Chapter 18: Chapter 17

“I can't say what it is, Rinaldo. I'm sorry. I just can't. I don't want to ruin our relationship.”

Rinaldo stepped away from her and walked away. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. He had to think clearly. The future of their relationship hinged on him, but he would not put that at risk by doing the wrong thing.

This choice was tough. It was a moment of decision that could either destroy their relationship or save it, but the choice was his to make. He would do that because Olivia deserved that much from him.

When he opened his eyes, he was a bit surprised to see he still had said nothing. He was supposed to say something. His heart felt like it was being tugged from his chest by a hundred different strings. It could have been the stress, his anxiety, or the emotions that were going on inside of him.

What if he said the wrong thing? He didn't want to lose her. They'd had such a good thing going on, and he didn't want to destroy it. The only thing that gave him peace was him knowing she cared about him. There were some things worth the risk.

“Liv… what's wrong?” He turned his head, waiting for her answer.

Her answer was to close her eyes and shake her head. She couldn't tell him. Olivia wanted him to know she was sorry. She had done nothing like this before, had never cared about anyone but herself before. If she had a reason to make this decision, she wouldn't.

Rinaldo stood and walked toward her. He held his arms out, wondering if he would get the chance to hold her again. He let out a small sigh.

“Liv, please tell me what's wrong. Tell me what happened.”

Olivia's eyes opened, and she could see her life flash in front of her. If she told him the truth, he would never forgive her. No matter how much he loved her, he would never trust her again. He wouldn't even want to be around her. She would feel as if she had betrayed him.

She looked away from him and shook her head. “No. It's not fair to you. I can't tell you. You'll hate me.”

Rinaldo moved closer to her. “I don't care what you've done. It doesn't matter. I still love you.”

Olivia was afraid of what he would think. She shook her head. She couldn't tell him. He wouldn't forgive her. He would hate her. She needed to protect herself, and she couldn't tell him what had happened. It was her burden to bear, and she would take it to the grave.

“I'm sorry, Rinaldo.”

“Sorry for what? Liv, what is it?”

After taking a deep breath, Olivia finally decided. There was nothing left to do. There was no choice left. She closed her eyes again.

“I can't tell you. You wouldn't like me if I did.”

“Liv, why?” Rinaldo shook his head, not understanding. “What happened?”

“I just can't tell you.” Her tone was tender, almost pleading.

Rinaldo was so confused. He kept thinking about the last few minutes he spent with her. He kept thinking about how her eyes glistened, her beautiful smile, and how she was trying to comfort him. Her eyes told him she was sorry.

“It's okay, Liv.” He stepped forward and hugged her, holding her in his arms. “You don't need to hide anything from me.”

“I know, but I can't.” Olivia leaned back to give him room. “I have to protect myself.”

“Okay, Liv. I understand.” Rinaldo pulled away and looked at her. “I don't like it, but I understand.”

Olivia wiped her eyes, not sure if she wanted him to understand or not. She wiped her face again, wanting to get it all over with.

“You know I still love you, right?” Rinaldo could tell her heart was in her eyes. He took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. “No matter what happened, I'd always love you.”

When Olivia closed her eyes, wanting to believe him, all she could think about was how it would be if she told him the truth. She opened her eyes and looked into his eyes, and she could feel the tears coming again. She knew the only way she could protect herself was to keep him from finding out.

“Thank you, Rinaldo.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I appreciate it.”

As if by a force of will alone, he could breathe again. He took a step back and turned around, looking at her. She was undoubtedly hurting him, but he knew she was afraid. Rinaldo wished it was different. He would have been ecstatic to have her be honest with him.

He was about to respond when there was a knock on the door. His eyes opened slowly as he heard the door open. “Who is it?”

“It's me, Shelley,” he heard someone call out.

Rinaldo walked over to the door and turned the knob. He could tell from the voice it was the maid. Rinaldo opened the door. “Yes?”

“There's someone here who would like to speak with you, milord.”

“Who is it?”

“I'm not sure. I just know it's someone you know.”

“Okay. I'll be right there. Thank you.” He walked over to Olivia and kissed her on the cheek. “I'll be back.”

When Rinaldo walked out of the room, he found the maid standing with a man. It was the mayor. Rinaldo assumed he was the person who wanted to speak with him. The man stood there, waiting for Rinaldo's reaction. The look on his face spoke volumes.

“Rinaldo? Is that really you?” He saw the recognition come over his face.

He looked at him and smiled. “Hello, uncle.”

“Well, Rinaldo, I'm glad you're okay. There's no easy way to say this, but I don't know if I should say anything. I don't want to upset you.”

“Okay. I'll listen. I'll hear you out. There's no problem. What is it?”

“You're not gonna like it.” The mayor took a deep breath. “It's not good.”

“Tell me what's wrong.”

The mayor's face tightened a little. “There was another attack today.”

Rinaldo felt a chill run through his body, but he kept his face straight. He didn't want the mayor to see him lose it. He knew if he gave it away, it could become a habit, and he couldn't have that.

“Another attack? Where? When?”

