Mala Fide: In Bad Faith

Mala Fide: In Bad Faith - Chapter 11

Six hours later, Neville and Luna were spinning around the room, dancing their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom. A million miles away, they stared lovingly into one another's eyes, oblivious to the scores of witches and wizards who were presently sharing the ballroom of Marjoribanks Manor with them. Watching Neville twirl his wife around and seeing the rapture on his face, Ginny felt a mixture of joy, admiration, and just a hint of envy.

But she couldn't attribute all of it to the wedding or even to the champagne.

Her morning had been positively incredible. She knew she was glowing; she could feel it. A secret smirk of satisfaction on her face, she sighed and shoved her empty champagne glass in front of a house-elf who was passing by. When he turned around, she gasped.

"Oh, my goodness - Dobby!"

"Miss Weazey!" the startled elf cried as he made the glass disappear. "Dobby is so happy to be seeing you!"

"Hello, Dobby. How are you?"

"Dobby is well. Very well indeed. Thank you for asking about Dobby's health. And how is you, Miss Weazey? You seem . . sad."

She assured him she was fine then asked, "So did Luna insist on paying you for helping today?"

"Oh no, Miss Weazey; Dobby is not working today. Dobby is a guest."

Feeling exceedingly embarrassed by her thoughtless gesture - Merlin's beard, she had just handed him her empty glass! - she stuttered her apologies. "F-forgive me, Dobby; that was very rude of me."

"No, no, Dobby is not offended. Miss Weazey meant no harm. On the contrary, Dobby feels very happy today. Miss Lovegood and Mr. Longbottom is married now. Miss Lovegood - er, Mrs. Longbottom - will have many babies, like Miss Weazey's parents done. They is going to be so happy together." A tear came to his eye. "That reminds Dobby; when is Miss Weazey going to change her name again?"

"Oh, I don't know that I will, Dobby. But thank you for your concern."

The house-elf looked at her with his enormous eyes and stated rather bluntly, "But no one should live alone. Especially not someone who is as nice as Ron Weazey's sister. And a mother, too. Her needs a good man."

She gave the elf an enigmatic smile. He bid her a very good afternoon and left rather suddenly. When she noticed Winky eyeing the butterbeer, she understood. Dobby had run over to rescue his friend by asking her to dance.

Still annoyed about her own presumptuous behavior, Ginny rolled her eyes. A familiar voice drawled from behind, "What was that all about, my dear?"

She picked up another flute of champagne and guzzled it. "Oh, I just did something incredibly stupid."

His lip curled in disgust as he watched the two servants pretending to dance along with the others, as if they were equals. "To the house-elf?" When Ginny nodded, he scoffed. "Who cares? They're vermin anyway." She grimaced at his callous remark, but when she opened her mouth to chastise him, he swept her in his arms and moved toward the dance floor.

"Dance with me?" he whispered. The guttural tone of his voice left no doubt that he was thinking of anything but dancing. Remembering what he had made her feel this morning, Ginny's skin tingled. She couldn't think of refusing him.

He glided her effortlessly across the room, never taking his eyes off of her. "Enjoying your day, my love?"

"Mmm . . it's been wonderful," she purred.

Then he leaned in and whispered something so unexpected, she wasn't sure she heard him right. It sounded like, "Marry me."

Mildly stunned, she stared at him. "What?"

"You heard me. Will you?"

Of course, Ginny had heard him - but she didn't know what to say. For one thing, she wasn't completely sure how she felt about him. She thought she loved him; he had changed, that much was clear. He made her very happy, and they enjoyed each other's company. She was flattered, honored, and pleased by his proposal - and more than just a little surprised.

"Ginevra. I'm lonely, and let's face it, so are you. It's ideal; I love you and your children, we already live in the same house, we get along splendidly, and we understand each other. And if this morning is anything to judge by . . you do seem to care for me a little."

She blushed and said with a faint smile, "I'll think about it, all right?"

As they danced, she made a conscious effort to keep her body a respectable distance from his, hoping not to arouse suspicion or anything else that might land them on the front page of tomorrow's Daily Prophet. But Lucius was having none of that; he placed a hand in the small of her back and pressed her hips close to his. Her worried expression softened when he kissed her forehead tenderly.

