I awoke the next morning with the sun shining on my face. Grunting, I rolled out of bed. A servant entered the room and helped me dress. I brushed my hair, wondering how exactly I was going to tell Shunsuke about the whole ordeal with Chance. I didn't want him misunderstanding.
All I knew was that I wanted to be with Shunsuke. That much was clear. Where we would go from there was beyond me, but I was willing to face the unknown as long as he was there with me. Smiling, I threw my hair over my shoulder and headed out of the room and headed to Shunsuke's room hoping I'd surprise him by waking him up instead of one of the maids.
Although, when I got to his door, there were several maids all huddled around in the entry way. They were all looking at something in between them. Frowning, I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was wrong.
"What are you all looking at?" I asked, coming up beside them.
One of the servants gave me a sympathetic look as she hesitated, finally handing over a piece of paper. I recognized Shunsuke's calligraphy right away.
Kayden,
I apologize for not saying this straight out,but I think it's clear who's the winner here.and it would be best if I leave.
but there one thing I do want you to know.
You've stolen my heart.
-Shunsuke
My heart sunk. What was he talking about? I raced into the room to find it empty. The bed was made, his bags gone. It was like he hadn't been there at all. When had he left? What had I done wrong? I fell to my knees at the window, looking out at the vast fields before it.
It was then that Chance strolled by. Seeing what was going on, he stepped into the room. Seeing me by the window, he went to my side, kneeling down beside me. "What's wrong, Kayden? Where's Shunsuke?" he asked.
I handed him the letter without a word. Tears welled up in my eyes. "He left me, Chance. He left me. What had I done to displease him?" My voice cracked as the tears came down.
Chance pulled me into a warm embrace. "It might have something to do with you cheating on him."
"What?" I asked, pulling away from him.
His eyes were soft as he spoke. "I didn't want to say anything, but he caught up with me this morning before he left. "He told me to tell you that he saw us kissing last night. I tried to explain everything, but he wouldn't listen."
I looked away, shaking my head. "No, Shunsuke wouldn't act like that. He knows me better than that."
"Kay," he said softly. "You've only known each other about two months or so. There is so much he could have been hiding from you."
"No," I shook my head. "I need to go talk to him, sort all this out. It's just a huge misunderstanding." I stood up, heading for the door.
"He told me to tell you something," he continued. When I stopped, he continued, "He told me to tell you not to follow him back home, that it was best if you both went your separate ways." Chance was by my side, pulling me into a hug once again. "I know you want to go after him, but you'll only get hurt even further. Don't do that to yourself. Stay here for a few days and think things through. Maybe after you cleared your head you can go talk to him."
I shook my head. I was so lost, so confused on what I should do. A part of me wanted to follow him, but another part of me didn't want to hear him say those words out loud. I pulled away from Chance. "I want to be alone right now," I said as I strolled to my room numbly.
"You know where you can find me if you need anything," he called after me as I shut the door behind me.
I fell onto my bed, really letting the tears go. I sobbed quietly, hating how weak I felt. Shunsuke had done this to me. He had made me this way. He made me fall in love with him, and then left me. Did he ever really like me at all? I wondered. Or, was he just playing with my emotions.
None of this made any sense. He had made a binding with me. But, a voice in my head countered, he hadn't known what he was doing at the time. I never had stopped to ask if he was okay with everything. I had basically called all the shots and made him do it.
What if he hadn't been happy from day one? Or even if he had, seeing me and Chance kiss had to have broken his heart. But, if he would have only talked to me before leaving, this whole thing could easily have been fixed. I sobbed harder. I was an awful person, and I was so broken.
Shunsuke, you stole my heart.
"Dia?" I called out, hoping she would hear me from wherever she was in the castle. She had given Shunsuke and I a lot of space since they had gotten there, probably off seeing her family.
"Dia?" I tried again. Where was she? I felt so alone.
