Content: established relationship, angst with happy ending

"Rafayel, it's over." You state in a calm voice to the painter in front of you. You both stand in his atelier at Whitesand Bay, canvas, and paint supplies scattered all over the place.

"What do you mean by that?" the lavender haired man asked, obviously confused.

"We are no longer together. I break up with you" pulling the golden ring with the enormous blue crystal off your finger, placing it down on a little desk beside you.

The blueish-pink eyes of your fiancé grow wide, unbelieving the words he just heard. He makes a step towards you, seemingly shocked. Rafayel's hand reaches out to you, palms up, inviting you to grab it, and he grants you this soft smile of his you've fallen in love with a long time ago.

"This is just one of your pranks, yeah? What am I supposed to do? Falling on my knees and reciting a love poem?" he smiles wider. "Oooor should I just grab you and carry you into our bedroom?" The smile turns cocky now with a wink of his eye.

"I'm serious, Rafayel. We are no longer engaged, and I'm quitting as your bodyguard. Tomorrow a moving company will gather my stuff, and then we are strangers" you state coldly, but internally crying and screaming.

Seeing the man you love more than anything else in the world feels like you've been torn apart. But you have to do it, it's the only way. Only if he hates you, he can save Lemuria and his people. You remember that now, and you're ready to sacrifice your heart for it. He misses the deep sea, you see it in his eyes every time you walk along the beach together. Rafayel needs to be the God of the Sea again, and he needs to carve out your heart for it. This is the Lemurian prophecy. That is what Amund, one of the Lemurian survivors, has told you.

You abruptly turn around and leave the mansion, no longer able to withstand the incredible devastation in his eyes. You know that Rafayel will never forgive you for what you have done now. But it doesn't matter if he does some day understand it, as long as he is going to fulfill his duty. You once vowed your heart to him, and you will do it again, no matter what. You love him, more than your own life, and you are ready to sacrifice yourself for the greater good.

As soon as you reach your motorcycle, tears start to fall down your eyes, leaving a constant stream of hot rivers on your face. And perfectly mirroring your feelings, a heavy downpour starts, and you're drenched in seconds.

You start the engine and drive to the main road, the tears on your cheeks now mixing with the cold rain, that sets everything behind a translucent curtain. That is why you don't notice the truck that hits you on your side as you arrive at the freeway. Full force you've been pushed from your bike and losing your consciousness before hitting the solid ground, the last thought that your break-up with Rafayel means nothing now, because you're dying without him getting your heart.

There's a constant beep that really sets your nerves on fire. What is this? You try to open your eyes and a sudden flash of bright light shuts them close again. What the hell?

You open your eyes again, slowly this time, and the light is still extremely bright but bearable. All you see is white walls without any decoration or windows. A chair rests beside your bed. Yes, you are in a bed, a metal framed one, covered in white neat sheets. Above you, there are machines with monitors and blinking lights.

You try to sit up, but your body immediately protests, sending flashes of pain through your limbs. The pesky beeping becomes even more unnerving and fastens. It seems these machines don't like your moving. Recognizing the bandages on your hands and feet, you lift your hand to touch your head. Some cloth is wrapped around it too. What happened to you? Why are you in a hospital? And why does your head hurt so much that it makes you dizzy?

With the last question in your head, the door on the unseen side of your room springs open and a dark haired tall man, wearing a white coat, hurries in. He freezes in an instant, seeing that you're awake and sitting in your bed.

"You're awake" he states in a neutral calm voice, that smoothies your panic immediately.

As he steps closer, analyzing the machines and shoving his glasses up to his nose, you are able to recognize his eyes. Green with a hazel border, beautiful and somehow familiar.

"Zayne?" a name comes to your mind, and you connect it with the man now beside your bed, pulling a little lamp out of one of his coat pockets.

"You remember my name, that is good." as he directs the light in your pupils. „What else?"

"You're a doctor" you answer obediently, somehow sure he won't let you go without any answers.

He gazes at you, one brow rushed up. "That's quite obvious, don't you think?" before he takes out a stethoscope and begins to hear your heartbeat.

"I ..." you think hard, but there's not much you could tell him. "I'm a Deepspace Hunter" as sudden flashes of pictures in your mind tell you.

