“So, you tried to harm yourself because you thought I would leave you?”
Lucas sadly looked at Eleanor’s injured wrist. Some parts of the flesh are already rotting and only the thin bandage makes it look like it is the hand of a living being. It’s not an injury anymore but more like a curse that slowly eats her up to her deathbed. Even him was afraid to touch it, thinking that a single, gentle touch would hurt Eleanor and would make her vanish.
“What were you thinking when you used that knife to write letters on your skin? And my name? Is this your way of making me feel something about your dea—“
“I don’t want to trouble you,” Eleanor flatly said, interrupting Lucas between his words. She wanted to say more things but it feels heavy in her throat that the words won’t come out anymore. Pushing herself to say more, she managed to utter a few more words. “I never expected you to come.”
“You’re not getting anything, are you? Elea… I told you to trust me.”
The whimper of the old trees, trying to stand tall against the bad weather, can be heard in the momentary silence after Lucas threw the word ‘trust’ around.
Trust him? He, who always put his family first. He, who she knows will listen more to his mother than to her, his girlfriend.
Eleanor shuddered at the thought of him fully trusting the man, who she thinks will betray him in a single breath even though she carries their child.
“Why are you crying?” Eleanor asked Lucas when she saw a tear rolling down on Lucas’ cheeks.
“Because you always think I never loved you,” Lucas said, almost begging.
Why wouldn’t she? Her mom never loved her and chose to live with another man. Her father abandoned them. Their house is a mess hence love is such an unfamiliar word for Eleanor and she unconsciously placed herself in a position where she accepted that love is not for her.
“Because you don’t,” she answered, fully believing the generalization she created.
“No…no…please, just listen. I love you. With all my heart.”
“Stop lying to me!” Eleanor burst out when Lucas tried to clarify things to her again. “You love your family more.”
Stunned, Lucas cupped Eleanor’s face and made her face him directly.
“Look at me, Elea. They’re my family. I was born in their family. I don’t have a choice. My father and my mother, I didn't get the chance to know them before I said yes to being in that family. You see, Elea, you’re the only choice I made. I choose you. I wanted to stay with you. I love you. Elea… You’re my everything. Understand this, please…Elea.”
“But isn’t that too late now?” Eleanor whispered in the dead air.
The muffled voices of the people outside the cabin are becoming clearer. Then three knocks from the cabin’s door followed.
“What the heck is this place? The doorbell is full of maggots as if telling us not to go inside.”
“But you knocked, right?” Andrew asked his friend Vergil, who was annoyed by the old doorbell.
“Yes. But who cares? That’s just an old superstition now.”
Andrew nodded his head, knowing full well that that isn’t an old superstition.
“You still need to knock through,” Andrew said dryly to Vergil, who’s now busy scanning the places with his tiny flashlight.
“Yes…yes. I did. But no, I won’t listen to the second part of the superstition that says not to touch anything. Hahaha. This place looks like a real nice one, don’t you think? The story says that the husband came from a wealthy family and he loves gifting gold to his lady. Do you think we can find gold here?”
But instead of a chuckle and a light joke, Vergil was answered by a heavy chair being slammed to his head.
“What the—“
“I sold the gold, fucker. My mom told me to sell the gold.”