On the far side of the room, Hermione watched as couples danced to the music. She smiled at the sight of Luna and Neville; they were so in love. Somewhere behind the renowned herbologist, she caught a glimpse of red hair that was almost the same color as her boyfriend's. On seeing the woman's partner, she nearly gasped aloud.

What is Ginny doing, dancing arm in arm with Draco's father?

At first, it seemed to be nothing more than a polite, platonic dance between two polar opposites whom fate had thrown together, and Hermione relaxed a little. But when he pulled Ginny much closer and she didn't seem to mind, Hermione stiffened slightly.

She knew she ought to stay out of it - whomever Ginny chose to dance with was certainly none of her business - but she wasn't know how she could sit idly by and watch her old friend fall prey to a man who had done nothing but perpetrate evil his entire life. Even the way he had raised his only child was nothing short of legalized imprisonment.

She shook her head and gritted her teeth.

Don't be stupid, Ginny. People don't just go away to Azkaban, devoted disciples to You-Know-Who, and then come back 'changed for the better'; just look at Barty Crouch, Jr.!

She glanced around, hoping to find Fred. Instead, she noticed that Rita Skeeter eyeing the Malfoys; the ravenous look on her face made Hermione's skin crawl. The unscrupulous reporter was practically salivating for an interview with them. Or at the very least, with Lucius.

When Hermione saw the reporter's poison quill writing at least a hundred words a minute on the parchment floating in the air beside her, she thought, Oh, that's right, Rita; why bother with the truth? She could only imagine what lies that viper was spewing and planning to report as fact in tomorrow's Daily Prophet.

Just then, Fred sidled up behind his girlfriend and nuzzled his nose in her thick brunette hair. "What are you looking at, love? Checking out some other bloke who's prettier than me? Although I can't imagine who that would be."

She didn't even turn toward him. Staring across the crowded room, she pointed right at Rita Skeeter and said flatly, "That."

Wrinkling his nose as if he'd caught a whiff of something on Charlie's boots, he snorted, "Rita Skeeter? So what? No one believes her lies anymore, not even Mum." She looked at him raised an eyebrow then turned back toward the crowd of dancers. Fred followed her gaze and saw something he couldn't believe.

Releasing his girlfriend, he gasped, "What the hell is she doing with that bastard?! He's an absolute arsehole - not to mention, at least twice her age!"

"Calm down, Fred. I don't like it either. But believe me, interfering like she was a little girl will only make things worse." She sighed. "You should have heard her last night!"

He acted like he didn't hear her. "I'll kill him, the smarmy, evil . . . If he thinks he can swoop down and take her, just like his rat-fink son did, he's got another thing coming--"

Hermione grabbed onto his arm. "Please, be reasonable! Your sister is a grown woman. If she wants to dance with a former Death-Eater, then that's her decision."

Frustrated, he knew she was right. He groaned and turned to see what Rita Skeeter was up to. "Oh, no," he said, "now she's walking toward Professor McGonogall and my mum. That'll be a disaster! I've got to go stop her."

As he took off, she called after him, "Who, Rita?"

"No - Mum!"

The cluster of dancers soon started to disperse from the floor at a leisurely pace. Lucius's hand rested gently on Ginny's shoulder. When they neared the edge of the dance floor, he offered, "I'll get us a drink." Ginny took the opportunity to check up on her little angel.

For the past hour, Rhiannon had been busy looking for the ring bearer, seven-year-old Thaddeus Wood. He had so far avoided being kissed by his younger counterpart, an accomplishment he was quite pleased with. The flower girl, however, was extremely annoyed.

"Mummy, where did Thaddeus go? I've got to kiss him, or he'll never know."

"Know what, sweetheart?"

"That I love him, of course!" she stated as if it were as clear as day. Taking her mother's hand, she pleaded, "You've got to help me find him, Mummy." And the two went off in search of the elusive ring-bearer.

Elsewhere in the hall, a heavy, white-haired wizard spotted his old friend, Lucius. With a deep laugh, he bellowed, "Hello there, Malfoy!"

"Karl. How are you?"

"Fine, fine. And you?"

"Very well, thank you. And how is Verla? Is she here today?"

"No, she hates weddings. Too many people acting like they bloody like each other, if you ask her. Me, I just show up for the free food and to ogle those sexy little bridesmaids, you know? And there were some juicy ones today!"

