//Chapter 34//

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"Pain makes people change."

➳ ➳ ➳

[Angelina]

Evil, dark blue eyes haunted my every thought for the past two days. The footage of Ethan inside the house had left me out of breath ever since I saw it, and every time I recalled his cold stare towards the camera, I shuttered.

How could he do this? How could he kill an innocent soul so quickly? Easily. I knew that he was evil, but this? This was too much. Why was he even in the house? What did he do? I'm sure the reason he broke into Nick's house wasn't to kill Agnes, that happened after, so what were his true intentions?

I sighed deeply, slipping into my black heels and fixed my black dress, staring at myself in the mirror. I haven't talked to Nick about Ethan having to do with Agnes' death, mostly because he never got out of his room and secondly because I didn't feel like it was the right time to do so. He was already in too much pain, and if I told him about Ethan, he was going to become angry and probably do something stupid.

I slowly walked out of my room. Everyone in the living room was dressed in black and had sad expressions on there faces, and I had to fight to hold back my tears.

Was this my fault too? I couldn't help with the guilt I felt inside me. Would Agnes still be alive if Nick never took me?

Probably yes.

I took in a shaky breath as my vision started blurring, and I tightened my grip on the railing.

"Angelina, are you alright?" I heard Sandra ask as she approached me quickly, placing her hand on my shoulder. Her round and big eyes looked at me with concern, but I looked away immediately. I couldn't bear look at her in the eyes. I wanted to scream that I wasn't alright. That I knew the truth and that this was my fault.

"I'm fine." I lied. She smiled at me weakly and rested her back on the wall as her eyes trailed down to the floor.

"You know, I still can't believe that I won't be seeing her around this house anymore." She suddenly spoke. I gulped, nodding my head at her. Agnes would be missed very much in this house. She was the one that put a smile on everyone's face, especially Nick's. He loved her like a mother. She was the one who raised him after all, and now that she's gone, his world collapsed. I know how it feels to lose someone you truly love. It feels like you're slowly dying inside.

My eyes wandered around the crowned living room until they landed on the tall, dark figure standing beside the piano. Nick was leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down to his feet. Even though I couldn't see his face clearly, I could tell by the red tip of his nose that he had been crying. Enrique was next to him, patting him on the back and talking to him, but Nicholas looked so out of place, I'm not sure if he listened to him.

"He is taking this very badly," Sandra stated, making me turn my gaze to her.

"I know," I whispered.

"Do you think he will ever recover from this? I mean Mr. Snow has lost many people in his life. And each time he got more and more distant from everyone creating these walls around him and not letting anyone help him." She asked me.

"I don't know, but I think he will eventually accept it. Right now, he is still in shock and denial. Nick is someone who keeps a lot to himself and doesn't let anyone understand him. I want to help him, but I don't know how. I'm afraid that he will get angry even if I try to talk to him." I told her, glancing at Nick across the room. He looked up from the ground and started talking with Enrique. His face was pale, and he looked tired, his eyes were red and puffy. I wanted to run across the room and give him a comforting hug and let him know that everything would be okay, but I couldn't do that.

Nothing would be okay.

"Where were you and Guidry that night?" I asked her.

"Agnes had insisted for me to leave the house earlier since there wasn't much I could do. Guidry offered to drive me home. Then he would come back to make sure that Agnes had enabled the security alarm. When Nick was the one that did that, Agnes knew how to do it too, but Guidry wanted to be sure. It's like he could feel it. When he came here he found the police outside the house, Anges was dead. It's ironic. One time, one stupid mistake, that's all it took. The only time she forgot to turn on the alarm, this happens." She said, getting angrier. "What surprised me and everyone else is that the burglar didn't take anything with him."

I swallowed hard, running my fingers through my long hair. This was making me feel uncomfortable and responsible for everything. Because I knew why he didn't steal anything. Ethan wanted something else, and I have to find out what.

~ ~ ~

During the whole service, I stayed quiet, gazing around to a small group of people. I was sitting next to Sandra and Guidry at the back, playing with the delicate, red petals of the rose I was holding in my hand.

