Anon prompts from tumblr
"I love you, please don't go."
and
"We'll figure this out."
"Jean, wait," Lucien reached out for Jean's hand.
Jean slipped her hand from his instantly. "No Lucien. I shouldn't even be here." She looked to the closed door of the studio. "I just came to give you this." She held out the ring box.
Lucien looked at the ring box but didn't take it. "But I want you here."
Jean's voice was barely a whisper, "You can't want this anymore, don't you see Lucien?" She realised he wasn't going to take the ring and put it down on the table. Tears sprang into her eyes as she forced her hand to leave the box there.
Lucien's eyes glared at the ring box on the table, and there was an uncomfortable silence as he reflected on how everything had been turned upside down so quickly. "We'll figure this out Jean, I promise."
"How?" Jean cried as she finally cracked at his calm promise. "Just how do you think we can work this out?" Tears began to roll down her cheeks and embarrassed she turned away.
Lucien couldn't bear it any longer. His calm facade shattered as he saw her turn her back to him. "No, Jean. Wait! I love you! Please don't go!"
Jean stopped in her tracks but didn't turn back to face him. She felt as if her heart was being torn apart. It was a cruel twist that this was the first time Lucien had said he loved her. These words she had longed to hear. "You can't love me. Not anymore," she whispered sadly. "You need to be with your wife."
"I don't love her Jean. Not like I used to. I mean how can I? I've been without her longer than we were together for. I believed she was dead." Lucien stared at the back of her head, willing her to turn, knowing there was no easy fix for this mess.
Jean slowly turned to him, "Lucien, this is hard enough, don't make things even more difficult." She stared at him and as he settled his blue eyes on her, she2 exploded in tears once more. "I'm trying so hard! The whole town already thinks I'm your mistress! Mei Lin, sleeping in a hotel, me here, I won't become your whore Lucien! "
Lucien instinctively reached for her but she leant away from him, with anger in her face.
"No Lucien! This is completely unfair on Mei Lin," she paused, "and on me," she added quietly as she wiped her face.
"Bugger Mei Lin. I want you!" Lucien roared as he grabbed her hand desperately and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
Jean watched him with sad, wet eyes. "I'm sorry Lucien. This is just the way it has to be." She pulled her hand from his again and straightened herself up. As she spoke her voice wobbled and a lone tear rolled down her cheek, "I am just the housekeeper. And you are the doctor. The married doctor. And that's all there is to it." She turned her back once more and this time walked out of the studio.
Lucien looked at the closed door and wiped his wet eyes which fell on the ring box. Sitting there innocently on the table completely unaware of the complete heartache surrounding it. He swiped it up angrily and had a sudden urge to throw it into the fire, but the thought left as quickly as it had arrived. He played with it in his hand as he stared moodily into the fire. 'How could he possibly make things right?'
On the other side of the door Jean leant against the wall and pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs as she let her tears run freely. 'How could this have all gone so wrong?'