CURSED

CH-8

Third Person POV

"Sylvie, please calm down. Allow him to leave you alone," Daisy said. But all Sylvie could think about was a method to get out of the house and meet Matteo for once. She must consider quickly before it is too late. "Mom, I need some fresh air and some alone time. So, I'm off to see Mia," she sat on the bed, tears in her eyes, and whispered this. Her mother tried to soothe her by handing her medicine and drink. How could she tell her mother that the external agony she was experiencing could be treated with medicine, but what about the awful pain her heart was experiencing?

Her father, Peter, entered the room with a scowl on his face, which he quickly concealed as his sight fell on Sylvie.

"You should relax for a time," Dad sympathised.Mom informed Dad by shifting her gaze to him.

"She wants to meet Mia and needs her time to understand," Her mother murmured.

Peter scrutinised Sylvie's expression to see if she was telling the truth or trying to flee the house to meet Matteo. He handed her his car keys, which he had taken from his pocket. However, things were not as straightforward as they appeared.

"However, you must promise me that you will stay away from Matteo and never meet him again," he said as he extended his palm to receive her pledge. Their worried stares were locked on her. She was really disappointed with herself at the time. She had no choice but to tell them the truth.

"Dad, you can go now. I'm not going to meet him," She stormed to the bathroom, fighting back tears. She quickly changed into a denim dress with black stockings and wedge heels to refresh up. Her parents had resumed their jobs. She got in her car and drove to her favourite spot.

Matteo's penthouse was where they used to spend the entire day hugging, making love, fighting, and teasing each other. Matteo used to say that his favourite spot was in the room where no one could bother us. Reed was assured that she will be arriving in half an hour. It was too painful for her to talk to Matteo.

Reed was there with a grin on his face when her car came to a halt outside Matteo's apartment.

"How are things going for you?" Reed had approached her with the question. They exchanged hugs and she offered him a small smile.

"Physically, I'm great," she replied, "but emotionally, I'm a wreck." He felt sorry for her and encircled her in his arms.

"He'll be waiting for you upstairs," he said. She yanked away from him and hurried inside the building. Her spirits soared with each stride she took. Reed followed her inside the lift after she clicked the lift button.

"Sylvie, please come to a halt. He's not going anyway "he exclaimed, panting She shrugged her shoulders and concentrated solely on her joy at seeing Matteo. The lift dinged Reed exited the elevator, and she followed him. The steps that were before rapid were now slowed.

"Matteo, she's here," Reed told him, a sidelong glance at Sylvie in the process. Matteo was seated at the kitchen counter in a chair. Only their hearts could be heard as Matteo and Sylvie's eyes were locked on each other. He ran over to her and grabbed her off the ground, holding her so hard.

"I'd been missing you terribly. I've missed your touch, hug, and kisses," he said. She didn't want to be apart from him because she felt so comfortable and at ease with him. After ten minutes, he sat her down and pulled her apart with his large fingers, cradling her face.

She whispered, a single tear escaping her eyes, "I missed you too." He kissed her tears and wiped them away with his thumb.

"I had a feeling you'd show up. Thank you for visiting, "He mumbled something. He drew back from her and pulled out the engagement ring that her father, Peter, had given him. He passed the ring on to her.

"I'm leaving this city forever to take care of Dad's business in London. I'm giving you this ring before I leave. Not because we will ever be reunited, but because of our shared history, affection, and time spent together. Before departing, I also wanted to meet you," he remarked, his hand still holding the ring Her heart burst into pieces as she closed her eyes with despair on her face. She sat down on her heels, heartbroken.

With the tapping of her heels, she stomped towards the door. She spun around and ran back to me as she twisted the door knob. Her heart wasn't ready to let go of Matteo yet.

"Let's get married, shall we? Nothing is going to happen to us. We'll both leave here and travel somewhere where the curse will have no effect. We'll go to any length to keep our bond intact," she blabbered, while gripping his hands. He couldn't bear seeing her in this state, yet he couldn't leave her until the curse was removed. He took a step away from her, jerking his hand.

"We can't be together," he hissed.

"Please don't say it like that, Matteo. If you wish, we can never sit in a car again in my life. Walking would be our mode of transportation. We'll pay security guards to protect us, or we'll never leave the house. We will live in a single apartment with only one room for the rest of our lives. I'll be locked up for almost the same amount of time. We're going to church, and I'm going to sleep with the cross under my pillow. We shall pray to God 24 hours a day and do everything we can to live as a family," She sobbed and cried. Matteo couldn't agree with her since he felt helpless. With a thudding sound, he slapped his hand against the wall.

"Please, Matteo, respond," she begged.

"Sylvie, it's over. Have some self-respect, and don't be shameless," he said fiercely. Sylvie was taken aback when she learned this from Matteo. His angry words infuriated her so deeply that she stormed out of the penthouse in a flash. Outside the penthouse, Reed was already waiting for her.

