Chapter 5

Almost a year had past since that horrid day, and Treize and I had drifted apart. Treize would go out to the tavern day in and day out. Me? I would just sit at home and do nothing. I barely went outside. The pain was just too much for me to bare. Treize usually came home drunk and would go right to bed. He never really acknowledged me. He would just come in the door and headed right to his room. We had grown so much apart in that last year that he stayed in our guestroom. I sat there wondering if it was me or if it was the whole situation that drove us apart. Some nights, Treize never even bothered to come home at all. I never knew where he went. I tried to ask him where he was, but he again would ignore me and head off into his den. I had felt betrayed for some reason. Like I wasn't good enough to be his wife, because I had lost our only child. I even felt like if he had any love for me it was now gone. Well, my hunch was right.

Several days shy of the anniversary of our only child's death, Treize presented me with divorce papers.

"What are these?" I asked him in confusion as he handed me the papers.

"They are divorce papers, Lucrezia." He answered back.

I stared at him with wide eyes. "What? What do you mean divorce papers?"

Treize rested his hand upon my shoulder. "You must understand, Lucrezia. We've just grown too much apart. I can't keep on living like this. This is killing me. I am sorry, but there was just no other choice."

I was devastated. First my child and now my husband was leaving me. The only thing that kept me from killing myself that day, almost a year ago, was now getting rid of me. Tossing me out like some used up old rag.

"Treize, you can't mean this. I love you. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" I don't want this to be over with. Isn't there anything we can do to make this work?" I pleaded with him.

"No Lucrezia, there isn't. I have thought about this long and hard and this is what we've got to do. My mind is made up. I'm sorry.

What was there to do? Nothing. Instead of discussing this any further, I just signed the papers. Once Treize's mind was made up, there was no turning back. He took the papers and left. I ran upstairs to my room and cried for hours. My life was now over.

*****

Several days later, Treize and I went to the courthouse. The judge grated Treize everything. The house, the firm, and the rest of what was my life. I got my old house. After my father died, no one had lived in the old house from my childhood. I refused to go to that house for it bore to many painful memories. So Treize and I had it boarded up. But now, now I was to go back to that horrid place that had striped me of a normal childhood. How I wondered what my life would have been like if only Sally was still around? Probably the same. Who knows? It didn't matter now. Nothing mattered now. I left courthouse.

I was granted several hours to vacate all of my personal belongings from "Treize's home". When I entered, all of the servants, including Hilde, had their heads lowered. It was like they all were ashamed of me. I guessed Treize had some influence on that. I went upstairs to my former room and began packing my stuff. I heard the door creek open slightly and I glanced up. I saw the little face of an angel staring back at me. I motioned for her to come in. It was Relena. Relena was Hilde's daughter. I loved this little angel. I wanted the child I almost had to be just like her. She was very polite and very cute for a five-year-old. She stared up at me with her big round eyes. I could see they were full of questions.

"Miss Luci, where are you going?"

"I'm going away dear"

"When are you coming back?" Again she stared into me with her big sad eyes.

"Never." I answered her in a near whisper. Her big eyes filled with tears and she flung her arms around me. I hugged her tightly. I immediately flashed back to the day I found out Sally was gone from my life. The pain raced to my head. I did not want to leave this child, just like Sally didn't want to leave me. Tears streaked down my face. I let go of Relena and look at her.

"Be sure to behave and to obey your mother and Mr. Treize." Relean nodded her head and I left. I left never to return again. Well, not in mortal life anyways.

I now stood outside of the house from my cruel past. It looked old and decrypted. Almost like a haunted house. I walked up the stairs and entered. It was the first time in two years since I had been in that house. I immediately dropped to my knees as the wave of past memories that had haunted me, flooded my mind. I could see my dead mother, my mean brothers, my too busy for me father, and the visions of me growing up without Sally. I shook the visions out of my head and proceed up the stairs to the room that was once mine. It was the same as I had left it. I deposited my belongings on my old bed and ventured over to my favorite sitting spot by the window.

I sat there and thought about what I was going to do now. The sun had just gone down and the street lamps were beginning to illuminate. I sat there wishing that Sally would walk by and she how miserable and unhappy I was. But I knew that it would never happen. I was about to look away, when suddenly I saw it. A man stood in the street and stared up at me. He looked like the same man that stared up at me that one night 14 years ago. He wore the same black evening suit and wore his long platinum blonde hair pulled back in the same manner. Even his gorgeous ocean-blue eyes stared up into my own sapphire eyes the same way. I thought for a moment, then I whispered to myself, "This is the same man!" How could this be? It couldn't be the same man. No one looks exactly the same after 14 years. That man should have aged, this one didn't. But it was him. I knew it was. Again, as he stared up at me, I felt at peace. Like all my troubles disappeared. I questioned about who he was, and why did he have an interest in me. And just like before, as we were staring at each other, he suddenly turned and disappeared. And just like before, all my pains rushed back to me.

*****

One week after my sudden encounter from the stranger from my past, I went out shopping. I had to get out of that horrid house. It was driving me nuts. I had been out for hours. It was a little after dark before I decided to venture home. Now any self-respected girl of my class knew better then to walk alone at night. There were bad people out who wouldn't think twice about hurting you. But of course, I didn't care.

I was only half way home when suddenly two men jumped me. One stole my purse while the other grabbed me. I didn't really struggle to get away. Usually I would have been kicking and screaming to get away, but it didn't matter to me if they took my life at all. It would have been an answer to my prayers. My life was dead anyways. I didn't care what happened to me.

The man holding me threw me to the ground and started tearing at my dress. I was defiantly frightened, but I didn't do anything about it. My head was full of thoughts. "Do I want these men to rape me? Do I want them to kill me? Should I try and get some help?" I didn't know what to do. So I screamed. It must have helped, for at the next instant, one of my captures was pulled backwards from behind. I couldn't see what was happening to him, for I still had the other grabbing and probing me from beneath my dress. Just then, the other one was pulled off of me and heaved backwards. I could see a struggle going on. The first man now lay dead before me. His neck had been torn apart. Someone had killed this man and was now in the process of killing the other. I could hear the screams. Then it was silent. I looked up and saw the other now lying dead before me. His neck had also been torn apart. I couldn't see the one who had killed my attackers. He was standing in the shadows of the ally. All I could see was this deep ocean-blue eyes staring back at me. They looked familiar. I could see the blood dripping from his lips and fingers. He took a step towards me. This monster was now coming from me. To take my life, like he took those men's lives. Or was he? I fainted and blacked out.

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