Forbidden Heat

Reiner - Emptiness

That night I somehow managed to make it back to the mansion without running into anyone. When I

arrived back in my bedroom, I took off my dress and just climbed into bed. I felt so cold, and I was

certain that it wasn’t just from being in the rain. There was so much coldness inside of me, and I had

never felt this empty inside before.

I didn’t remember much of what happened for the remainder of that night and it was probably because I

didn’t want to remember. My eyes hurt from crying non-stop, but it was nothing compared to the pain

that was tearing at my heart. I couldn’t recall when I fell asleep, but I remembered clearly how I fell

asleep. I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore and then I fell asleep.

…

Morning finally came and the sunlight that shone through the window onto my face was merciless. One

glance at the time and I knew that I had gotten up late. It was already close to midday. I got up and the

blanket fell from my body, revealing that I was naked. That’s right, last night I just got into bed and cried

myself to sleep…after my confession to Reiner didn’t go very well, to say the least.

I felt tired and drained of energy. My body felt heavy like I had a mild fever, and my lower body was

sore. The worst part was that I had nothing to show for my efforts. I closed my eyes and just focused

on breathing deeply. The sounds of soft knocks on my bedroom door brought me back to my harsh

reality.

“Miss Natalia…”

A voice I was familiar with called my name through the door. Although the voice was familiar, it wasn’t

the voice that I wanted to hear…

“Come in, Laura…” I called back just loud enough for her to hear.

The door to my bedroom opened immediately and came in Laura with an excessively worried look on

her face. One look at my face and her eyes grew wide with shock and concern.

“Oh miss…” was all that she managed to say as she quickly came to my side and placed a comforting

arm around my shoulder.

I didn’t need to take a look in the mirror to know that I looked like a mess. It was probably nothing

though, compared to how broken I felt inside.

If Laura is here, then that only means one thing: Reiner is no longer here.

“Let me help you shower and get changed right away. The chefs have prepared so many of your

favorite foods so after we’re done, let’s go down to have lunch…” Laura suggested as she showed me

her best smile.

I appreciated her efforts even though they weren’t exactly going to be very effective in cheering me up.

“Thank you…Laura…” I said as I put in effort to smile back at her.

After preparing for my warm bath, Laura led me to the bathtub and helped me get in. The warm water

felt wonderful against my skin, and I let out a sigh.novelbin

“Mr. Reiner got called back to the main house so suddenly, Miss…” Laura said softly as she massaged

my shoulder gently.

“I see…” I mumbled.

He got called back there at Lucien’s request and Lucien made that request based on my request. I bit

my lower lip as I tried to hold in my tears. Although I knew that this would happen, now that he was

really gone, I still felt shocked and lost, nonetheless.

“I heard from the other staffs that he packed his stuff so suddenly and was already gone before dawn

broke…” Laura said, and I didn’t miss the note of sadness in her voice.

“I see. Thank you for letting me know…” I replied softly.

“I’ll prepare your clothes for you. Please come to the dining room for lunch when you’re done dressing,

Miss,” Laura said before she got up and turned to leave.

Once the bathroom door closed behind her and I was alone, I covered my face with my hands and

cried. Sitting there in the bathtub, I pulled my knees up and curled myself into a ball.

“Reiner…”

So, he decided to leave after all…

…

When was the last time that I thought that food tasted like sand in my mouth? I couldn’t help but

wonder as I stared at the food in my spoon. Never mind the taste, just looking at the food made me feel

sick.

I could feel Laura and the other maid’s eyes on me and that made me feel so guilty. What would the

chefs think when they see all the left-over food? I felt so sorry towards them because I knew that they

too probably felt distressed over Reiner’s sudden departure, and they were doing their best to cheer

me up.

I closed my eyes and shoved more food into my mouth. Eating without an appetite was so painful but I

did it anyways. I could literally hear sigh of relief from the maids when they saw that I was eating some

food.

After I was done with lunch, I quickly excused the maids so that I could finally be alone. Unfortunately, I

didn’t have the energy or the mood to entertain or live up to anyone’s expectations right now. When the

maids had left me alone, I got up and headed to the one destination that I had in mind.

I remembered the first time that I stood here in front of this door. It didn’t seem that long ago, and I

remembered the moment so clearly. A small smile curved my lips as I recalled how I had to ask the

maids where this room was and how confused and hesitant, they were to tell me. Then I remembered

the struggles and trials that I had to go through just to take my first step into this room. Those times

were gone now.

I put my hand on the doorknob and it turned easily. With a small push, the door opened and welcomed

me into the room. However, all of that was useless now. The room was so empty that it would be hard

for anyone to believe that someone was actually living here up until a few hours ago. Reiner’s room is

no longer his room.

--To be continued…