CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

**OLIVER**.
I toss and turn in the bed that I had been forced to learn to sleep in alone since our return, chest rolling down my forehead to the pillow. I sighed in frustration as I stared up at the ceiling, at the overhead fan that seemed to blow hot air, only adding to my frustration. If I closed my eyes and listened intently, I could hear the sound of Gabriel’s soft snoring, and I grimaced.
How nice it must be to be able to go straight to sleep despite being responsible for my lack of sleep.
I sighed heavily as I lay on my back, my eyes wandering to the blade of the fan, following its rotation, a habit I had picked up as a child to distract myself. But now, discomfort nagged at me. The fabric of my white tank top clung to my skin, irritating it in ways I couldn’t ignore. I felt a strange sensation as if tiny creatures were crawling beneath my skin, amplifying my unease. I shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position, but it did little to alleviate the irritation gnawing at me. The oppressive heat and anxiety hung in the air, making it hard to breathe.
I threw the covers off and smiled as my feet touched the cold floor. Carefully, I stood to my feet, and found my way down the stairs, grimacing at Gabriel as he slept unperturbed.
I sighed in relief as the cool night air drifted in my hair, and massaged my scalp. I smiled at the moon, high up in the night sky, shining her goodness down on me. For a second, I was at peace, I had no worries, and then they came back in full force, hitting me like a truck, and knocking the air out of me.
I let my feet carry me across the familiar footpath through the forest, my bare feet sinking noiselessly into the damp earth, dodging twigs and stumps until it took me to the river. I smiled to myself as I stood at the bank of the river, stopping just short of it, and allowed my toes into the water.
I sighed in relief as the cold water washed over my toes, calling me for a second. Only for a second.
I stood there, and stared at the open waters, the moon shining down on the river and making her glitter.
As I stood, my mind reeled with thoughts, I thought about my next course of action as regards Gabriel and Carrie and came up blank. At that moment, I realized that I was beginning to lose Gabriel’s love and trust, and if I opened my mouth to tell him about everything, I would lose him completely. I ran my hands through my hair, thinking to myself how I was playing a rather dangerous game here.
My head turned sharply as I heard the shrine door open, and I looked ok in surprise as Shanice stood at the doorway, staring directly at me.
Sometimes, I needed to be reminded that Shanice was blind.
I stare at her in shock. “Why are you here by this time, Shanice?” I asked, slightly amused. “Are you sleeping here?”
Shanice rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask me stupid questions, child. I can do whatever I want,” was her sassy reply. “Besides, your loud thinking woke me up.”
I chuckled and shook my head, always amused by Shanice’s antics. I watched as she descended the porch stairs.
“Careful,” I called out. “We don’t want you breaking any of your old bones. It’s quite dark.”
Shanice swore loudly at me, “You seem to forget that it makes no difference to me if it’s night or day.”
She makes her way over to me and stands next to me, sighing as her toes also touch the water. We stood there in heavily pregnant silence, both of us lost in thought. Things need to be said, and yet heavily ignored. I badly wanted to tell Shanice about what had happened back in Gabriel’s hometown but couldn’t quite find the words to describe the situation.
“Well, get in with it. I don’t have all day!”
“What?” I asked.
Shanice scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I’m too old for these games, child. Spill.”
I risked a glance at her and turned back to the water. “Gabriel,” I answered simply.
“And what about him?”
“Back at his mother's hometown, something happened.”
Another pregnant pause as I waited for Shanice to price what she had heard.
“Well, what happened?”
I took a deep breath and began a deep dive into everything that had happened from the moment I stepped foot in the house. How Carrie had come over like she had been blown over by the wind, how she had immediately began flirting with me, how I had found her completely irresistible, how everything about her seemed to drive me crazy, how I wanted her in ways that he didn’t think he would ever want a human being.
Even the thought of her as I stood there made my pants tighten.
I continued, explaining the goddess’s tangled role in all the chaos. I told her how, ever since she had become a part of me, she wielded a strange, almost magnetic pull over my feelings, commanding an attraction to her that felt both unnatural and inescapable. And it didn’t stop there, she was relentless in her demands for a child, insisting that Carrie be the one to bear it. It was as if my desires were no longer mine to control, twisted to serve her purposes, leaving me trapped in a plan that was never mine to begin with.
I went on to tell her about how I had trashed Gabriel’s house and destroyed their family portraits, and it didn’t escape my notice how her eyes seemed to soften. By the time I was done, I was out of breath.
