Chapter 24

                                    

                                          
Roman picks me up a little bit after my shift ends. I was expecting to see his red car, but instead he was in a luxurious silver one that probably cost more than my house. The drive was quiet, expect for the radio that was playing softly. 
                          
"Have you heard from Peter?" I question, breaking the silence. 
                          
"No, but I don't care," he shrugs. "He's a fucking coward." 
                          
"You do care though," I point out. I could see it in his face that he was still hurt. "You are just trying to hide it." 
                          
Roman glances at me. "He fucking left us," he scoffs. "You should hate him too." 
                          
"You left me." 
                          
The car abruptly stops at a red light. Roman turns to me, "Fuck, I know. I will regret that for the rest of my life. But, I told you I was sorry, Elsie. You know that I still love-" 
                          
"Don't," I interrupt, feeling a slight ache in my heart. Roman looks away, his face filled with sadness. I wasn't ready to talk about our relationship yet. I needed to change the subject. "What about Shelly? Anything from her?" 
                          
"She's dead." 
                          
I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. "She could have found somewhere safe and gotten-" 
                          
"Shelly is dead," he repeats, his voice loud and stern this time.
                          
I lean back in the seat and look out the window. Shelly was strong and I knew she wouldn't let herself die out there. Eventually, we pull into the driveway of a large house. It was very nice and modern with black siding and glass windows. 
                          
"You aren't the only one who moved," Roman said, getting out of the car. He must have noticed my confusion.
                          
I follow him up the small steps. He unlocks the door and the house is nicely decorated with paintings and sleek furniture. I sit on the black couch while Roman goes into the kitchen. I watch as he grabs a beer bottle as well as some milk and cocoa. He must have remembered how much I loved hot chocolate when I wasn't in the mood for coffee.
                          
A few moments later, Roman hands me a mug before sitting down. I take a small sip, the warm liquid immediately soothing my nerves. It felt weird being with Roman. I thought I would never see him again after he broke up with me. I wasn't going to lie, I never stopped missing him. He was my first love.
                          
I pulled myself away from these thoughts. "What did you need to show me?" I ask. It was the only reason why I was here in the first place.
                          
He takes a long swig from his beer before answering, "Look, what I am about to tell you is crazy, but stick with me. I know you can handle it because of everything that happened last year and I trust you." 
                          
"Okay..." 
                          
"A few days after you left, it was my birthday. I was super fucking wrecked and I just wanted to get high and shitfaced. Olivia told me she needed to show me something, so I went into the attic and there was baby crib. Olivia wanted me to kill the baby, but there was no fucking way I was going to do that and she knew it. It was all apart of her plan. So, I killed myself instead." 
                          
"What? Roman, what do you mean you killed yourself?" 
                          
He turns his arms over and reveals two long scars. "I slit my arms so I would bleed out. However, I came back. I-I don't know how, but I guess you had to die in order to finish the transition." 
                          
I raise my eyebrows. "Transition into what?' 
                          
"It's called an upir," he tells me. "I have these urges. I want blood all the time and it has been hard to control, especially lately."