He hums in approval, attention still on his task.

"I don't know how I got here" you look at him as he raises up from examining your heart.

"A traffic accident, a truck hits you, and you are hurled up from your bike, flying several meters before your head hits the ground." it seems the temperature in the room drops a few degrees as he is explaining this to you.

"Oh" is all you can add to this. You aren't able to remember anything about this.

"You seem to be stable at the moment. Should I call your fiancé. that you woke up, or do you need some more time?"

"My fiancé?" you ask, dumbfounded. You are in a relationship? Engaged even? When did this happen?

"You don't remember?" Zayne's voice still calm, but his gaze now piercing yours.

Rafayel stares into his cup of tea mindlessly, his eyes missing the shine and his posture lacking energy. Even his clothes resemble his mood: a black dress shirt and black pants.

Talia had forced him to visit her at home and he rarely follows her talking. All he can think of is you, how you left him a few days ago. How cold you said you don't love him anymore and then how you laid lifeless beside the freeway where he found you after he chased after you in his sports car.

The opera singer waves her hand in front of her nephew, demanding his attention. Rafayel is not himself these past few days and Talia deeply worries.

„Rafayel, are you even listening?" she asks him.

„What?" he raises his head

„I said Amund is in a good mood since your fiancée is in the hospital. That is quite unusual for him. Something's off with that, I feel it" the beautiful woman repeats herself.

„She isn't my fiancée anymore," Rafayel whispers quietly, without looking up.

„Do you really believe that? This woman is so madly in love with you. Whatever happened, I can't believe she left you just like this!" Talia's voice gets slightly louder.

The purple haired man on the opposite side of the table just shrugs his shoulders, but doesn't say anything.

„Listen, Rafayel, I let some of my men observe him. Every second I will get a message and you will see, I'm right with my suspicion."

And as she said, a man enters the salon, wearing a dark suit and sunglasses. Rafayel snorts, what a cliché!

The stranger whispers something in Talia's ear and stands than behind her back, hands folded in front of him.

"Come" his aunt just waves to him and leaves the table, waiting at a door for the painter to follow.

A dagger blinks dangerously in the spotlights of Talia's wine cellar, where Amund is tied to a chair. The old man has bruises and small wounds covering his bare upper body due to the interrogation techniques of Talia. She was able to get every bit of information they need to confirm the woman's suspicion.

The elder really persuaded his love to leave him, in order to make Rafayel so angry that he would willingly claim his divine heart back to become the God of the Sea once again. But the plan failed, and he will get his punishment for the betrayal.

Rafayel sets the dagger at his throat, his bluish-pink eyes with a threatening squint. "I should kill you for what you've done, old man! Be grateful that she is still alive!" he whispers with rarely gathered rage in his voice, and after what feels like an infinity, he pulls back the weapon. "If you ever dare to try to push a wedge between us again, you better have prepared your last will!"

A last gaze at Talia, and he is out, rushing to the hospital. Ready to claim back the only thing that matters in his life, even if she has forgotten him again.

He will fight for her in every lifetime and no matter how little she remembers. She is his heart and soul, the one thing that keeps him alive.

Two weeks later, Rafayel enters her room in the hospital as every day with a bouquet of flame lilies and her favorite bubble tea. But this time something is different, his beloved is not waiting for him with a shy smile. Instead, she lies on the bed, crying intensely.

Immediately he sets the flowers and the drink aside, rushing to her side and rubbing her back comfortingly.

"Hey, hey, what's up, buttercup?" he asks in a soft voice. "Did Dr. Zayne say something bad?" How bad he wants to pull her into a tight hug, but she still can't remember him and he doesn't want to scare her away by showing too much affection.

The healing goes smooth, as Zayne said just yesterday, and the young woman looks much better than days before. Did she suffer a relapse? Desperation creeps into Rafayels chest, unable to stop the tears from her.

After a few moments she looks up to him with red eyes and wet cheeks.

"Rafayel!" A desperate scream and she hurls herself in his lap and arms. "I love you so much, please forgive me! I remember now!"

Reflexively he wraps her arms around the woman flushed to his body. And she still repeats again and again how much she loves him and how sorry she is.

"I love you too, my heart." he whispers in her hair, relieved that this personal nightmare of his has finally come to an end.