Updated November 8th, 2024

Caius POV

I was genuinely glad that Bella was finally getting out of the castle and enjoying herself, or at least I hoped she was. It was rather surprising that Athenodora, Sulpicia and Didyme invited her to come along with them to go shopping. It seemed like Didyme and Sulpica had really taken a liking to the human girl, which was fine by me. It was mainly the fact that what really surprised me more was how Athenodora had been treating her.

I'd been anticipating that Athenodora wouldn't treat Bella right, considering she never seemed to care in matters that seemed to deal with me- unless she had the opportunity to get rid of me then that was the complete opposite- but I wasn't complaining. The biggest thing was making Bella happy. And if it meant hanging out with the other queens, then so be it.

While she was out, I finally had a chance to work on something for her—something I hoped she'd appreciate.

Besides, there was something else I had been itching to get done- and I really hoped that Bella would appreciate it.

I spent the day painting. I could have used my art studio, but hadn't stepped foot in there for months, not since I lost the inspiration to paint. Back then, it all felt pointless in painting for no one to appreciate my artwork, but things changed ever since Bella came into my life. It would explain the sudden urge to paint, but also in case Bella returned. Besides, I didn't want Bella to worry about where I'd gone if she returned early. So I stayed close, painting where she could easily find me.

The piece was for her, an attempt to show her how much beauty she had, how much light she brought into my days. I knew she didn't believe it, not yet. But I wanted her to see that her presence had worth, even if she was still uncomfortable with the Volturi—and with me. I gripped my paintbrush at the painful thought of losing her; it was unthinkable.

I would never let her go.

I just hope she wasn't thinking about leaving, whatsoever. I wanted her to recover- to see her smile without it seeming fake. To see her eyes that always seemed so glassy and blank, to regain that spark. She was special, even if she couldn't see it.

I didn't realize I had spent myself lost in my thoughts rather than painting, because a knock on the door startled me. For a brief moment, I wondered if it could have been Bella, but it couldn't be. There was no heartbeat attached to the person on the other side.

"Master Caius, it's Corin. I just want to drop off Bella's stuff that we got earlier here."

They were back already? I frowned, looking up at the clock and that it read to be almost four p.m. I didn't realize the time had passed that quickly. They left late morning, around eleven a.m. or so, and now it was late afternoon. They were gone for several hours. Hopefully, the time spent with the queens had given Bella a sense of normalcy and something to look forward to, especially with the trial loomed in less than forty-eight hours.

"Come in," I said.

The door opened to reveal Corin standing in front of the doorway, holding several shopping bags in her hand. Her expression betrayed nothing that was of concerned- but there was one question pressed in the back of my mind,

"How was she?" I asked.

"She seemed quiet. It feels like she has a lot on her mind, and she's just trying to do everything she can to keep her mind off things. I don't know if it's hard to explain it, Master Caius. I'm sure you want to know that I did use my power on her to help," Corin explained to me.

I raised an eyebrow at her, considering that was one thing I really wasn't expecting to hear, whatsoever. Corin's gift was contentment- making people happy about their situations. Bella's depression and the near-catatonic state she'd fallen into had been painfully obvious. But there was something else that seemed to trouble her.

Realizing Corin was still waiting for a response, I sighed, feeling a pang of insecurity within me. A human girl—a fragile, suffering human—was my responsibility, and I felt powerless to help her. How could I provide for my mate if she wouldn't tell me what was wrong?

"I noticed… I just wish she would open up to me, and explain to me what is on her mind. I want to know what it is so I can make it better," I admitted.

"Master Caius, if I may say something? That girl has been through a lot, and right now, I don't think her human mind has had enough time to process things, especially everything happening currently. Perhaps you should give her time?" Corin suggested, giving me a sympathetic look in the process.

"Did she say anything to you?" I asked quickly, anxious to know if Bella confided in them.

I had to know. If she said anything to them. If that was the case then Bella didn't seem comfortable with me, although that thought seemed ludicrous to me. She sat on my lap willingly and spent time with me, despite knowing who I was and didn't feel frightened by me whatsoever. Or she just felt like she couldn't open up to me due to the way I tend to overreact to things.

"No… Like I said, give her some time. We are still strangers to her. She'll open up when she is ready," Corin told me.

I refrained from rolling my eyes that it seemed that Corin was a little dismissive of my worries. Did no one realize how serious this was? Bella's depression and catatonic state was obvious, but I was more worried about the fact that Bella could pose a risk in hurting herself. Maybe it was just because most of this stemmed from the fact that I couldn't seem to make Bella happy, or better.

"But it's not enough! I feel like I'm such a failure because I feel like she can't be happy. I know that idiot boy wrecked her, but I feel like there should be a lot more progress than this. Hell, she barely responds to her name half the time," I yelled.

I stood up suddenly, and grabbed the nearest object near me, a small wooden table that held some art supplies and hurled it against the wall.

The table shattered on impact- creating jagged pieces of remains. Tubes of paint rolled onto the floor, creating streaks as it rolled away from where the table was hurled at. My fists clenched together as I turned back to Corin who in response, stepped back towards the door, her hand on the doorknob. Her eyes seemed a little fearful- afraid what I'd do next considering we both knew what I would do.

"Perhaps you could try to show her that you are there for her, and will help her through her problems?" Corin suggested gently, before slipping out of the door.

The door closed behind her, leaving me in the wake of destruction.

I knew, deep down, Corin was right. I had to be patient with Bella. She endured too much hurt in her life, and in response, retreated to the back of her mind. She didn't trust anyone enough to open up to anyone- including me. If I wanted to help her, I would have to be patient with her, meeting her on her level. Something I knew my brothers would most likely tease me about how it took me a while to realize that, or would tell me the exact same thing I just came up with.

Now, how could I get Bella to open up to me and realize that it'd be okay to open up to others?