"I see," the blond wizard said in a bored tone.

Karl chortled again and said mockingly, "I see, he says. Too right you do! Who was that stunning young lady you were dancing with, Malfoy? You two seemed right cozy with each other. That arse, those gorgeous lips - I bet she could . . well, you know!" He winked and nudged Lucius with his large elbow.

When he didn't respond, Karl whispered loudly, "Let's just say that she could make a wizard very happy, indeed. How'd you manage to nab her? Are you two, er, you know . . with each other?"

His friend replied coolly, "Really, Karl. She's my daughter-in-law, Draco's widow." Although Lucius was actually quite proud of his conquest, he wanted to watch the fat man squirm just a bit.

And squirm he did.

"I-I'm sorry, Lucius. Didn't mean to imply . . well, you know, what was I to think? You were pressed completely up against her - you couldn't have gotten a sliver of parchment between you, so naturally, I just assumed that--"

The blond wizard laughed out loud. "I'm joking, Karl. I mean, she really is my daughter-in-law, but still, we are rather fond of each other. As far as her talents in the bedroom, well . . . a gentleman never tells," he finished cryptically as he took a sip from his champagne.

"Lucius, you sly dog! What's your secret?" Karl licked his lips hungrily as he blatantly stared at Ginny, watching her breasts bounce up and down in her low-cut robes as she ran after a young girl who was holding onto a basket of flower petals.

"Let's just say the poor girl has a weakness for wizards with blond hair and silver eyes."

"And silver tongues, eh? You old snake!" Karl burst out laughing. Patting him on the back a little too roughly, he congratulated, "Well done, man. I wish you two all the best. See you later, Malfoy!"

* * * * *

"Well? Did you find Rita?" Hermione asked Fred anxiously when he returned to the table she was now sharing with Tonks. She too was very concerned for Ginny.

"No. She got away, and quick."

She placed a finger under her chin and thought for moment. "You don't think she transformed, do you?"

Tonks's ears pricked up. "She's a Metamorphagus?"

"No, thankfully; but she is an Animagus, and with her general lack of scruples, that's bad enough. She can turn into a beetle. Although I doubt she ever formally registered her skill," Hermione added with a sniff.

Fred chuckled. "Well, she'd best watch out in a crowd this large; she'll likely end up stuck to the bottom of someone's shoe."

"True. And the officials would be hard-pressed to prove it wasn't just an accident," an amused voice chimed in.

It was George. He was with his wife, Katie. She looked quite happy, and Hermione wondered if she might be pregnant again. Drinks and plates in hand, the couple joined them.

"Hey! Glad you could make it!" Fred exclaimed. "And how is my best-looking brother?"

"Positively corking, my good man. And you?"

"I'm still with Hermione, aren't I? What could be better? Of course, the marrieds are 'fashionably late'."

"As usual," he said with a casual shrug. "We had to wait for the sitter to arrive."

"Suuuuure, you did. 'Waiting for the sitter . . ' Is that what they're calling sex in the afternoon these days?"

"Fred!" his girlfriend hissed as she playfully slapped his arm. Tonks barely concealed a snicker.

"Errr, no comment?" George said with a wince, hoping Katie wouldn't kick him under the table.

"Well, damn shame you missed the wedding. It was lovely. But at least you made it in time for the good part, eh?"

"Right you are, Fred," he said as took a bite of his roast beef sandwich.

A sudden shriek from across the room startled them out of their revelry. They looked to where the sound came from and could see Molly Weasley, searching madly for something or someone. Her wand was drawn but aiming at no one. The twins leaped up and got to her as quickly as they could. Fred asked her, "Mum, what happened?"

"Are you all right?" George finished for him as Hermione, Katie, and Tonks joined them.

"What did she say to you?" her daughter-in-law asked.

Molly glared at them. She was beyond livid. "Oh, that cow! First she has the nerve to point out to me that Ginny is dancing with that fiend - as if I didn't see them myself! And then she asked me, 'Tell me, is she still living with him?' I started to say she doesn't live with him, and then she sneered, 'Do you think they actually have separate rooms?' as if my daughter would ever . . urggghh!"

She stormed off, muttering, "I'm going to owl that rag she works for and give them a piece of my mind . . A Howler like they've never seen before! If she so much as prints one word of the lies she was--"

The three women ran after her. George rolled his eyes as Fred did the same. "She's dead," they said in unison.