"Angelina?" Guidry called me, and I turned my head to look behind me at him. He gave me a small smile.

"Is everything okay?" He asked me. I was about to reply, but at the same time, something behind Guidry caught my attention. Someone was standing in the very back, hiding behind the trees. It was a man, and he was dressed in all black. I couldn't see his face, because of the sunglasses he was wearing, but he saw me staring, and a smile appeared on his face. He was holding a white rose in his hand, and he slowly brought it up to his face sniffing it. My heart was beating fast as I continued staring at him. Who was he?

"Angelina."

Guidry's voice snapped me out of my trace, and I immediately looked at him apologetically.

"What were you looking at?" He asked, looking towards the direction I was looking at just a few seconds ago. The man was gone.

"N-nothing. I'm fine." I reassured him. I stood up, gazing at the empty spot by the trees. I have to find that man. He knew me, and he smiled at me.

"Where are you going, Angelina?" Sandra asked.

"I need to be alone. I just need a few minutes. I'll be back soon." I walked away from them, avoiding some of the curious gazings of the people there, making my way towards the place where I had seen the strange man. He was still here. I knew it. I narrowed my eyes as I approached that spot, looking around me in hopes of finding him.

I heard his footsteps suddenly as he stepped on top of some dry leaves, and my eyes widened as I turned my body around alarmed. There he was, hiding in the dark. I frowned and took a few steps closer to him so that I could have a better view, yet I couldn't make out who he was. The only thing I was sure of was that he was no stranger. I knew him.

He chuckled.

"Angel, I haven't seen you in a long time." He spoke, stepping out of the shadows and letting the sun brighten up his face. He slowly took off his dark sunglasses and smiled at me as his cold, blue eyes looked at me intensely. It was the devil himself. Alexander.

"One whole week in New York, and you didn't even think of calling me to inform me how things were going? Not good, Angel. I expected more from you."

I gulped. He was so calm and collected as he spoke that it scared me. He could explode any minute, and I don't like it when Alexander was angry. He became quite aggressive. I had experienced that side of him before, and it wasn't a pleasant memory.

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. His eyes moved to the rose in his hand, and he frowned.

"I heard about what happened and decided to come. Poor Nicholas must be a wreck." He exclaimed, causing my blood to boil. My fist clenched and unclenched, and I pressed my lips into a thin line.

How dare he?

"You did this. Your little pet killed her. All of this is happening because of you. Aren't you tired of ruining other people's lives? How dare you show up here, don't you have the slightest bit of respect?" I told him, raising my voice a bit. I couldn't hold back the anger that I was feeling. He smiled at me, amused by my outburst. I wasn't one to raise my voice like this to him. Things changed so much from the day that I run away from the Dollhouse. If it were the sixteen-year-old me, I wouldn't even dare look at him in the eyes.

"It wasn't in my plans to kill her. It just happened. It needed to be done, and Ethan didn't hesitate." He replied.

"It happened? You killed an innocent woman, Alexander. And for what? What was Ethan doing in Nick's house that night?" I asked him.

"That doesn't concern you. What concerns you is to make Nicholas trust you. I want you to be the one to save him and then break him at the same time. I want you to take what's left of him and shatter it to pieces. I want him to have nothing." Alexander said sternly, pointing his finger at me.

"I'm not doing that. Forget it! I'm not helping you anymore. I know that you lied to me about everything, and I fell for everything, but not anymore. I'm not helping you ruin Nick. I might not know the whole truth, but I can feel it that he didn't kill my parents. I'm not going to follow your sick plans, Alexander." I said confidently, keeping my head high to look at him in the eyes. I saw his jaw tense, and his eyebrows furrowed. He didn't speak for a while, and for a moment, I actually thought I won, but my happiness was cut short. He unexpectedly pushed me against the tree with force and placed his hand around my throat. My hands gripped his wrist, and I fought to push him away, but he was stronger.

"Don't forget to who you belong to, Angel. You are mine, and you do as I say. I tried to convince you in a good way, but I see that failed. We can do it the hard way too. You will do as I say, or I promise you..."

