Chap. 11
She ran. She ran as fast as she could, pain ripping at her heart and giving her the extra fuel she needed. Damn him. How could he have done this to her! She trusted him, and he had lied to her. He had broken her heart all over again in return for loving him and caring for him.
She thought she might go mad; this couldn't be true, this wasn't true. He said he loved her, didn't he? He promised, didn't he? But she couldn't deny what she had seen, couldn't deny the fact that she saw his lips lock with the lips of another woman. Did she mean so little to him that he could be untrue just a few minutes after he had told her he loved her?
Inside her head, his horrified expression on his face after she discovered him played repeatedly, juxtaposed with his words: 'Did you know that I had never truly begun to live until you?' 'I love you'. They were lies. All lies! Tears spilled out of her eyes against her will. "Stupid," she told herself. "Weak. That's what you are." She laughed bitterly. "Haven't you learned anything? They're all the same. No one can be trusted, no one is worthy of your love."
Footsteps-Did she hear footsteps?-could be heard coming after her, and she knew, without looking back, that it was him. He was coming to hurt her again. Oh Lord, she wasn't ready to endure more. Definitely not now. She knew that he would apologize and say that it was all a mistake, that it wasn't his fault, and even though she wanted-needed-to believe him, she wouldn't. Because she had endured the same cliché excuse from everyone in her life, and she was not about to fall for the same trick again.
Oh God, she wanted to run to him and put her arms around him. She wanted to say that it was all okay, that it was just coincidence. She wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong. But it was, and she couldn't deny that his hands were around that other woman's wrists, and that their bodies were pressed together as they kissed-
A large hand grabbed her upper arm roughly and tightened. "You are NOT going to go without knowing the truth. Let me explain; it's all a mistake!"
Tomoyo closed her eyes. It was as she expected: the same words, the same explanations, the same trite apologies. "What is there to listen?" she asked him. "What I just saw was self-explanatory," she continued, logically, "and you have made your preference clear. In that light, I will make mine clear to you."
She looked up at him, her eyes flashing with anger. "Don't EVER come near me again, do you hear me? Stay out of my life," she hissed. Diamond tears dropped onto the ground as her control slipped. "I just want to be left alone," she sobbed, her voice breaking. "Just leave me alone."
The grip on her arm loosened, and she stiffened as she was engulfed in a strong embrace. "I would do anything for you, love. I could deny you nothing, but I can't take myself out of your life," he said gently, "because life without you isn't life at all. I'd never truly lived before you came into my life-"
"Don't lie." Those two words seemed to echo throughout the silence that weighed on them both for a moment. "I've heard all of this before," she said, "and I must say, I'm terribly disappointed." A bitter smile formed on Tomoyo's lips. "You see, I expected the great, all-powerful Duke of Clynester to come up with a more original excuse than most of the people I have known in my life," she said, her voice literally dripping with cold disdain. "Now, I see I was mistaken."
His hand grabbed her chin and his eyes were hard, blue chips of ice. "Do you truly believe that everything I said before was a lie? Do you?" he asked, shaking her. "How could you tell me that you loved when you didn't even trust me?"
"I didn't trust you?" she repeated mockingly. "Your grace," she said, enjoying his grim expression, "why don't you allow me to clarify things for you. I am the wronged party here. I trusted you. You were discovered with another woman minutes after my foolish declaration of love. Now you tell me, who do you think is the one who lied? Who do you think was the one who trusted in the other? Who is the one who betrayed the other's confidence?"
"And now," she continued, pointing an accusing finger at his chest, "you dare to tell me that it was my fault?" Tomoyo looked up at him in amusement. "You really are amazing," she said sarcastically. "If I were feeling better, I'd applaud you. You duped another woman into believing that you loved her," she said with tears in her voice. "I congratulate you, your grace. You also got her to confess undying love for you. What more satisfaction do you want?"
"You have taken my pride, my heart, and my love. What else do you mean to take from me?" she said quietly. She felt so, so numb. Why did his betrayal hurt so much? Why did she still love him despite what he had done?
"Tomoyo, I can see that you're upset-"
"How perceptive of you to notice," she retorted. "I wouldn't have noticed it myself."
He continued on, ignoring her interruption. "And I can see why. But what you saw wasn't the truth. It was a scheme to tear you from me, do you understand? Also," he said straightening, "I've been more than patient with you while you went on and on about betrayals. I did not betray you in any way nor did you. Now stop being ridiculous."
"I'm being ridiculous? You-"
His mouth covered hers in a warm, passionate kiss while he held her tightly. Eriol coaxed her lips to part, and when they did, he claimed his victory swiftly. Desire streaked through his body, and the accelerating rhythm of his blood drummed in his ears. He clutched her tighter against him, and he was lost as he felt her softness against his rigid contours. When he reluctantly lifted his lips from hers, he saw confusion swirling in her unique eyes. Finally, she jerked out of his grasp as reality dawned on her. "I suppose you learned how to do that by practicing on your other women," she said coolly and walked away from him into the ballroom.
He cursed as he also made his reentry into the room where mischievous eyes were watching.
