The Sweetest Temptation
Chapter 95: Dream

Chapter 95: Dream

All the light was gone and Rhys felt empty and drained, wandering around in the darkness, waiting for his end.

His brother and his best friend on the hospital bed next to him had been unconscious for a week now and during that he realized how stupid he had been taking things for granted.

If he had spent more time with him. If he didn’t disappear anytime he got worse. If he had worked on himself harder to heal he would have spent more time with his brother.

At times, he felt his presence like a ghost, reassuring him that things would eventually get better.

But he knew, like all the voices in his head, it wasn’t real.

Rhys didn’t think he could live if Damien died. He would follow him if he left. He would end his life in an instant because he couldn’t imagine a world where his brother wasn’t a part of.

They had plans ever since they were kids. They had dreams and aspirations but everything went downhill that night.

He knew Damien still blamed himself for what had happened to him. But it wasn’t his fault.

It’s no one’s fault that he couldn’t get over his demons. He was just weak.

So weak.

If he had been stronger, Damien wouldn’t spend his whole life trying to protect him. If he was stronger he would not have been a burden.

They’d told them that it was a bad sign that he hadn’t woken up yet, that they should start saying their goodbyes.

But he was still waiting for the miracle.

Rhys tried to convince himself of this as he gazed out the hospital window, feeling as though he was the one who was dying and trapped in an abandoned land of no hope.

No one prepared him for the pain of grieving for the living.

There was a constant ache in his chest, a sense of emptiness and longing that never fully went away. It was accompanied by feelings of guilt and frustration, as he struggled to come to terms with the fact that the person he admired the most was alive but he was barely breathing.

He could still remember when he had first seen him lying on the hospital bed.

When he entered the room, an eerie silence descended.

He saw his brother lying there, looking so weak and fragile, and for a moment it seemed like there was no life left in him.

His once handsome face was disfigured by the blast. And his eyes which used to hold so much love for him were closed.

No words would be enough to describe the pain he felt at that moment.

To see that machines were the ones keeping his once healthy and strong brother alive.

The memory will forever haunt him.

Rhys looked at Beatrix who was sleeping on the couch at the corner of the room.

If it wasn’t for her, he didn’t know what he would have done by now. She was the only reason why he was still holding on.

He knew she had been faking being alright so that he didn’t have to worry about her. He could see the sadness, guilt and pain glinting in her eyes when she thought he wasn’t looking.

He had seen her break down in the bathroom when she thought she was alone.

How she had cried herself to sleep these past few days and her waking up with nightmares.

Rhys hated how strong she had been acting around him during the day. He knew just like him she was hanging on just on a thin line.

But she was so calm and bubbly in the morning. Maybe, just maybe faking it, was her way of forcing herself to believe that Damien would get better.

***************

Beatrix frowned as she watched Damien standing alone on the shore of the beach. He looked as if he had been abandoned by the world.

She ran towards him.

She stood behind him and she knew he was aware of her presence but he stayed where he was, still gazing pensively across the lake.

Quietly, she slipped her arms around his waist from behind him, pressing her cheek against the cool surface of his wool coat, seeking the warmth that emanated from his body.

She wanted to ask him why he looked so sad and lonely when she was right there with him. But she stopped afraid to disturb his peace.

His hand lightly moved over both of theirs which clasped over his rigid stomach.

"I thought he would be strong and fight for himself once I was gone." he said in a hushed, grave tone.

Beatrix furrowed her brows in confusion. What was he talking about?

She squeezed him more tightly against her.

"But I guess he needs me more than he lets himself admit it."

He took a deep, fortifying breath.

"I’m sad that I might not be around when you guys start a family. I’m sad that I couldn’t accompany him to achieve his dreams. I’m sad that I didn’t fight enough for him. I’m sad that I left him alone when I knew he needed me the most.

His hand clutched hers and laid it against his chest.

"I’m such a bad brother,right?. Now he is in deep pain because of me again. I keep hurting him. I’m so bad for my brother."

Turning around to face her , he grasped her elbow and drew her closer, his mouth curved into a faint smile, his amber eyes tender.

"Now he has you. Take care of him."

He pressed a kiss on her forehead, "I love you."

He pulled away from her and started walking away from her.

"Damien! Damien! Wait—don’t leave me." Beatrix wanted to chase after him but she realized she was stuck at the place.

She couldn’t move.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she watched him leave her alone on the shore of the beach.

"Beatrix! Beatrix!" She felt someone shaking her as Damien slipped away from her vision.