He trailed off.

"Or else what? Let's be honest. There is nothing else you could do to me. You can keep me in the Dollhouse forever if you want, but I'm not helping you anymore." I managed to choke out. He applied more pressure, causing me to shut my eyes at the pain.

"Why are you suddenly so protective over Nick? Do you have feelings for him, Angel?" He asked, smirking down at me. I moved against his hard grip, only for him to push me back again. I gritted my teeth.

"No. I just don't want to take part in this. I don't want any more people to get hurt. I feel guilty enough with what happened to Agnes." I confessed. It wasn't the complete truth, but it wasn't a lie either. I felt something for Nick, not love, but it still was something, and I would never tell that to Alexander.

He shook his head, laughing slightly. Then he brought his lips near my ear.

"You will do as I say because if you don't, somebody is going to die, and this time, it won't just happen." He said. My eyes widened, and the rose I was holding fell to the ground.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Yes, Angel. If you don't do as I say, I will kill everyone you know. I will start with that cute, little maid, then I will kill the driver, and the list only goes on. I will kill them slowly and painfully, I will make them beg for their life, and just before I end their lives for good, I'll tell them that it was your fault. It's in your hands, Angel. If they live or die, it all depends on you." He said, loosening his grip around my throat. A tear slipped from the corner of my eye, and he brought his hand up to my face, wiping it away with his thumb. I flinched.

"You're the devil," I told him, taking short breaths.

"I'm worse, aren't I? So what will it be, Angel? Should I kill someone, or are you willing to follow instructions?" He smirked, tilting his head to the side. I was defeated. Even though I didn't want to do as he said, I had no choice but to do it. I didn't want him to kill anyone else, and I knew that if I didn't listen to him, he would. Alexander always did what he said. I didn't want to hurt Nick, even after everything that happened between us. But I will do this.

"I'll do it," I whispered, biting my bottom lip to stop my chin from quivering. I wanted to cry; all these emotions that I was feeling were driving me crazy. I felt valuable under Alexander's icy gaze.

"That's my good girl." He said, caressing my cheek with the back of his hand and then placed a small kiss on top of my head. I fisted my dress, turning my face away from him in disgust. "I'll keep an eye on you, so don't you dare test me. You know the consequences, Angel." He whispered the last part in my ear, making me shiver in fear and then released me. He laughed as I bent down to pick up the rose that had fallen from my hand. Glancing at him for one last time, I turned around and quickly walked away.

I let my tears fall freely, and I ran as fast as I could, not looking behind me. I didn't want to see Alexander's sickening face again. I could see Nick and Enrique in front of me. Guidry and Sandra weren't there anymore, and a few of the people had already left. Some were looking at me as I ran towards them, but I didn't care about what they thought. Nicholas turned to look at me, and his eyes widened as I ran to him and threw myself into his arms, burying my teary face into his chest. My arms wrapped around his torso, and I sobbed softly, shaking.

Nick's body stiffened, but he soon wrapped his strong arms around my small frame, engulfing me in his warmth and making me feel safer. That's what I needed.

He whispered something in my ear, but I wasn't listening to him, I was concentrating on calming myself down. His hand rubbed circles on my back, and he rested his head on top of mine, letting out a deep sigh. The few seconds that we stayed like that, I was thinking one thing. Would I be able to do this? Could I do what Alexander asked me to do without breaking myself too?

"Angelina, what happened?" Enrique asked, placing his hand on my back. Nick pulled away from me gently and took my chin between his fingers, lifting my head to look at him. I took a shaky breath as his beautiful green eyes met mine, and I felt like he could see right through me. He studied my face carefully and wet his lips, preparing to speak.

"What's wrong? Where did you go?" Nick asked softly. His voice was hoarse and low. I glanced momentarily at Enrique, who was watching me with worry in his brown eyes, and then back at Nick. I wiped my tears with the sleeve of my dress and parted my lips to speak. Nick was faster. His eyes had moved down to my neck, and a large frown had taken over his face. His jaw clenched, and his fingers grazed lightly against the red skin where Alexander had left his mark.

