Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Chapter 21- The past

MAIA'S POV

For the next couple of days, it was as if Lucius had become a very sweet person. He would always visit me in my room every single day. Sometimes, he would stay and have lunch with me if he had extra time. Today happened to be that day.

"What happened between you and Uriah? Why does he hate you so much?" I asked, taking a sip of my juice.

He cleared his throat and put down his utensils.

"Uriah is accusing me of killing our mom," he answered, letting out a deep sigh.

"He said you took someone special from him, but he never said who. I didn't know he was talking about your mom," I said.

"He thinks that I killed our mom. Why would I kill my own mother? Is he that delusional?" he replied.

"What really happened?" I asked.

"It's something that I don't go back to," he said.

"Well, have you tried telling him what really happened?" I asked, trying to understand where everything went wrong.

"I tried, but he never listened to me. Instead, he left and never came back," he said.

I could feel the sadness and pain in his voice.

I stayed quiet, not knowing what to say.

After an awkward silence between us, l asked him for a favor.

"Are you busy today?" I asked.

"That really depends. Why?" he replied, asking.

"Can you be my model for today? I would like to paint you," I asked shyly.

I heard him chuckle, and then he cupped my face so that I was looking at him.

"Do you want me shirtless or naked?" he asked.

My eyes went wide. I was shocked. I was pretty sure that my cheeks were as red as a tomato.

I shook my head and said, "Fully clothed."

He laughed at me and held my hand.

"There is nothing to be shy about, Maia. I think we are way past that already. Besides, we already saw each other naked, remember? We even made love in the lighthouse," he said, reminding me of our first encounter with each other.

"And if I remember it correctly, you took me in as your prisoner the following day," I replied, crossing my arms.

"That was a horrible mistake I did," he said, letting out a sigh.

"A mistake, which you have not apologized for nor explained about," I replied, getting up from the seat and heading over to my painting corner.

"Look, Maia. I am not good with this kind of stuff. You can't really blame me for what happened. Someone was after my life, and you suddenly appeared and helped me out of nowhere. Not to mention, you found me in the middle of a forest where a she-wolf like you should not have been wandering about," he reasoned.

"Well, the least you could have done was listen to me, but no. You have already made up your mind that I was an accomplice of some cult after you. May I remind you that you dragged me to the castle for two straight days? We did not stop for food, water, or even to rest. If you think that you are already off the hook, you are in for tons of shit," I spat.

"I already told you, I was confused at that time. What was I supposed to think about meeting my mate in the middle of the forest in no-man's- land after someone just tried to kill me?" he asked.

"I think you should head back to your office. I don't want to be blamed later on if you miss some meeting or if you have unfinished work. Besides, I'm already used to being on my own," I replied, hiding the pain and anger within me.

I grabbed my color palette and paintbrush as I stood in front of an empty canvas.

"Maia, please. What more do you want me to say?" he asked.

"I would like to paint in peace. Please, leave," I replied, asking him to leave.

I picked up the brush and painted the bottom half of the canvas black.

A few minutes later, I heard the door close. I let out a sigh and sat on the chair.

'Do you want my advice, or should I just stay quiet?' Avi asked.

'Who am I kidding? Even if I tell you to shut up, you wouldn't. So, just tell me,' I scoffed.

'Seriously, Maia? Anyway, the guy is clearly trying to fix things. Why don't you go easy on him? Allow the guy to explain and make amends. You two will never have a fruitful relationship if you will not put the past behind you. Forgive and forget, remember?" Avi said.

"How can I forgive and forget when he is not even explaining and apologizing? You can't forgive someone without understanding the reason behind their actions, let alone forget about it," I replied.

'You know what's stopping you two from having a civil conversation?' she asked.

'What, Avi?' I asked, rolling my eyes.

'Ego,' she said.

'Yeah, right. I don't have one.' I scoffed.

'You are right. You don't have one because you have two,' she added.

'Because they both belong to you,' I snapped before blocking her from the mind-link.

I spent the whole afternoon trying to paint. Since I was not in the mood, I decided to read a book instead.

Hours passed, and Lucius did not come back. Even when Emily brought my dinner, he did not appear. I ate all by myself in silence. It wasn't as if it was something new, but ever since Lucius started visiting, I had gotten used to him being around.

I had just finished having my dinner when Neal arrived.

"I still don't know how you never run out of ideas to paint," he said, looking at the new paintings I had drawn.

"Do you see anything you like?" I asked.

"Actually, yes," he replied, looking at me.

I stood up from my seat and stood next to him.

"Which one?" I asked.

"This one," he said, taking the painting.

I looked at the canvas that he was holding and smiled.

"That is one of my personal favorites," I said.

It was a painting of the gazebo with a single rose in the middle.

"How did you come up with this idea?" he asked, still staring at the painting.

"Sometimes, people think that just because beautiful things surround you, or you are in a beautiful place, you are not a prisoner. Being a prisoner is not just about your surroundings. You can be caged in gold, flowers, or chocolate, but you can never change the fact that in the end, you are a prisoner," I explained.

"Wow! Those are some deep meanings. You never cease to impress me," he replied.

"You can keep the painting if you want," I said, heading over to the balcony.

"Really? Thank you, Maia," he exclaimed.

When I did not reply, he followed me to the balcony.

"What's wrong, Maia?" he asked.

"To be honest, I don't know how much longer I can try to understand Lucius. He is not even trying. It's like he is not sure," I admitted.

He let out a sigh and looked up to the sky.

"I am not saying this because he is my best friend, but Lucius has been through a lot in life and is still dealing with something that only he can say. I know that you have been trying to understand him and be patient with him. I truly appreciate your efforts. All I will ask you is to give him a little more time. It will all make sense once you already know," he said.

"I am trying, Neal. I really am," I replied.

"I know. Why don't you rest early tonight and let yourself relax? The more stressed you are, the more irritated you will be," he suggested.

After he thanked me again for the painting, he left. Instead of painting or reading, I decided to take Neal's advice and went to bed early. I could surely use some rest.