Chapter 1
Death was heartbreaking. It marked the end of a life. It marked the end of someone’s presence in the world of living.
And Ariel was thriving off of that.
When she heard the news that her boyfriend - no, dead boyfriend was in a car crash and he had died on impact, she felt a myriad of emotions.
Ariel was silent in the beginning after she had cut the call, a silent tear ran down her cheek, as she stumbled back into the black couch behind her. The moment she sat on the couch, her heart started beating against her chest. At first, it was a slow rhythm, but then gradually it pulsed into frantic thumps.
She felt warmth slowly traveling from the tip of her fingers to her arms, her stomach filled with butterflies.
She could not hear anything, it was a deafening silence, and then she laughed.
Ariel had thrown her head back on the backrest and her lips were spread into a wide maniacal smile as laughter bubbled out of her throat. She did not notice the tears that were streaming down her cheeks, as she flailed her arms around in absolute happiness, her eyes glowing from the light cast by the lamp beside the couch.
That was yesterday.
Today she stood in a black dress in front of the casket where her boyfriend, Jack was laid.
A small smile spread across Ariel’s lips as she leisurely leaned over the casket. For the onlookers, she looked like a grieving girlfriend, crying over the casket but Ariel only wanted a last few words with her beloved.
“You’ll never rest in peace, love. I hope you’ll remember that I always knew how to fuck up a good car.”
She put the white rose that was in her hand over the casket and pressed a light kiss on the top of it.
“Hope you suffered before taking your last breath.”
She stood back up and turned around, her face falling as her shoulders became hunched. Her eyes became misty, as she took deep breaths and slowly walked down the steps, her knees wobbling.
“Oh, dear!” A shrill voice made Ariel wince, and she prepared herself to throw herself into the arms of the woman she hated and dish out a marvelous performance.
Her shoulders shook as she forced tears to pelt down her cheeks, a whimper leaving her lips to sell her act. “H-he is gone, Julie.”
Julie’s bony arms wrapped themselves around Ariel, and she cried out as well.
“My brother…how could he leave us like this?”
Ariel wanted to cringe in disgust because Jack was not only her brother but also the man she loved. Yeah, they took ‘keep it in the family’ to heart.
“I don’t know-” another whimper, and Ariel continued, “I don’t know what to do without him.”
Julie distanced herself a little and held onto Ariel’s face and Ariel tried her best not to squirm as she felt her arms being squeezed.
Ariel looked at Julie and she stopped the shiver of disgust that threatened to travel down her spine. Julie was racking her eyes up and down Ariel’s figure, her eyes dilated, and she nodded to herself appreciating whatever she saw.
Ariel knew that look. It was a look Julie had often given out to those she wanted in her bed. It was sickening, but not new.
Ariel started speaking before Julie could say anything.
“It was good to see you again, Julie. I need some time to think.”
And run away.
But she did not say the last part out loud, instead, she gave a small smile and walked out of Julie’s hold.
She slowed down her steps and kept her head lowered a tiny bit, a sign of submission and weakness. She kept her eyes cast down, and she took deep breaths in repeated intervals. Her fingers were knotted in front of her as she rubbed them together.
Her whole aura screamed a person grieving for the loss of someone, but how anyone dealt when they really grieved was never this mechanical.
She knew that.
But the people around her only saw what they wanted to see, and she gave them exactly what they wanted.
Before anyone else could have stopped her, she walked out of the church and into her car.
No one knew that she had got a new job as a Data Analyst in a big Architecture company in Switzerland. She had applied in a fit of rage, but when she found the email that she had been selected for an interview, she was over the moon.
After a long time, she felt a foreign feeling bloom inside her; hope. It started as a small spark, slowly the tendrils wrapped itself around her soul, lighting it on fire. A fire that finally led her to take matters into her own hands.
For four years she remained a constant ghost in her own life, fading in and out of consciousness, barely hanging onto the notion of love and survival. Whilst both had no connection to each other in any form, when Ariel could no longer recognize the man she loved, the only thing she tried was survival.
Right up till three months back, she believed she was in love with him. Her heart was cocooned in barbed wires. And when her heart was beating, the pain was a reminder of whom her heart belonged to.
When Jack tried to make Ariel a mother without her knowledge, she finally broke.
They had sex often, the reason was unknown to Ariel because she knew he wanted Julie more than any girl. Yet, he slept with Ariel, as well as other women. She truly thought Jack had some disease, and could not control his urges. But of course, there was a simple explanation; he was a horrible human being.
Ariel had forgotten how consensual sex felt, but once she realized her love for Jack, or how the only way to survive was to love him, she let herself go.
However, the notion of bringing an innocent child in the middle of this hell brought a spark of light she never thought would be lit again. Unknown to Jack, Ariel had taken all the medications necessary to avoid any sort of chances. But in her heart, she knew that if a baby was to be born, she would put him or her for adoption.
Regardless, she was furious, and in that tsunami of emotions, she had applied for a bunch of jobs all over the world. Her wings were tied against the bars of abuse, and a stable job was the only way to sever the ties.
She never expected to get any affirmations from any of the companies, but Voltaire Inc. had reached out to her. They were one of the leading Architectural companies in Switzerland and luck was on her side as her interview went perfectly.
The HR had given her all the information, advance money for relocation, a joining letter and temporary accommodation.
Only one thing was left to do before she could leave; handling Jack.
Ariel knew he would not leave her alone, she had tried to leave him in the past and that led to her being admitted to hospital for five days. Hence, she decided to play god.
And to her benefit, it landed Jack straight to God…or Satan, but the difference is pointless. Either way, he was gone, and she was free.
As she drove towards the airport, a sense of tranquility washed over her.
The wind wafted all around her, making her hair fly all around her. The breeze was light, and cold on her skin, her cheeks adorning in a light reddish hue. Her eyes were sparkling, as a sweet smile bubbled out of her throat.
The taste of freedom was kind, ethereal, and something unexplainable.
With a small smile on her face, she drove towards her new beginning. Her wings flapped wildly as she left her cage behind.