"Sylvie, Are you all right?" he inquired, concerned. She held her palm over her mouth to keep her wail in check. She didn't respond to him and instead pressed the elevator button to open the door. Sylvie was enraged by Matteo's fake decision, and Reed recognised this. But how could he tell her that Matteo's actions were only for her benefit?

"Don't give up, Sylvie. I'll speak with Matteo. You both should take some time off for the time being," Reed sighed and leaned back in his chair. The elevator doors opened, and Sylvie stepped inside without looking at Reed.

She was so taken aback by Matteo's response that she failed to spot a shadow sitting in the backseat as she drove quickly. The witch Krystle, the curse keeper, was the figure in the shadow. Below her fireworshipper-black eyebrows lay a row of teeth, blackened and torn into stubs like old tombstones. They arced up and over her dead-fish eyes like sickles, hinting at her harshness. As she smiled devilishly, her eyes shone with the tenacity of a thousand years. She felt energised, powerful, and thirsty all at the same time. In Sylvie's ancestors' generation, she had not spared a single female. She'd been let out of the cage and was ready to hunt her next meal.

Her ferocious and cunning lupine eyes only sprang to life when she whispered arcane words from a spell. They were perched on top of her hawkish, hooked nose. The most ridiculous wart sprang from it.

"Matteo, why did you give up on us?" Sylvie murmured something inside her head. She slammed her fist down on the steering wheel and slammed the brakes down hard. She entered her house and dashed to her room. Her mind was racing with ideas about dying. She couldn't imagine living without Matteo.

She drew a rope from one of her room's drawers, frustrated with herself. And, while standing on the table, fastened one part to the fan and tugged the other at her neck. She was about to shove the chair backwards. She saw a flashback of her proposal from the previous night. Matteo's knee-jerk proposal and declaration of love for her. Sylvie had made the decision not to give up on her life. Krystle was sitting on the fan, plotting to assassinate Sylvie. However, she was unable to complete her task. Until Sylvie donned the engagement ring, which would trigger the curse.

Sylvie realised that her family and friends wanted her to live. That is why they are willing to give up their happiness. It would be an insult to their sacrifices if she committed suicide. She stepped down from the chair after untying the fan's rope. And cautiously pulled the engagement ring from the pocket of her denim dress. She wore it around her neck, sliding it with the chain. Krystle's power grew even stronger at that point, when the witch world resumed its mission. Krystle flew out the window on her eagle to celebrate her 36-year release from the cage.

Sylvie sat in front of her mirror in a chair, her fingers moving over the ring. At the very least, she thought, this ring was there to offer her hope. The clock in her room eventually stopped working.

She went to the restroom later to wash her face. She sprayed the water on her face as she stood in front of the mirror. She stared in the mirror while running her fingers over her face.

Her face became swollen and bruised, and she became pale. She appeared to be terrified and shocked by it. She massaged her eyes vigorously before slowly averting her sight back to the mirror. Nothing happened this time. She blinked a couple of times. She was startled to hear a thumping sound coming from her chamber. She raced back to her room, only to discover that no one was there and that nothing had happened. So, what was that noise? She was completely perplexed. She was aware that something wasn't right in her environment. But what was it, exactly? And why isn't she able to see it? Her phone rang again, and she saw Mia was calling her as these ideas swirled about in her head. She was inundated with information as soon as she answered the phone.

"What the hell happened to you? And why didn't you tell me right away if you lied to your parents about meeting me?" Mia screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Between my parents and Matteo, I'm caught in the middle. And I went to see Matteo, but he had broken up with me, so I left," Sylvie took a breathe as tears sting my eyes.

"I'm very sorry; you and Matteo were the best relationship in college."

"Hmmm, those golden moments of my life come to mind."

"Don't be sad; you really need a change, which is why I called. Tonight, I'm throwing a party, and you're invited."

"Mia, no. I'm not up for it tonight; I'm just not in the mood."

"Sylvie, please. I was also hoping to meet you. And in this manner, you won't be held responsible for lying to your parents about your plans to meet up with me."

"But Mia," Sylvie sighed sadly, "you know how much I'll miss Matteo."

"I'll do everything I can to be with you and make sure you don't miss him," Mia promised. Sylvie knew that Mia wouldn't give up until she arrived at the party. After all, Sylvie agreed to go try to change her mood.

"All right, I'll be there."

"Great, I hope you don't have any regrets."

"Bye."

Sylvie hung up the phone and went to the bathroom to shower. She heard a thumping sound from the room as she wrapped the towel around her body. After that, she walked out of the room and heard a baby sobbing from the cupboard. Her heart pounded in her chest as a baby crying voice increases in the cupboard.

She looked around, suspecting that someone was playing a practical joke on her. But no one was there, and her dread grew with each step closer to the cabinet. She rapidly opened it after exhaling a deep breath. Except for her clothes, nothing was there.