"Who did this?" He asked me, his eyes hardening.

Tell him, Angelina.

It's the right thing to do.

"H-he was here, Nick." I managed to say as I caught his hand with my trembling one. I was scared, terrified. This encounter with Alexander had been the worst one yet. He hurt me, and he threatened to kill the people I cared about. Telling Nick that he was around was a risk, I shouldn't have told him, but there was no other explanation for the red fingertips around my throat.

"What?" He yelled, looking around him.

"H-he's gone," I informed him, hugging myself as I gazed at the ground. I didn't want to look at him in the eyes because I thought that if I did, he would see right through my lies.

"That bastard," Nick exclaimed, running his fingers through his hair.

"What is happening, Nick? Who is she talking about?" Enrique asked. He was confused with what was happening, and I didn't blame him.

"Alexander was here, Enrique," Nick told him, raising his voice. By now, everyone had left, and it was only the three of us there so no one could hear our conversation.

"I don't understand. Why did he come here? What would he want?" Enrique asked.

I should have never said anything. Now the questions would start, and I didn't know how to reply to them. I couldn't possibly tell them the real reason. I don't want anyone to die.

"I don't know," I whispered. Nick shook his head and turned his back on us without saying anything. He was getting angry.

I stepped away from them and walked towards Agnes' grave. Just by looking at it, Alexander's words replayed in my head over and over again. She was dead, and I didn't want anyone else to die because of me. I placed the rose delicately on top of it and looked up to find Nick staring right back at me. His lips parted, and his face had softened a bit, the frown no longer on his face.

"Let's go home, Angelina."

~ ~ ~

I will kill everyone you care about, Angel.

Be a good girl, don't test me.

This time, it won't "just happen."

My eyes shot open, and I breathed slowly, trying to recover from what I just experienced. I had fallen asleep, yet Alexander's words haunted me. It was a nightmare and reality at the same time. I gulped and stood up, pulling the warm and soft blanket closer to my body.

I was on the couch in the living room. The room was dark, but I could see a dim light coming from Nick's office, meaning that I wasn't completely alone in the house. I was thankful for that. I didn't want to be alone, especially in a time like this. I placed my feet down on the carpeted floor and stood up carefully, holding the blanket and placing it on top of the coffee table.

I rubbed my hands together and looked around me, hesitantly making my way towards Nick's office. The door was opened wide, and I could hear him talking with someone. He wasn't alone. I stopped in my tracks and tilted my head to the side to see if I could make out who the other man was.

"What are you thinking?" Enrique asked Nick, resting his back on the chair.

"Many things. What do you think Alexander wanted earlier? Why did he show up at the funeral and hurt Angelina? I know he didn't do it without reason." Nick replied, taking his head between his hands in frustration.

"What do you have in mind, Nick?" Enrique urged him to speak.

"I don't know. The only thing I know is that since the day that I brought Angelina into my house, bad things started happening. Maybe I'm wrong." Nick confessed. My eyes widened as the words left his lips, and I gaped at him. Does he know?

"Nick, what are you saying? Did you see how scared the poor girl was today? She was practically shaking. I don't think she has anything to do with this. Alexander is just messing with you, or he just wanted to scared Angelina. That's the reason he was at the funeral."

If only you knew, Enrique.

Enrique was about to say something else, but our eyes met suddenly, and he stopped. Nick followed his gaze, and his eyes landed on me, causing me to shift uncomfortably in my spot. I cleared my throat.

"I'm sorry. I-I just woke up. I d-didn't know you were here, 'Rique." I said to them. Enrique smiled at me warmly and stood up from his seat.

"It's alright, chikita. I was about to leave anyway. It's late, and I have to go to work. How are you? Did you relax a bit?" He asked, approaching me. I nodded my head, offering him a small smile.

"I'm good." I lied. Enrique rubbed my arm in a comforting way and looked at Nick.

"I better go, jefe. See you at work. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Nick waved him off, and when Enrique was out of sight, and the sound of the front door closing was heard, he stood

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