The Pure-Hearted Princess and the Kiss of Darkness novel Chapter 1

~ KATALEYA ~

‘Stay away from me!’

‘W-why?’ The air whooshes from my lungs on a broken gasp.

‘I hate you! I hate the fact that I ever met you!’

Guilt rips through me as tears burn my eyes, blurring my vision until I can barely make out his handsome face, contorted with ruthless fury.

‘You cost me my entire future!’

I clamp my hands over my ears, trying to drown out the harsh cries of anger, but his anguished voice continues to penetrate my mind.

‘I should have left you to die!’

My lungs stop working, the air within them quickly turning stagnant. How could he say such a thing?

I’m sorry…

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

‘It’s your fault that everything went wrong!’

No, please stop.

I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I don’t know how much more of this I can take before I shatter completely.

‘I hate you!’

Those cruel words are the last thing I hear, the final blow of agony that rips me from my thoughts and brings me back to the present.

I blink rapidly, quickly swiping the tears from my eyes. This isn’t the first time I have spaced out, my subconscious forcing me to relive the terrible, gut-wrenching memories of my childhood.

The steam from the hot water mists up the glass of the shower enclosure, blurring the view of the bathroom of my rented apartment.

Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply before exhaling slowly.

Ever since I arrived here two nights ago, those painful memories from fourteen years ago have begun haunting me all over again. The nightmares are back and even when I’m awake, they continue to play on my mind.

Each morning I wake up coated in sweat, wracked with shivers as I fight the guilt and pain of his final words.

The guilt that I’ve carried since I was a child remains, and although it took me fourteen years, I am here to rectify the mistakes of my past. It won’t be easy, I know that.

There will be hurdles and moments where my heart might break all over again, but I’ve waited for this time for over a decade, and I will not back down now.

His words return to the forefront of my mind with a vengeance, and I close my eyes, trying to calm myself.

He hates me.