บท 57: A Rose by Any Other Name
Hunter was furious. He was angry at her, but even more at himself.
He had gone there with the intention to remind her of their bond and to remind her of his existence. Seeing that withdrawn and painful look on her face though he had lost heart, and still he had no explanation for her behaviours.
Having arrived back in his new apartment he slammed the door behind him and flung his fist into the wall. It didn't make sense. Neither her reaction nor her refusal to explain and it was reluctance to explain her behaviour to him that hurt the most.
In all the time they had been together, she had never once withheld anything from him. It was like Amalia had truly died and Rayven had taken over her body.
Hunter pondered this for a moment. Amalia's words to him the day Ravyen came into existence echoed in his mind. "Lia is dead", is what she had said then.
Suddenly, from the fog of his anger a plan began to hatch.
It made sense Rayven wouldn't have any ties to him. She was, for all intents and purposes, supposed to be an adoptee from the Feng clan. That being the case, he thought, if they had no ties or bonds between them. Then he would have to make some.
Hunter smirked. Maybe he couldn't have his Lia back, but there was nothing saying he couldn't have Rayven. At the end of the day, to him, they were one and the same and as far as he was concerned, a rose by any other name would still smell just as sweet.
Meanwhile, back at the cabin, Rayven had finally emerged from the bathroom to find the cabin as empty and vacant as it had been when she first arrived home. There wasn't a trace of Hunter anywhere. It left her feeling both settled and afraid at the same time.
In all their time together she had never seen Hunter react that way once. He had sounded so hurt and angry that Rayven felt as though knives were being stuck in her heart one at a time. What had he been thinking, showing up like that, and inviting himself into her shower at that? The serenity she had been seeking was now shattered. Her feelings were all over the place, and agitated as she was, she did the only thing she could think of. She called Cage.
Rayven paced anxiously inside the cabin while she listened to the hollow ringing of the phone, a part of her was begging him to pick it while another part of her was afraid he would. She didn't want to cause issues between the two men, they were like brothers, but who else could she turn to? She didn't know what else to do. Her heart was in so much turmoil she couldn't calm down.
Truthfully, she didn't know what she would do if he came, or what she even expected of him. She just didn't want to be alone. If she were left alone, what would keep her from chasing after Hunter? From begging him back? If she acted on that now, she would not only be putting herself at risk, but Hunter too.
The sound of the voice on the other end of the phone pulled her from her thoughts.
"Hello?" The sound of Cage's voice penetrated the rushing in her ears.
"C..Cage?" Rayven whispered into the phone, almost reverently.
"Rayven? What's wrong?"
Silence.
"Rayven?? Hello?"
"Cage...can you come? I..I don't want to be alone.."
Rayvens voice almost broke as she said. She hadn't intended to. She didn't know what she had intended. She had spoken her mind without thinking, infact the words had practically fallen out before she even had a chance to stop them.
F*ck! Something was wrong! Cage was glaring into the air as he listened. If something happened to her, anything at all, Hunter would kill him. What other choice did he have?!
"Hold on Rayven, I'll be right there. Don't go anywhere!"
Cage was in a panic, what exactly had happened. It was his first time hearing her sounding so defenseless. In fact the only time he had ever seen her let her guard down was around Hunter.The fact that she had called him, in such a state, and not Hunter didn't sit right with him. Truth was, Cage felt terrified at the thought. The moment the line disconnected, he was racing out the door and down the highway.
In the interim between his departure and arrival, Rayven had slumped in a daze. She was so mad at herself, mad at Hunter, mad at everything. For the first time in years she found herself hating the subterfuge of her lifestyle. For once she wished she could just be a normal girl, fall in love normally, and most importantly be honest with herself and her emotions. For the first time since her father's death, she couldn't hide behind her fake persona. It was no longer a comfort but a curse.
Unable to bury her feelings. She did the only thing she could do. She turned to alcohol to numb her pain.
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