When Promises Die

Chapter 2

A throbbing pain pulsed through my head as I regained consciousness. My eyelids felt heavy, and my vision was blurry. I tried to scan the room I was in and realized I was confined. The room was almost empty, with just a bed and a bathroom; there wasn't even a single window. But to my surprise, I didn't feel like I was in danger. Even though he wasn't the man I used to know, even though he had turned out to be the worst, I couldn't find myself fearing him or fearing what might happen to me.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I looked over, wondering who it might be, and I was astonished to see the face of the little girl from my past who held a special place in my heart. Now she was all grown up, a much more mature version of herself.

Selene looked at me as if she had a thousand things to say yet couldn't, a conflicted expression I knew too well.

I shook my head. Despite the years, she was still the same. Someone who always considered my feelings before anything else.

I smiled at her warmly and opened my arms, welcoming her for a hug. Her expression softened, and her eyes welled with tears. She ran toward me and into my arms. I gladly embraced her and patted her back as she began to sob.

"I'm sorry, sister," she repeatedly said. And my tears, too, unknowingly fell. The first apology I received was not from the person who broke me but from his own sister. I wanted to laugh at the thought, but I didn't blame his family for anything. What happened between Lucian and me was ours to resolve. In fact, I felt sorry for them that I left without even saying thank you and goodbye.

"If only you hadn't met my brother," Selene murmured, full of contempt. I smiled sadly at what she said yet couldn't help but pat her head warmly. At least I knew she still cared for me despite how her brother and I had ended.

"It's inevitable, Selene," I voiced out. There were too many strings connecting us; we were always bound to meet. Besides, it wasn't all bad memories; there were also good ones. That was probably why it hurt more.

***

"Did he come here?" I asked anxiously to Kate as I hid in the corner of the room, under the desk. She looked at me weirdly and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, he did come here. But why are you hiding?" she asked, her brows raised.

"I just hate playing with him," I tiredly said as I sat on the chair. After playing a match with him in the library, he began to seek me out, and I started to hide from him. It was exhausting to play against him.

Kate crossed her arms and smirked. "You mean you hate losing to him, loser!" she mockingly teased. I glared at her, and she laughed evilly.

That's when I decided to go out and find a place where I could quietly read a book while listening to music.

Luckily, I found an empty room downstairs and happily went to the desk near the window. It was a beautiful scene; outside was a wide green field, and I quite envied the spot under the acacia tree. If only we were allowed to go beyond the fence, I could spend all my free time just lying there.

A sudden movement to my side made me look, and I came face to face with the senior I was hiding from. I was startled by the sudden closeness, and so was he, yet he immediately backed away and scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry, I was curious about what you were looking at outside..." he said, a bit embarrassed. I shook my head to let him know it was fine.

"So... Senior, you're not here just to satisfy your curiosity, right?" I crossed my arms and hinted at the thing he was carrying.

He chuckled as he raised his brow. "Well, you're quite a good opponent, so I can't help but chase after you," he said as he began to arrange the board.

"Senior, you're quite a liar; I can't even win against you," I irritatedly said, and he just messed up my hair and laughed.

"Don't worry, we won't stop until you win a match against me," he said, grinning, and I was speechless.

I was frowning the whole time I was arranging the pieces when he grabbed my attention by softly flicking my forehead.

I looked at him confused; he smiled and shook his head.

"Elara..." he uttered, and I looked at him bewildered. "It's Lucian," he stated and looked at me, urging me to move first.

"That's my name, so you should call me that," he said and smiled warmly, and I awkwardly nodded.

Our game ended at our 10th match as I barely won the last one. I felt drained, and Lucian was just teasing and laughing at me. I couldn't help but glare at him, and he finally stopped. He started to put the chess pieces back on the board and stood up.

He was about to say something when a group of 10th graders were loud outside the room, calling him. They were shocked when they saw me with him; I awkwardly bowed my head, not used to the attention.

"Dude, did you break up with your girl? Can't believe you already have someone new," a friend of his went and tapped his shoulder as if proud of him.

I couldn't look up, afraid they would see my reaction. A girl? He has someone? My hands balled into fists, stopping them from shaking.

I hated myself; I couldn't be feeling this way. I couldn't feel betrayed.

From that short amount of time we had, did I start liking him? Perhaps, I did. That's why I was feeling this way. I couldn't believe I had to like someone who was already taken. I was about to say that I was just a fellow chess player when Lucian spoke.

"Quit your nonsense, Adrian. We haven't broken up, and Elara is just a junior I'm playing chess with," he said firmly.

Right then, I mustered a smile in front of them, then looked at Lucian and slightly bowed my head.

"Thank you for the game, Senior," I courageously said and left.

I didn't watch or listen to how he responded; I just wanted to leave right away. Hearing what he said firsthand hurt like hell. He wasn't to blame; it was just my foolish heart that caught feelings without knowing it couldn't be.

Now, I just wanted to get away before this got any deeper. Before my foolish heart could never recover.

***

I blinked, bringing myself back to the present. The room was still empty, save for the faint scent of Selene's perfume lingering in the air. I looked down at my hands, noticing a faint bruise on my wrist, a stark reminder of my current reality.

He still has me, and even now, I’m still at his mercy.