“Downtown. Just earlier.”

Rinaldo's heart pounded. He wasn't ready to deal with this yet.

He was more than capable of taking care of himself, but it was different this time. The situation was so much worse. If they could figure it out and stop it, he could handle it, but it was becoming more and more clear that this could be an endless battle.

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“Is everyone okay?”

“The marshal arrived in time to drive the cultists away. We haven't had more deaths, if that's what you're asking.”

“Good.”

“We don't know how many people were involved in the attacks. There were so many cultists, and it happened so fast. It's hard to tell. Unlike last time, the sunlight didn't melt them.”

“What happened? I mean, why did they do it?”

“There's no way of knowing. Each attack has got worse. I think the cultists are getting desperate.”

Rinaldo just stood there, speechless. He knew there was nothing he could say. His mind was on overload. If what Victor said was the truth, then he was the reason the cultists were attacking.

As the current wielder of the holy sword Flamberg, he was responsible for the deaths of the townspeople. He had a great responsibility to fulfil, and he knew that there was no greater responsibility.

“I'm sorry. I'm leaving. I have to go. Talk to you later. I have to go to my mother.”

The mayor nodded and watched as Rinaldo walked away. He would have loved to talk to him a little longer, but he could see Rinaldo was having a hard time keeping it together. There was nothing he could do. Rinaldo would have to learn how to handle it, or he wouldn't last long.

He made his way upstairs and made a complete circle as he reached the top of the stairs. When he entered the main hallway, he heard voices and stopped.

“I don't think this is a good idea.” He could hear the voice belonged to Victor.

“That's your business. If you're not going to help, then don't.” There was another voice in the mix—his mother's voice.

There was silence for a few moments before he heard the voices move away. He heard footsteps as people were walking away.

“I'll do what I can. Just tell me what to do.”

He stood there, his eyes fixed on the door, as he could hear the man's voices coming closer. It was getting louder and louder until he heard someone open the door. He heard the door open and close. It didn't take long before Victor appeared.

Victor walked out and looked around. When he looked up, he stared at Rinaldo. He walked towards Rinaldo, who seemed to be confused about something. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt uneasy.

“Rinaldo? Is everything all right?”

“It's just a lot to take in. I'm fine, but I'm trying to process it.”

“Okay. Don't worry. I understand. If you need anything, just let me know. Anything at all.”

Rinaldo looked at Victor. He could see the worry on his face. “Thanks. Just one more thing.”

“What is it? What do you need?”

“I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I should have seen it coming. I should have done something to stop it.”

“No one is blaming you. It's not your fault.”

“I should have done more.”

Victor looked at Rinaldo. He could see that he was holding himself back. This was more than Rinaldo was letting on, and Victor would be damned if he stood by and let it happen.

“You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I don't want you to feel guilty about something that isn't your fault. There is nothing you could have done. It's not your fault.”

“Thank you.”

Victor would not stop. “I'll leave you alone to process this, but I'll be around if you need me.” He walked out of the hallway.

Rinaldo was glad Victor was going to be around for a while. He needed time to think and process it all. He turned around and leaned against the wall. Rinaldo wasn't sure where to go or what to do with himself. He needed a minute to himself.

He looked down at the ground. There was so much on his mind. This thought would destroy him if he didn't figure out how to keep it together. He had to think and get himself together. He didn't know how much longer he could keep it together.

“Rinaldo?”

Hearing his name being called, Rinaldo turned around to see his mother coming toward him. He was feeling better already. His mother had a way of helping him. She was always calm, and he was glad she was here for this.

“I was concerned about you. I thought you might want to talk to me about it. I can't leave you alone for a minute.”

He could hear the worry in her voice. She was feeling his pain, and he knew that meant she could feel his guilt. He didn't want her to be in his head, feeling guilty. That was his job, but he wasn't ready to share it with anyone. She would only put her feelings into the mix and complicate matters.

He looked into his mother's eyes and saw that she was trying to be supportive. “Things are already better.”

“How do you know?”

“I don't know. But I know I'm not the only one feeling this way.” He was glad she understood what he was feeling. “I was looking for you earlier to talk about this.”

She looked at him and nodded. “I'm glad. I know you're only human, and you have the right to feel guilty. No one is more human than another, even when they may feel the pain you shouldn't.”

“Thanks, mother. That means a lot to me.”

She smiled. “I'm sorry for being a terrible mother.”

Rinaldo didn't know what to say. Everything overwhelmed him. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and his skin was breaking out in a cold sweat. His mother knew what was going on. He couldn't put her in danger. He was going to have to talk to her about it.

“It's alright, mom. You don't need to explain yourself to me.” He looked down and tried to calm himself down. “Let's talk about something else, ok?”

Rinaldo could see he was still shaken up. He didn't want to put her through anything; he didn't want her to worry about him. Rinaldo knew she was already worried enough as it was, but he didn't want her to worry about him any more than she already was. He needed to get a grip.

“Alright.”

They continued talking for a little while, and he calmed down. His mother could help him, but she was only human. Or was she?

“Mother, what happened to your face?”