Hellbound Heart

"I love you." The moment these three words left her lips, the walls holding back Elle's emotions collapsed like a house of cards. Everything she had been holding back gushed out like water from a broken dam. And she could no longer stop it, neither did she want to. "I love you, Sebastian!"

She could not even see him clearly anymore because of the tears that were flooding her eyes, blurring everything within her vision. But her lips kept moving. She kept on speaking. Letting him know what she truly feels for him.

"I love you..." She did not know exactly what she was trying to accomplish by saying it over and over again like a broken robot. They were already officially divorced. He was no longer her husband. She was not his wife anymore. But she still could not stop. As if those words were the only words she knew at this moment.

"I love you, Sebastian." Or perhaps she was saying them as many times as she wanted now because she knew this would be her last chance to say it to his face. She knew that after this... after she was sent out of his world, he could no longer hear it no matter how many times she said it. He would no longer be by her side to listen to her say these words that had been wanting to burst out of her heart and spill forth from her lips for quite some time already.

Or maybe because she was still hoping that by listening to her confession, that these words might still be able to do something to him. At least, to make him look at her one last time. Not with eyes filled with horror or disgust, but with eyes that belonged to the Sebastian she had come to know and love.

"I love you â€"" she was secretly hoping for some kind of miracle to happen.

"Stop!" Sebastian roared. His nails were now digging into the window panes that he was facing.

The first time he heard her say those words, he felt completely paralyzed. Those were words that he had never expected to hear coming from her. Words he never thought would hit him so hard. Those famous three words. These well-known three love words that were said throughout the world, spanning across time, race and species. Words that he had never said to anyone and even to her. Never had he thought that these three little words would send such a significant impact ricocheting through his entire being.

Love was a word he despised - loathed to the extreme. Because that word only reminded him of his father's words to his mistress. When he said 'I love you' to that monster even as they watched behind bars.

His father loved his mistress so much that he was willing to give up everything to be with her. Everything, including them - his very own biological children - and even offering up their lives. He had thought since then that love was a dangerous and filthy powerful thing that could easily drive the sanest, most loving father into the maddest and filthiest b**tard ever.

When he first came out of the dungeon ten years ago, he always scoffed every time he heard someone saying those words. His negative reactions slowly became better because of Alex and his wife, as well as the stories he had heard about his brother, Ezekiel with Alicia.

Still. After all these years, he had never said it to anything or anyone else. Nor did he ever want to hear someone, especially a woman telling him those utterly disgusting words.

But now it was Iza who was saying it...

Sebastian did not feel what he had expected himself to feel. He had been simply rendered dumbstruck like he had just heard the most unbelievable thing in his entire life. And when she repeated it, with that choked up voice which sounded to be filled with tears, he started to lose it.

His mind tried to hold on. Telling him that he could not afford to lose it. That he must hang on just a little while longer. That he needed to keep on with his plan.

But Iza did not seem to want to stop. She kept on repeating those words. And everytime she said it, it was like a massive hammer being swung before landing heavily on his already cracking defense. He did not know how much longer he could hold on.

"I said stop!" he hissed through gritted teeth. He could not take it anymore. He could not...!!

"I love you..." Her broken voice sounded again even after his angry warning. As though she had not heard it at all.

Before he knew it, he harshly turned to face her. His stiff body that felt battered from all the invisible shackles and chains he mercilessly wrapped around himself felt heavy. Despite feeling as though thousands of pounds were chained around him, he still could not stop his body from moving. Towards her. It was as though she was his gravitational centre and he would always gravitate to her no matter what.

"I â€"" She started again. But...

He grabbed her shoulders. His heart and entire soul bled at the sight of her wretched looking face, her tears that were still falling from her eyes, showing no indication of stopping anytime soon. Now he had gone ahead and done it. This was why he had planned to never look at her no matter what. Because he knew that with that one look, he would never be able to bear it. Looking at her being so hurt and broken like this hurt him more than her.

"Stop." His voice sounded choked. His hands that were clutching her shoulders began to tremble lightly.

Elle snapped out of the numbing trance she was in. She only realized that he was right before her when he had grabbed her. The light yet firm squeeze of his hands on her shoulders was the trigger to jolt her out of her trance. Her mind had started to float as grief numbed her and censored everything out except the pain that continuously crashed over her in unending waves.

Eyes wide, she blinked up at him and her tear-filled eyes cleared.

The moment she confirmed that it was Sebastian who was indeed right before her, holding her and now looking at her, her lips trembled. And as though she had totally forgotten all the other words she had learnt, she repeated those same three little words again. However, this time, it was not with that lifeless, defeated sound. But with all her heart, soul and strength. It was spoken with all the love that she had within her.

"I love you!" she uttered and his lips crashed over hers, kissing her.