HER HEART ACHED

The next day...

"Good afternoon. I haven't seen you all morning. Where have you been?".

In this scene, Elena was in front of her mirror, holding a simple grey dress to her body as she practiced over and over again what she would say to Roderick when she saw him.

This was the first time she was actually putting in an effort since she married him. Yesterday she had actually cried her heart out. She had cried herself to sleep again. She had thought she was okay.

She wasn't.

She didn't think it was going to be this hard. Even though Cameron was a jerk, she still called for him before she went to sleep. And also, she tried, tried to stop herself from reaching out for him, crying for him, begging for him. She tried to stop herself from loving him, she couldn't.

Why was she so pathetic?

Nevertheless, when she woke up this morning, she decided she would stop loving him. She wouldn't love Cameron any more and what was the quickest and most efficient method to do that?

They said the best remedy for heartbreak was love, new and refreshing love. And so...well she was going to love her husband. She had to at least try, right?

She however only thought of this for a split second before bursting into self-mocking laughter. God, she must be going crazy. Yep, that must be it. After all, love doesn't come so casually. Neither was it easy.

So yeah, she must have really lost her mind.

Thereafter, she changed into the elegant grey dress. The dress was perfect, hugging all the curves and dips of her body. It had a turtle neck which allowed one to see her exquisite collar bones.

Still, she was a little insecure. No matter how everyone said she was really pretty, she didn't believe it. No, she never believed it.

Still, she felt this was the best she could look without coming out too strong. She took out a pure white scrunchie, a complete contrast to her black hair. She still remembered how she got this scrunchie.

Carmine. Her late best friend.

Elena missed her so much. Carmine had given her this scrunchie–it had been Carmine's favorite– to her saying her hair was too black for her to be wearing dark coloured scrunchies– which was all Elena wore then.

Elena had lost Carmine to cancer.

For a moment, Elena stood there dazed, reminiscing about her days with Carmine. Tears welled up in her unusually clear eyes. Her pink lips formed into a sad smile as the tears rolled down her face. However, she wiped her tears quickly and allowed her lips to curve into a bright smile.

She gathered her silky waist long hair in her small hand which was kinda hard. After a while, she still couldn't tie it up and her hands were getting numb. She was about to give up when she heard a sound from behind her. She froze for a second and was about to turned when big strong hands landed on her shoulders heavily.

She sucked in oxygen harshly as fear gripped her.

"Elena", she heard a familiar deep voice. The voice was magnetic and alluring just like Ro...

Roderick!

However, there was something different about his voice. It was cold and emotionless, it sounded dead to her for some reason. Elena immediately felt that there was something wrong. She wanted to move however, Roderick held her in place in a not so gentle manner. It kind of frightened her since Roderick had never been this harsh with her.

"Let me help you", he said, his voice still cold and emotionless. It sounded detached.

He then gathered her black locks in his big palm, all the while reaching to take the scrunchie from her. After taking the scrunchie, he raised her hair so that the ponytail would be quite high. He tightened his hold on her hair but not enough to hurt her and then slipped her hair through scrunchie twice to make it tight enough.

Thereafter, he run his hand through her hair and sighed as if the feeling was divine. Elena turned to look at Roderick. He had a cold face. He looked so emotionless, as if he had turned off his emotion. At that moment, Elena forget all of the things she planned to tell him. Something in her changed and the gears of her mind moved.

Something was definitely wrong but what could it be. That she didn't know but she did know that her heart ached for him.

"You are slow in getting dressed, aren't you?", he tried smiling but it didn't come out right. Something was definitely wrong with him.

She continued to stare, not withstanding that it was a bit rude. Roderick's lips continuously twitched as he tried to smile but realizing he couldn't, he stopped trying.

"You...Are you alright?" There was so much concern in Elena's voice and care in her eyes as she asked so gently, even she couldn't believe it.

And then, it suddenly broke. His expression, the facade he put on. It broke so suddenly and surprisingly, all she could see in his grey eyes were hurt, pain and agony. And it broke her heart into a trillion pieces.

"Roderick...you...", Elena was a bit flustered. She didn't know what to say to comfort him since she had no idea why he was like this.

He didn't say anything. He just buried his head in the crook of her neck. He was trembling so hard. Elena could feel it and her heart trembled along with him.

Then he sniffed her hard, as if she was a drug and he was hooked. Elena didn't move a single muscle, nor did she ask. She just held him close, covering him with her warmth. She rubbed his back soothingly, offering him her undying support.

Elena could only wonder what happened to this powerful man to make him this weak? Just what?