Shanice chuckled and shook her head, and then remained silent, her head turned towards the water. I might as well not have said anything with his silent she was.
A ghost might as well have spoken.
“You’re not saying anything, Shanice.”
Shanice chuckled and shrugged. “What do you want me to say, Oliver?” She asked and slowly turned to me. “This was bound to happen, I don’t know why you didn’t see that.”
“But…”
“This is what happens when you disobey the goddess…and you seem to have a knack for doing just that.”
“What?!”
Shanice sighed heavily. “You can’t keep dodging her wishes, Oliver.”
My eyes opened wide in shock. “I’ve never dodged any of her wishes,” I countered. “Just this one. Because it’s preposterous.”
Shanice shook her head slowly, falling silent as she processed everything I’d just told her. I could practically see the wheels turning in her mind, her gaze unfocused, fixed somewhere beyond me as she tried to make sense of it all. Her brow furrowed, lips pressed tightly together as if she were holding back questions or doubts. The quiet stretched between us, filled with unspoken thoughts, as she weighed my words carefully.
“Are you aware that you don’t have a choice?” She asked solemnly.
“Carrie is Gabriel’s cousin,” I said. “He calls her his sister!”
“And that was why she chose her. Because you’re disobedient.”
My brows drew down in confusion. “I don’t understand…”
“You’re not looking at the bigger picture, Oliver.”
“There’s a bigger picture here?”
Shanice nodded her head and smiled. “Of course, there is!” She answered. “You get to have a child that shares your blood, and that is Gabriel as well.”
I stared at Shanice in shock, refusing to believe the words that had just come out of her mouth. It felt as if the ground had shifted beneath my feet, and I struggled to maintain my composure. My mind raced, trying to grasp the reality of what she had just revealed, but the implications felt too heavy to bear. a
Her expression was earnest, and yet I couldn’t shake the feeling of disbelief. I wanted to argue, to deny what she had said, but the weight of her words settled like a lead weight in my stomach. How could this be true? The questions swirled around me, and I felt a mix of anger and confusion bubbling to the surface. I needed answers, but at that moment, all I could do was stare, hoping that somehow, this was all just a cruel joke.
“She’s his cousin…” I said again, beginning to sound like a broken gramophone at that point.
“You either do what she wants, Oliver, or this could get much worse for you.”
“But Gabriel…”
Shanice groaned and rolled her eyes. “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. He doesn’t have to know.”
“What?!”
“You can bring back the baby and raise her as yours,” she continued, completely unfazed by my shock. “Or you can leave the child with Carrie until she’s of age. Or you can even bring her to me.”
I stared at Shanice in a new light, bamboozled by this new personality.
“I love Gabriel…” I said, ignoring Shanice’s eyes roll. “This situation has already put a strain on our relationship.”
“What has put a strain on our relationship?”
I whipped around at the sound of Gabriel’s voice behind me. There he was, standing in a simple robe, eyes still groggy and weighted with sleep. He descended the last few steps of the footpath, his gaze sweeping over the scene, shifting from one person to the next. He looked bewildered as if piecing together the situation in his half-awake state. His presence brought an abrupt stillness, an unspoken question hanging in the air as he tried to make sense of what he’d just walked into.
“I’ll excuse you two,” Shanice said and disappeared into the cabin.
“Why are you out here?” I asked.
Gabriel shrugged. “I heard you leave the house, and it’s been a while since you left. I got worried.”
I nodded, a little warmed inside. “Okay…”
“Well?” He asked. “Are you ready to talk?”
I opened my mouth to speak, to take Shanice’s advice and tell him all that had been happening. Who knows? Maybe he will understand, maybe he will forgive my secrecy…understand it. I opened my mouth, and yet again, the words refused to come out. I sighed and lowered my head to the ground, gravely aware of Gabriel’s presence as he closed the distance between us, and lifted my face with a finger under my chin.
“You really should stop keeping secrets from me, Oliver,” he said and joined our lips in a quick kiss.
Tears gathered in my eyes and I let them roll down my cheeks, suddenly tired of hiding the pain I felt. Gabriel gently wiped them away and pulled me into his arms. I rested my head on his shoulders and closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of having him in my arms again. His hands gently went up and down my back, and I sighed and leaned in further into the hug.
“I’m here for you, Oliver,” he whispered against my ear. “I’m always going to be here when you need me. You might not tell me today, but I’ll always be here do you.”
“I love you,” I whispered in his ear.
“I love you too,” was his firm reply.