She ran. She ran as fast as she could, pain ripping at her heart and giving her the extra fuel she needed. Damn him. How could he have done this to her! She trusted him, and he had lied to her. He had broken her heart all over again in return for loving him and caring for him.
She thought she might go mad; this couldn't be true, this wasn't true. He said he loved her, didn't he? He promised, didn't he? But she couldn't deny what she had seen, couldn't deny the fact that she saw his lips lock with the lips of another woman. Did she mean so little to him that he could be untrue just a few minutes after he had told her he loved her?
Inside her head, his horrified expression on his face after she discovered him played repeatedly, juxtaposed with his words: 'Did you know that I had never truly begun to live until you?' 'I love you'. They were lies. All lies! Tears spilled out of her eyes against her will. "Stupid," she told herself. "Weak. That's what you are." She laughed bitterly. "Haven't you learned anything? They're all the same. No one can be trusted, no one is worthy of your love."
Footsteps-Did she hear footsteps?-could be heard coming after her, and she knew, without looking back, that it was him. He was coming to hurt her again. Oh Lord, she wasn't ready to endure more. Definitely not now. She knew that he would apologize and say that it was all a mistake, that it wasn't his fault, and even though she wanted-needed-to believe him, she wouldn't. Because she had endured the same cliché excuse from everyone in her life, and she was not about to fall for the same trick again.
Oh God, she wanted to run to him and put her arms around him. She wanted to say that it was all okay, that it was just coincidence. She wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong. But it was, and she couldn't deny that his hands were around that other woman's wrists, and that their bodies were pressed together as they kissed-
A large hand grabbed her upper arm roughly and tightened. "You are NOT going to go without knowing the truth. Let me explain; it's all a mistake!"
Tomoyo closed her eyes. It was as she expected: the same words, the same explanations, the same trite apologies. "What is there to listen?" she asked him. "What I just saw was self-explanatory," she continued, logically, "and you have made your preference clear. In that light, I will make mine clear to you."
She looked up at him, her eyes flashing with anger. "Don't EVER come near me again, do you hear me? Stay out of my life," she hissed. Diamond tears dropped onto the ground as her control slipped. "I just want to be left alone," she sobbed, her voice breaking. "Just leave me alone."
The grip on her arm loosened, and she stiffened as she was engulfed in a strong embrace. "I would do anything for you, love. I could deny you nothing, but I can't take myself out of your life," he said gently, "because life without you isn't life at all. I'd never truly lived before you came into my life-"
"Don't lie." Those two words seemed to echo throughout the silence that weighed on them both for a moment. "I've heard all of this before," she said, "and I must say, I'm terribly disappointed." A bitter smile formed on Tomoyo's lips. "You see, I expected the great, all-powerful Duke of Clynester to come up with a more original excuse than most of the people I have known in my life," she said, her voice literally dripping with cold disdain. "Now, I see I was mistaken."
His hand grabbed her chin and his eyes were hard, blue chips of ice. "Do you truly believe that everything I said before was a lie? Do you?" he asked, shaking her. "How could you tell me that you loved when you didn't even trust me?"
"I didn't trust you?" she repeated mockingly. "Your grace," she said, enjoying his grim expression, "why don't you allow me to clarify things for you. I am the wronged party here. I trusted you. You were discovered with another woman minutes after my foolish declaration of love. Now you tell me, who do you think is the one who lied? Who do you think was the one who trusted in the other? Who is the one who betrayed the other's confidence?"
"And now," she continued, pointing an accusing finger at his chest, "you dare to tell me that it was my fault?" Tomoyo looked up at him in amusement. "You really are amazing," she said sarcastically. "If I were feeling better, I'd applaud you. You duped another woman into believing that you loved her," she said with tears in her voice. "I congratulate you, your grace. You also got her to confess undying love for you. What more satisfaction do you want?"
"You have taken my pride, my heart, and my love. What else do you mean to take from me?" she said quietly. She felt so, so numb. Why did his betrayal hurt so much? Why did she still love him despite what he had done?
"Tomoyo, I can see that you're upset-"
"How perceptive of you to notice," she retorted. "I wouldn't have noticed it myself."
He continued on, ignoring her interruption. "And I can see why. But what you saw wasn't the truth. It was a scheme to tear you from me, do you understand? Also," he said straightening, "I've been more than patient with you while you went on and on about betrayals. I did not betray you in any way nor did you. Now stop being ridiculous."
"I'm being ridiculous? You-"
His mouth covered hers in a warm, passionate kiss while he held her tightly. Eriol coaxed her lips to part, and when they did, he claimed his victory swiftly. Desire streaked through his body, and the accelerating rhythm of his blood drummed in his ears. He clutched her tighter against him, and he was lost as he felt her softness against his rigid contours. When he reluctantly lifted his lips from hers, he saw confusion swirling in her unique eyes. Finally, she jerked out of his grasp as reality dawned on her. "I suppose you learned how to do that by practicing on your other women," she said coolly and walked away from him into the ballroom.
He cursed as he also made his reentry into the room where mischievous eyes were watching.