Jessie pov
Oliver and I lie on opposite sides of the bed. I'm on my phone while he flips another page of his book. We're spending the night at Nickel Manor, and now I'm in pajamas that I don't know who they belong to.
I'm still in a place where I can't process the information Oliver just told me about Lucy. I'm not used to that kind of honesty. It stunned me into silence. I was accustomed to having to find out things on my own, going round in circles, and having Grey turn the whole issue back on me. Nothing solved in the end, just resentment and another problem added to the unsolved ones.
"I haven't seen you take your pills," I say in the midst of the silence. I want to talk more about Lucy, the kiss, their friendship, and where I stand. However, If I do bring her up, I may seem like I'm stirring chaos, something I excel at.
He sits up and looks at me.
"How many times are you supposed to take them in a day?" I ask, treading lightly on the matter.
"Twice a day and for pain as long as I need to," he responds.
"A...Are you in pain?" I ask.
He places his book face down, keeping it open, and observes me for a second.
"Today, surprisingly, I haven't felt that much pain," he says.
He's talking to me; maybe I should inquire about what ails him. I wanted to search the blister pack I found in his office but decided it wasn't my secret to investigate.
"Is it okay to share with me what ails you?" I ask.
His lips curl into a smile, and I wonder what I said that's funny.
"Do you really want to know?" he asks.
I move to sit up too. "Please," I mutter.
He takes a deep breath. "Cancer. Prostate cancer," he finally says.
The words echo over and over in my head before I internalize them. I had made several guesses, cancer being one of them, but I ruled it out because he was wealthy and could afford treatment.
"What stage is it?"
"Early stages," he says.
"That's good, right?" I say, my hope rising.
"It would be, if modern medicine could fix everything. But I'm not going to do anything about it."
My hope falls again. "Why? It can be treated."
"It's cancer. It always finds a way to come back or spread somewhere else, even when you think it's gone. It's hopeless to try," he explains.
I look away and blink back tears. He sounds resigned and okay with the outcome.
"It's too much. I'd understand if now you took your final bow," he says.
I stare at him, hoping my eyes or face don't reveal the pity I feel for him. With his sickness now out in the open, it makes it real, and I'm not sure what to do other than feel the urge to hug him. But I remain unmoved.
"I'm not leaving," I assure him, not that he needs it. "In sickness and in health. For better and for worse."
"With how our union started, I don't think those words mean much. You're under no obligation to honor them," he replies.
His words make me sad. "I do want them to mean something," I say. Maybe it's the wine I sipped hours ago.
I crawl from my side of the bed to his. I come to kneel in front of him. "Please try to fight," I beg him.
I don't know where the courage comes from as I lift my hands and softly touch his face. He blinks and gasps at the touch. "Please, fight it," I repeat.
"I know I wasn't the bride you choseâI was forced upon you. But I also know you were searching for more than just an heir. You needed a reason to fight, something worth holding onto. So, even if I wasn't the one you wanted, let me be the one who gives you that strength. Let me be your reason."
"It's no..." He begins to talk, and I quickly dive in without a second thought and find his lips. I don't want to hear him reject me. I don't need confirmation of the painful truth I carry with me.
My hands move to circle his neck. His lips are the softest I have ever tasted. They are like my favorite cashmere sweater, warm and smooth. I scoot closer, even though Oliver doesn't return the kiss.
"Please," I beg in a moment of desperation, immediately going back to kiss him.
He finally grants me access, and I deepen the kiss before he can change his mind. Suddenly, it's like he has been awakened. He aggressively grabs me and flips me until I am lying on my back and continues to drive me crazy with his tongue and both hands supporting the back of my head.
I could just kiss him for the rest of my life.
My body aches for him, and I wrap my legs around his waist to let him know what he is doing to me.
But then, a low, guttural groan escapes his lips, breaking the spell. I freeze, trying to understand if it comes from desire or something else.
He winces, a flicker of pain crossing his features that answers my confusion.
"Are you alright?" I ask.
A hint of embarrassment crosses his face, then disappears. "Yes, it's just... the price of being turned on is pain," he confesses.
Now it's my turn to feel remorseful. I let my emotions lead me without questioning or understanding what it would lead to.
"I'm so sorry," I say repeatedly.
"It's not your fault. In a moment, I'll be okay," he says.
I look around the room for a glass of water, a dispenser, or even a mini-fridge, but none are available. So far, I know that Oliver can minimize the pain, not to freak me out, but I can't risk that.
I move my hands to the side of his head and pull him closer to peck his lips.
"I'll be back," I say to him, untangling myself from him.
I walk out of the room, avoiding looking back at him. It's not easy. I finally breathe when I am outside the room.
I head to the spiral staircase, and when I am about to take the first step, I hear a sound of something crashing against the wall. I look around; the house is silent, and everyone must be asleep. Then I hear voices. I stop my initial agenda and start to walk down the hall until I get to a room that is locked but where the noise came from.
I get closer and lean on the door to listen. Now there is only silence.
"Calm down, Theo," a familiar voice says.
Thud! Something falls inside the room.
"You're acting like a maniac," the voice says again.
"I knew you were trouble from the start, Gina," he says. "Damn it!" he swears.
"Why are you so pressed? We got away with it," Gina says.
"I should never have listened to you," Theo replies.
"Whatever. Since you decided to play all righteous between sex, it's best I don't spend the night here, and Seb can finish what you couldn't," Gina says, and I hear the shuffling of clothes. I should get out of there before she opens the door.
I rush down the hall and down the stairs. I'm halfway when I hear the door open and minutes later, it slams shut. I sigh in relief when I find the kitchen.
What was that?
It takes me a moment to catch my breath and process everything.
I drink some water and take a bottle for Oliver. As I'm leaving, I see Gina walk in. She is in lingerie.
She sighs with annoyance. "Always had a feeling you weren't human, but a lamia."
I ignore her and walk past her. I expect her to torment me with her words, but she says nothing else.
I find Oliver back to reading his book.
"I thought I heard a crash," he says.
"I knocked one of the artifacts in the hallway."
"Did it break? Quinn won't like that."
"No," I shake my head. "I brought you water for your medicine."
He takes the bottle. "Thanks."
He takes a blister pack from the nightstand drawer. When he's done, he goes back to his sleeping position, and I climb onto the bed to sleep beside him.
"You're not going to sleep on your side as agreed earlier?"
"I want to sleep here, if you don't mind."
"I don't, as long as your ass won't touch me; there's only so much pain a man can take in a day."
"You will win this," I say instead.
"I have experienced a lot of good things in my life; luck isn't one of them," he says.
"Goodnight, Oliver," I state instead.
"You can call me Zak," he says, turning and switching off the lamp.
It is a strange suggestion, but I let it slide. The night has been too busy; I let him rest.
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Lamia- A mythological night haunting female demon that was believed to devour children and seduce men.
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