Today's prompt: removing the mask/innocence lost/Aminta

Today's one shot is another one based on Kay's novel! Also, I have to give a big thank you to my best friend, nerdywriter36, for helping me with a few details in this one shot! I hope you all enjoy!

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It had all started so calmly. He'd been composing a song in his head as he worked on the bench for Luciana, a character forming in his mind. It was a woman. She was seductive and very beautiful, and she could sing like an angel. He tried to think of a name for this fictitious woman but none came to mind. Her personality was clear in his mind, though, and he knew that he'd have to put this idea to use at some point. Perhaps he would even compose his own opera and use her in it.

As his hands worked at the bench, his mind attempted to form the face of the mysterious character he'd thought up. However, all he could see was Luciana. It was no surprise, given that the woman's personality was in many ways like hers.

His thoughts diverted from the character to the music rather quickly, though, and he went back to trying to work out the melody he had in his head.

From there, everything seemed like a blur; Luciana suddenly demanding to see his face, Giovanni ordering him to remove his mask, Luciana running from him when he finally showed her the horrors beneath. He'd tried to stop her before she fell off the rooftop, but he had been too slow. He already knew that she was dead from the moment he heard the sickening noise of her body hitting the ground.

He couldn't remember anything else that happened after that moment, despite the incident occurring less than an hour prior. All he knew was that he had left without a word.

He felt responsible for her death in some way, as though his face had caused it. In a way, it had.

He traversed the Italian streets in solitude, shivering slightly as the gentle breeze turned into a sharp wind. He wrapped his arms around himself in a rather pathetic attempt to protect himself from the cold. Not having anywhere to go, he wandered the area aimlessly and eventually stumbled into a park with a small fountain.

He remembered this place. Luciana had brought him here once a few weeks ago. Or rather, he had followed Luciana here from a distance without her knowing. He hadn't been exactly sure why he'd done it at the time, given that he never left the security of Giovanni's home voluntarily.

Now, though, he knew exactly why he did it. He had been in love with her, although only the Lord knew why. She had so many flaws that he was put off by, and yet, he had loved her. But now that everything had been changed in just a few horrifying minutes, he didn't know how he felt. All he knew was that he hate himself for causing her death.

He knew that he should have fought her and Giovanni when they demanded he remove his mask. He should have turned to go back to the basement, refusing to speak to them. He didn't have to remove his mask, and he knew that if he hadn't, she wouldn't have died.

The whole ordeal was his fault, and he knew that every awful detail would haunt him for the rest of his life.