Read Leticia's Lament: A Cycle of Pain :: More Shattered

DrakeMorne Mansion,

Leticia's Bedroom,

Leticia sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers gripping the blanket tightly as though it were the only thing tethering her to reality. Her mind raced, trying to grasp the impossible truth. She had traveled back in time.

The same walls surrounded her; the same familiar scent of lavender filled the room, but nothing felt real anymore.

But how is that possible? she thought.

She could still feel it—the sharp, searing pain as Adrian’s blade pierced her stomach. The memory hit her like a punch to the chest, her hand instinctively going to where the wound had been.

"Was that a dream?" she whispered, her voice shaky, the words barely audible in the stillness of the room. "But the pain... the pain was too vivid, too raw."

She could almost feel the cold steel tearing through her flesh and the suffocating darkness that followed.

"No. It wasn’t a dream. That's definitely not a dream." Her breathing grew ragged as the memories flooded back—the blade, the helplessness, the way life had slipped from her grasp like sand through her fingers.

She had accepted it then. She had embraced the end.

And now… she was here.

Tears stung her eyes, but they didn’t fall. She was too tired to cry, too tired of everything. "Do I have to go through it all again?" The thought crushed her. "No. No, I never want to go through the pain again. Never"

Her legs suddenly gave way beneath her, a tremor running through her body as she stumbled to the ground. Her knees hit the cold floor, but she barely felt it. Her mind was spinning, lost in the suffocating realization that she was back, two years before her death.

"Why?"

Her breathing grew shallow as panic clawed its way through her chest.

"I didn’t wish for this," she whispered, her voice trembling, broken.

“I didn’t want to come back.” She had made peace with her death.

She had accepted her fate. "Why—for God’s sake—why have I been dragged back to this time?"

Leticia’s fingers curled into fists against the cold floor, her knuckles turning white. "Why me?" she cried, her voice barely a breath. “Why must I live through it all again? The pain, the betrayal... the end.”

She felt as though she was suffocating under the weight of her own thoughts, her chest tightening painfully. She didn't want this. She didn’t want to relive every moment that had led her to her death. She had escaped the torment, had felt the finality of death’s release, and now—now she was trapped all over again.

Her body shook, and for a moment, she couldn't feel anything at all. Her legs felt numb, her mind screaming in silent agony.

"I never wished to return," she whispered hoarsely, her head falling against her knees. She was crumbling, breaking under the weight of her own despair.

It was too much.

Too cruel.

And yet, here she was—alive, but more shattered than ever.

***

Leticia's Bedroom, Later,

Leticia sat on the cold floor, her legs curled beneath her, eyes hollow, and staring blankly out of the balcony. The soft breeze fluttered the curtains, but she didn’t move, didn’t even blink. The coldness of the floor seeped into her skin; she but it was nothing compared to the numbness gnawing at her insides.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door. "Miss, are you okay?" Elena’s voice came softly from behind the door, filled with concern.

Leticia didn’t respond. She didn’t know what to say.

There was a brief pause before Elena spoke again, more cautiously this time. "Lord Adrian is here to visit you."

The name pierced through the fog of Leticia’s thoughts, sending a jolt of cold shock through her spine. Her gaze snapped from the balcony toward the door, her lips parting slightly.

"Adrian?" she mumbled, her voice barely a whisper. "Why is he here?"

The memory hit Leticia like a tidal wave, dragging her back to that dreadful day.

***

Flashback Begins,

Leticia pushed open the door to the waiting room with a bright smile, her heart light as she spotted Adrian sitting there. His tall, composed figure was perched on the edge of one of the elegant chairs, his dark hair slightly tousled as he looked out the window, seemingly deep in thought. She had always admired how regal he looked, like a perfect person—a man she was meant to spend her life with.

“Adrian!” she beamed, stepping into the room, her happiness evident in the way her voice lilted.

She walked toward him, her eyes sparkling with the joy she always felt around him. He’s here to see me—just like always.

Adrian, however, didn’t return her smile. His face was hard, unreadable, as he stood up from the chair, his eyes cold as they locked onto hers. The air in the room shifted instantly, heavy with something dark, something unfamiliar.

Without preamble, he spoke, his voice devoid of warmth. “I want you to cancel the engagement.”

The words hit her like a punch to the gut.

Leticia’s smile faltered, confusion and disbelief crashing through her. “What... What are you saying?”

“I want you to end this. Call off the engagement,” Adrian repeated, his tone more firm, his eyes still detached, as if he were discussing something trivial.

Her heart pounded in her chest, her pulse quickening as she tried to process what he was saying. “Cancel the engagement?” She took a step back, her hand instinctively reaching for the back of a chair for support. “You can’t be serious, Adrian! Why would you even—”

“I don’t love you, Leticia,” Adrian cut in, his words sharp and cold as ice. “I never did.”

Leticia’s eyes widened in shock, and something inside her snapped. The confusion turned into anger, hurt boiling to the surface as she stepped forward, her voice rising.

"How can you say that? You’ve always—this engagement was arranged—how can you just—” Her words tumbled out, her voice shaking with a mixture of fury and heartbreak.

Adrian didn’t flinch. He didn’t even seem to care about the fire blazing in her eyes or the pain laced in her words. He simply stood there, unmoved, watching her as if none of it mattered.

Leticia roared, her voice trembling with raw emotion, "I won’t cancel the engagement, Adrian! You think you can just come here and say something like this, and I’ll go along with it? After everything, you—"

He cut her off again with a sigh, a dismissive sound that made her feel smaller than she had ever felt before. “This is a waste of time. I knew talking to you would be pointless.”

Her breath hitched as Adrian turned, his back to her, as if her existence no longer mattered.

He paused just before reaching the door, turning his head slightly over his shoulder, and with a chilling calmness said, “I don’t love you, Leticia. I want to end this engagement because there’s nothing between us. There never was.”

His words were final, like the closing of a door she couldn’t open again.

Adrian didn’t wait for a response. He simply walked out of the room, leaving her standing there, trembling, her chest heaving with the weight of her shattered world.

End of Flashback.

***

Leticia sat in the cold silence of her room, her gaze distant as the memory of that day played over and over in her mind. The rawness of Adrian's words still stung like fresh wounds. She clenched her fists, swallowing down the lump of regret that had lodged in her throat.

“I shouldn’t have made such a fuss that day,” she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible in the emptiness around her.

She stood up slowly, her body feeling heavy, as if weighed down by the gravity of all she had endured. The floor felt like ice beneath her feet as she walked toward the mirror, her movements stiff and deliberate.

Reaching the mirror, she stared at her reflection—the hollow eyes, the tired face of someone who had seen too much, felt too much. Her fingertips brushed against the cold glass, as though touching the reflection of a stranger.

“Let’s end this... today,” she murmured, her voice firmer this time, determination flickering in the depths of her eyes.

Her reflection stared back, unblinking, as the decision settled into the very core of her being. This time, she would take control.