“She’s so beautiful,” Ariella whispered as she stared at the crystal encased woman. The woman was completely encased by a crystal like tomb and all around her were rose petals that had fallen from the rose that appeared to be growing out of her chest.
The seemingly asleep woman inside had an expressionless face, and yet, Ariella could almost sense the emotional pain that she was in. It seemed to flow off the crystal tomb in waves and was affecting her and she wondered if Hayden felt it too. She cast a side glance at him and she could see the look of sympathy written across his face. So he did feel it too.
She turned her attention back to the woman and couldn’t help but gaze at her up and down, still awe struck by how beautiful she was. Without a doubt this woman was by far the most beautiful person she’d ever seen. Compelled forward by her beauty, Ariella reached out to rest her fingertips on the crystal encasing and she was instantly filled with an overwhelming sadness that made tears leak from the corners of her eyes.
“Ariella,” Hayden’s reassuring voice reached out to her as did his arms that wrapped themselves around her shoulders.
“Who is she?” she asked beneath her breath, afraid to make even the lightest sounds else the woman may awaken.
Hayden didn’t answer her question. Instead, one of his arms let go of her and brushed past her until his palm was flat against the crystal. She wondered if tears would befall him as they did she, but they didn’t. His face was almost completely emotionless. However, through the stoicism, she could see the pain that he was in and couldn’t help but wonder why.
A stab of jealousy reached her heart and she was ashamed to admit it even to herself. She buried it deep and willed it not to rise its ugly head. She instead tried to busy her thoughts with ways of comforting him.
He didn’t even cast a sideways glance at her when he asked her something she was unsure her heart would allow of her. “Leave Ariella,” he said between somewhat clenched teeth and she could see the straining of his fingers against the crystal.
“But-.”
“Now,” he didn’t even allow her the chance to object.
She nodded her head, unsure that he had even seen and made a forced escape out of the move. She had to will each step forward, not wanting to leave him with her. Her heart was screaming at her to turn around and refuse to leave. She even peeked her head back through the door before she completely shut it, almost going back in.
When she saw his slightly quivering shoulders, she knew that it was best to leave him alone and knew why he had asked such solitude of her. Her heart may not like it, but she knew that it was what he needed.