Ginny had managed to miss most of the uproar she had inadvertently caused. She thought she heard some shouting, but with the large, noisy crowd, she couldn't tell what all the fuss was about or even who it was. She certainly never dreamed that she was at the center of it.

Soon after Karl and Lucius parted ways, he met up with Ginny and gave her another glass of champagne. When he did, his granddaughter was kneeling on the ground over one very embarrassed young boy lying flat on the ground. It was the ring bearer, Thaddeus Wood. For some odd reason, he seemed to be complaining of being unable to move his legs.

Lucius squinted his eyes. "Ginevra, what the--"

"Shhh," she whispered, "it's just a teeny Leglocker Curse. She wanted to kiss him. He'll be fine."

He sighed. Rhiannon secured a wet, sloppy kiss and exclaimed, "I love you, Thaddeus!!", then quickly ran away.

Once the theatrics had ended, Ginny lifted the curse and said with fake concern, "Oh dear! Thaddeus, are you all right?" She gave Lucius a secret grin.

He helped the poor lad to his feet and asked, "Feeling better now? You must be more careful."

"But I swear, I couldn't move my legs or my feet!"

"My daughter can't perform even the simplest magic, much less what you're suggesting," Ginny insisted. A simple Obliviate from Rhiannon's paternal grandfather, and the entire incident was forgotten.

Oliver and Alicia Wood appeared moments later. He asked their son, "Thad, are you okay?"

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy was just helping me up. Thank you, ma'am."

"Not at all," Ginny replied kindly as she dusted off his robes. "Do be careful."

"I will. Dad, can we go home now? I'm tired." Oliver agreed, and after silently nodding his thanks to Ginny, he and his family left.

"That was . . . interesting. You're quite the little devil, aren't you?"

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I just think a person should never stop having fun."

"Was that what that was - fun?" he asked as he glared at her, pretending to be annoyed. But she could see that he was trying not to smile.

"Yes. Loads." Ginny giggled to herself; Lucius shook his head. Just then, Rhiannon came running back with a glass of punch in her hand and a disgusted look on her face. "What's the matter, dear?" her mother asked.

"That was gross! Kissing boys is yucky!"

* * * * *

The reception had been going for hours, and the newlyweds still had a bit of traveling before them tonight. Their destination was too remote and the weather too unpredictable this time of year for them to Apparate safely, and Neville had never liked Portkeys. They made him nauseous.

The couple prepared to leave for their three-week honeymoon in the Mediterranean. They had changed into traveling clothes. While their trunks were magically being shrunk down to a manageable size and loaded into their carriage, they said their goodbyes and thanked the guests for coming and for all their marvelous gifts.

Meanwhile, Luna began talking excitedly to Hermione, but it wasn't about gifts or about being her attendant. The two witches were discussing Luna's work at the Hogwarts Library. Hermione nodded over and over, assuring her everything would be fine.

Although he was standing right next to them, Neville didn't hear a word they'd said. Instead, he was trying frantically to remember everything he'd read about women's bodies and what he might do to help Luna enjoy their wedding night. He was also afraid he might accidentally hurt her, and more than a little fearful that he wouldn't last longer than ten seconds the first time. And he was hoping there would be a second time tonight if he didn't.

There sure is a lot of pressure on the groom, he thought anxiously.

He looked up a minute later and noticed Ginny. Seeing her reminded him that he had forgotten something. Something he was supposed to give to her. But dammit, he couldn't remember what it was! All he knew was that it was very important.

Seems it was something from Saint Mungo's . .

Then it hit him.

"Ginny," he finally shouted over the noise of the crowd of well-wishers, "I've got something to give you. It's a letter!" He reached into his robes searching for the envelope marked "Private - Ginevra Malfoy."

She could barely hear him. "What? You've got something for me?"

Grabbing his crotch, Seamus shouted, "No, he's got something for Luna!"

When Dean teased, "Yeah, back off, Ginny; you had your chance!" the two of them burst out laughing.

