was looking a lot different than Cole remembered her, for one outside of the very obvious and glaring fact that she was on her feet, her hair was now a platinum blonde shade with a streak of red going up from the middle of her right check all the way up into her hairline, and Cole could tell at a glance that that was not war paint of any sort. But rather her skin that had taken on that shade of red,
The streak of red seemed to disappear into her hair line, and Cole could see that somehow the roots of her hair were actually blood red, while the streak continued down her back. She was putting on a tank top, leaving her body exposed enough for Cole to see the swirls and whirls of black that now dotted every square inch of her body with the exception of her face. He also knew that if he placed his hands on those tattoos he knew they would be brailed, just like his own when he's The World Breaker. She didn't say anything as she looked back at him, and honestly Cole had no idea what to say too.
So he kept quiet and kept on observing the changes she seemed to have gone through, for one she was taller now, not that she was taller than him, but as far as females go, she would now be considered tall, clocking out at a good six feet or six feet one. At maximum six foot two, Cole couldn't tell from his position on the bed and without carrying out some proper measurements. And then the state of her body was absolutely insane, she was toned and muscled, and in the only way a well trained female was. If he had to be honest he had to say he found her intimidating, especially with the fierce look she had on her face. She Reminded Cole of Irma.
"Aren't you going to say anything, or are you just going to remain there staring at me like you have never seen a woman before." Cole raised an eyebrow at that, there was something off about her tone of voice. Usually she was always speaking in somewhat dead tone, but now even if he couldn't put his hands on it, there was emotion in her voice. If he had to take a guess dare he say it, it sounded like…. Irritation.
"What do you want me to say? Because I honestly don't know what to say, what can I possibly say right now that would make this situation any less shitty than it already is. You don't understand Tehilla, I might have been a shitty person to you, but after I came back, I at least wanted to make the rest of your days filled with happiness and peace, which is why I tried to keep you out of my revenge as much as possible even though my grandmother kept dragging you back in. After that incident at the restaurant, you getting hurt was the last thing I want to happen.
But Murphy's Law can be such a bitch at times you know. The more you fear for something the more it is more likely to happen. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that meeting me has caused you nothing but misfortune and heartache. I wish I could promise you that it would not be like this from now on, but I am not caught in a cycle. The moment it is convenient for me I am finding that bitch and I am ripping her throat out and drinking her blood as she gurgles to death for what she has done to you. But you can't be there or anywhere around me anymore-"
"Oh spare me your self wallowing bullshit Cole, this is your fault yes. But not for the reasons you think, your grandparents were the ones who let your aunt in to slit your throat while you sleep. You trust blindly and when you aim to do things you don't finish the job and when it comes to your family you brain stops working. Even more so now that it has to do with your grandmother and grandfather."
It was as if a bomb had gone off in his head as all of a sudden his mouth went dry. The EKG attached to him beeped rapidly speeding up. The irony of it all was that Tehilla raised an eyebrow too. But ultimately she didn't even act as if she cared, it was obvious that Cole would not be getting any form of sympathy from her….. he wouldn't be lying if he said that alone didn't shock him, but his was no simp. He got a hold of himself as she kept on talking explaining a bit more about the bombshell she just dropped on him.
"When they asked you not to kill your cousins it was an attempt to keep your under control. You should know that they're old and very powerful people and even at this age, especially when the opportunity to live longer had now been presented to them. With the advent of the system, everything that you have told them and the abilities they have seen you bring to bear, they know it is possible to keep their power and not have to pass it on, especially to a person that they had no hope of controlling.
You're lucky, the moment I found out what they were doing I made sure to completely remove all of your assets from any holdings that's connected to either of your grandparents. I had everything except for the stocks you have with Sierra Corp liquidated…. I took the liberty of taking a few choice cuts of some of the things you grandparents owned too, that's my payment for being your grandmother's loyal lapdog and student all these years, the real problem was convincing your parents but luckily the evidence of you almost getting killed in a house that was supposed to be one of the most secure was proof enough that your grandparents had a hand in it."
It was just bombshell after bombshell, but Cole still couldn't understand one thing. "Why would you do all of this?" he asked, not that the gains she gained from screwing his grandmother over was not massive, but she had also put her life on the line to do so. Something that Cole knew that she would never have done, even the screwing 9ver would never have been an option if his life had not been jeopardy.
Tehilla looked at him for a second longer than was required, the she sighed and rubbed her hand over her face, groaning in the process as she answered.
"I figured you needed a break. Say what you will about how powerful or dangerous you are Cole, you're very unfortunate. From our failed first engagement to the messy relationship and poverty you had to experience, to scheming grandparents who would not hesitate to execute should you prove to be an obstacle to all of their plans. And through it all you were just trying your best to make up for last mistakes and protect the people that you care about, I guess you could say I felt pity for you."
Pity… She didn't have to, nobody pitied Cole more than himself. Turns out that he really was all alone in this world, and there would be no shortage of knives getting ready to stab him in the back should the situation calls for it. "is that the only reason? Because you pitied me?"
"What do you want me to say Cole! Huh! Do you want me to tell you that I absolutely can not stand to see you hurt or in danger of any sort. That my obsession with your ungrateful ass has never wanted after all these years, or rather they came back stronger the moment your returned, like some God damn conquering hero. I don't know what's wrong with my fucking head! I hate you so God's damn much I can't even breathe! But why do I always want to protect your stupid na?ve ass!
You think you have all the answers and that you are fucking untouchable! But you're an idiot who is blind to the things that are most important in your life. You're so fucking single minded about things that the entire world just passed you by and screws you in the process while it happens. You say you don't trust people, but you trust the wrong people and don't give trust to people who have rightfully earned it….. you're a mess that I just can't help but want to clean up, in the end the crippled one between the two of us is you, you just didn't know it."
At the end of it all her voice had come out as a whisper as she looked down at her hands, catching the tears that fell into her palms. She was shocked, she had only ever cried once in her entire life, ironically enough it was for the same bastard laying on the hospital bed. She sighed turned and left the room, and as she did Cole for the first time ever, felt her absence like a sledge hammer to the chest, and through it all the only thing he could say was.
"I'm sorry."
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