Anna-Maria couldn't get any sleep that night. As the moon began to fade, she tossed and turned about in her bed unsuccessfully. Five minutes before dawn, her eyes finally closed. You can still break the curse! Anna-Maria's eyes flew open. You still have a chance. "Not now, not now, NOT NOW!" Anna-Maria clapped her hands over her ears and bent into a fetal position, knowing that Catalina's voice was inside her mind and she had no choice but to hear it.

Don't give up like I did. Her frustration increased rapidly and her green irises flamed dangerously. "Leave me ALONE!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "I'm sick of hearing you when no one else can and I'm tired of hearing you giving me advice that will never work!"

Minerva appeared in the doorway that connected their rooms, a worried expression on her face. "Anna-Maria? Are you alright? And...who are you yelling at?"

"Everyone!" Anna-Maria tossed her pillow aside and drew herself up. "I can't do this. I am not marrying anyone, I am not wearing a dress today, and there is absolutely no way I am staying here." She pulled her unpacked suitcase out from under the bed and threw her jacket on over her sleepwear. "I'm going home."

"Anna-Maria, are you nuts?" Minerva reached for the suitcase, but Anna-Maria snatched it away. "Today is our wedding day. You said yes to Julio, how do you think this is going to make him feel?"

"Minerva, I have spent my entire life thinking about how everyone else feels!" She paused, her eyes burning. "This time, at least, I'm going to think about myself. For just once in my life, I want to be my own person. Not who everyone else tells me to be." She picked up her suitcase and headed for the door. "I know you believe in all that stuff about bad luck, so I'll see Julio and explain everything to him and his parents." Her hand faltered at the doorknob, but only for a moment as she turned back to look at Minerva. "Tell Artemis I'm sorry about this, but I never belonged here."

And with that, she left.

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Julio gaped at her. "You're calling off the wedding on the day of the wedding? Anna-Maria, you are the craziest girl I have ever met."

"Yeah, I've gone nuts," She leaned back and rested her elbows on the suitcase. "You can just give that to your parents as an explanation. Anna-Maria Venus Root has gone completely mad and is being sent to an asylum for her mental health issues. That should work."

He stood and met her green eyes with his brown ones. "You know I didn't mean it like that. Anyway, if that's what you want, fine. Mamma will be disappointed and so will Marisa, but it's nothing babbo and I can't handle."

"Thanks, Julio," she replied, her expression incomprehensible. She reached into her pocket and drew out his engangement ring. She held it out to him. "You'll need this back." She almost laughed. She had been returning a lot of engagement rings lately. "In a few years, you'll meet a lucky girl." She placed it in his palm. "But it won't be me."

He glanced down at the white-gold band in his palm and sighed. He looked up and reached for her hand. He gently slipped the ring back onto her finger. "No, you keep it. I meant it for you; it's only yours." He let go of her. "When you really do get married, invite me, won't you?"

She looked down at the ring and sighed. She drew close to him and threw her arms about his shoulders. As she rested her head on his shoulder, she replied gloomily, "Julio, you know me. I'm too rebellious to be bound by marriage vows. In five or ten years maybe, if at all." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to do this to you."

Julio encircled his arms around her shoulders as he returned her hug. "Don't worry about it, Crisalide." He rested his head next to hers. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Everything happens for a reason. Our job is not to question it and go wherever life takes us."

She opened her eyes and smiled half-heartedly. "Thanks. I knew you would understand. So you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive." He smiled a little and lifted his head so she could see his face. "And, wherever you are, I'll always be here," he tapped her sliver pendant, the one he had given her all those years ago. "In your heart."

She hugged him tightly before letting go. "You're right, Julio. You're always right. So I'll be hearing from you?"

His smile grew. "Everyday," he promised.

"And I'll see you around?" She asked.

"Definitely. But when I say so." He grinned at her. "You'll get a few surprises from me."

She smiled and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Anna-Maria?"

She turned back to look at him. "Yes?"

"Don't forget your injections. Next time I may not be around to remind you."