping woke me up. I tried to ignore it and return to my peaceful sleep but no matter what I did the beeping drove away any rest I could have had. My eyes flew open, ready to find the annoying noise and turn it off.
My anger disappeared when my eyes adjusted to the bright lights. I took in the white walls and machines surrounding me. This wasn't my room. Where was Valencia? What had happened to me? I tried to yell for Valencia but there was a tube shoved down my throat. I panicked, choking on the tube. The beeping grew louder and more insistent.
"Mr. Beaudoin, I need you to relax. A doctor is coming to remove the tube," a nurse said calmly. "It's good to see that you're awake. We weren't sure if you were going to wake up."
What? How long was I asleep? I tried to speak again, but the tube prohibited me to make any noise.
The nurse went to the machines, checking them for something. I threw my head back on the pillows, frustrated, and waited for the doctor to come and take this wretched tube out of my mouth.
A few minutes later, a man entered the room with a smile on his face. He grabbed a pair of gloves from a box on the table. He snapped them on and stood next to my bed.
"Mr. Beaudoin, I'm going to take the tube out now. You're throat with be sore so please don't try to speak for a little bit."
I nodded. He gently peeled the tap off my mouth and slowly retracted the tube. I choked on it, causing my throat to burn. The nurse handed me a cup of water and I took it gratefully. I gulped it down, the water soothing my throat as it went.
"Where's Valencia?" I croaked once the water was gone. It sounded like I hadn't used my voice in years. "Where's my wife?"
The doctors shared a look before the nurse patted my arm and said, "Mr. Beaudoin, you aren't married."
"Yes, I am. We were just married a week ago. Go find her, find my wife, Valencia Beaudoin. Find her and tell her I need her," I yelled and threw her hand away.
"Okay, Mr. Beaudoin, the nurse is going to find your wife. Just relax. We'll bring her to you."
They both quickly left the room. Why didn't they know about Valencia? Surely, Valencia had come to see me. She wouldn't leave me alone. Not if I was hurt.
What happened to me? Why was I here? I glanced down at my body but didn't see any bandages covering my body. I tested my limbs to make sure they still worked. Everything moved but a bit stiffly. I hit the call button, needing to know why I was here.
"We haven't found Valencia yet, Mr. Beaudoin," the nurse said, entering the room.
"Why am I here?"
"You don't remember?"
"No."
"I think I'll wait for the detectives to come and talk to you," she said quickly, then ran out of the room.
I sighed and ran my hands over my face. I grabbed the remote and angrily flipped through the channels. The news was the only thing worth watching. But what really got my attention was the date at the bottom of the screen: May 12th, 2015. That couldn't be right. It was only 2014. I switched channels, thinking it was just a typo but the same date was right there.
Someone knocked on the door. Two burly looking men barged in. I switched the television off as they stood next to the bed.
"Mr. Beaudoin, we are here to ask you some questions. Do you remember what happened to you?"
"No. Where's my wife? Is it really 2015?" They glanced at each other. I couldn't handle the silence. There were too many questions and not enough answers. "Where's Valencia? Can someone please just explain to me what is going on?"
"Mr. Beaudoin, you're not married. Valencia Corvin died a year ago. She jumped off the cliff. We found both of you washed up on the shore just in time to save you. You hit your head pretty hard. The doctors weren't sure if you would come out of your coma."
That wasn't true. I stopped her. I pulled her back. I saved her.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Beaudoin, but can you tell us anything you remember from that night?"
"She ran from me. She was going to jump without letting me explain. I ran after her. She was falling, but I grabbed her. I stopped her," I mumbled to myself.
"Mr. Beaudoin, Valencia Corvin fell off the cliff," one of them told me slowly.
"I stopped her!" I repeated louder. "Take me to her."
"It's late. We can take you tomorrow, given your doctor's permission."
That's the last thing they said. They left me with answers but they weren't the right answers. Nothing made sense. I swore I pulled her back. I held her in my arms. I fell asleep, dreaming of my beautiful wife.

The next day, they released me from the hospital for a few hours. The same two burly detectives were waiting for me. I climbed slowly into the back seat, my muscles weak from lack of use. They shut the door on me and took off. I waited for them to take me back to my apartment where Valencia would be waiting for me.
But they drove past my apartment toward the center of town. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see where they were taking me. The car slowed and stopped. the door opened and I had no choice but to open my eyes. There were miles of headstones stretched out before me. They led me silently through the maze of headstones until we stopped at a small one set into the ground. They stood behind me as I walked slowly up to it. I read the name and dropped to my knees. There it was:
Valencia A. Corvin
1994-2014
Beloved daughter, sister, and friend
There was an emptiness growing in me. A little hole where my heart should be, sucking out the traces of happiness left in me, leaving an empty shell.
I felt the tears fall. There wasn't anything I could do to stop it. I laid down on her grave, imagining us back at the apartment in our bed.
"Mr. Beaudoin, is there anywhere else we can take you before going back to the hospital?"
I slowly got to my feet. The pain in my overexerted legs taking its toll. Facing them, I decided on the one place that would take away all my pain.
"Take me to the beach."

They dropped me off a short distance away from the cliff. They agreed to stay by the car to wait for me to say my peace.
I started the climb up the trail to the first place I met Valencia. It took a while, my body still stiff and awkward. The emptiness inside me shrunk just a little knowing I stood in the last place Valencia did.
"I'm coming, Valencia. I'm sorry it took me so long," I whispered to the air, staring at the water.
I closed my eyes, picturing Valencia standing out on the water. Her blonde hair blowing away from her face. A long flowing white gown hugged her body. Her blue eyes and warm smile dazzled me, making my pain disappear. I reached for her, needing to feel her soft skin. I walked to her, my arms encasing her, holding her so tight so I wouldn't loose her again. I kissed her softly, afraid that if I pressed too hard she would break. We stayed like that that, lips pressed together, letting the darkness enfold us.