The nervous groom tried his best to ignore their taunting but turned beet-red in spite of himself. "It's a letter from your friend, Brian! Hang on, it's in my other trousers - oh hell, they're already packed for the trip--"

One of the groomsmen asked Neville if he wanted to still be a virgin in the morning, and if not, they'd better get their arses moving and start consummating their marriage. Ron agreed, saying, "You've been married at least three hours and you still haven't gotten laid! Get on with it, man!" Some of the onlookers tittered while others cheered their approval.

Neville blushed again and promptly forgot all about Ginny's letter. Within seconds, several of the men were physically pushing the bride and groom into the carriage that was waiting to whisk them away to paradise. They shoved poor Neville so hard that he landed on top of his bride. He felt very embarrassed, but Luna didn't mind. She couldn't stop giggling.

Ginny stepped up to the carriage and placed a hand on the open door. She reassured him, "It's all right, Neville - you two go have a great time. Relax and enjoy yourselves! I'll be here when you get back; I'm sure it can wait." He smiled and waved once before the carriage bolted away and flew up into the air.

They were soon flying high overhead in their private carriage pulled by winged horses. It cloaked itself, horses and all, as soon as it left the manor grounds. With the newlyweds gone, the party suddenly felt like it was over.

"There goes another one," Ron mumbled to anyone who would listen. "Cor, even Neville got married before I did." Ginny was in earshot but pretended not to hear. She pursed her lips and went back inside to find Lucius and Rhiannon to get ready to go home.

Hermione put her arm around his shoulder; patting him on the back, she said, "Maybe you're not looking for the right sort of girl, Ron. I mean, I've seen the trollops you've brought home for family dinners--"

"Trollops?!" he snapped. "None of my girlfriends were 'trollops'!"

His oldest friend just threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, sure. They're all just the kind of daughter-in-law your mother is looking for. Fishnet stockings, tight mini-skirts, and tattoos. Lovely!" she added with a grin.

He studied her smile for a moment. She'd always been a fairly pretty girl. Not gorgeous, but certainly not a hag either. He had very nearly dated her himself in their seventh year at Hogwarts until he decided he probably wasn't 'brilliant' enough for her. That was when she took up with Harry.

When her laughter had ended, he grimaced at her, and the two of them walked back inside together.

"Not all of them. There was Emily. Remember, the assistant in a custom robes shop? She was . . nice."

"And what happened to Emily, hmm? Why did you two stop seeing each other?" He mumbled something she couldn't quite hear. "What was that, Ron? She wouldn't put what?"

He glared at her. "Out." His face was scarlet. He gritted his teeth in annoyance at her self-righteous attitude then sneered, "Oh, sure. And I suppose you and Fred never, uh, well, you know . . do it."

She leaned in close and whispered, "Well, even if we do, I don't need to dress like a slag to advertise it."

Feeling vindicated, she smiled again. "Besides, Ron, if that's one of your qualifications for a girlfriend, then I'd say you deserve to keep getting dumped." With that, she turned on her heel, leaving him staring after her with his mouth hanging open.

She walked inside and quickly located Fred. At first, she almost mistook him for his twin, as George and Katie's oldest daughter was right beside him. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, Hermione. Let me just, er, fix up my niece here."

She gasped when she caught sight of the blood that was steadily oozing out of the little girl's nose. Her uncle was kneeling next to her attempting to stop the flow. "What happened to her?!"

"Oh, silly thing; she got a hold of a Nosebleed Nougat. Thought it was real candy. And Uncle Freddie has got to get the evidence out of her robes before her mum finds out." He added with a nervous chuckle, "She'll kill me."

Hermione scoffed, "Well, maybe she should! Why would you bring those to a wedding?"

"Always looking for new customers . . ?" he squeaked with a shrug. "Besides, most kids find weddings bloody boring - no pun intended. What better way to get out of one than to have a persistent nosebleed?"

His girlfriend was neither amused nor impressed by his ingenious new marketing strategy. She tossed her cloak around her and said, "You know, I really don't feel like going to The Burrow again today. I'm going home."

He stood up, looking dismayed. "What? But Mum's counting on us for dinner!"

"Oh, I'm sure my portion won't go to waste - not as long as Ron's invited. Please give my apologies to Molly and tell her that I'll bring the girls by first thing Monday morning." And with that, she Apparated back to London.

* * * * *

When Ginny, Rhiannon, and Lucius arrived back at Malfoy Manor, it was just getting dark. The little girl was completely knackered. It was all she could do to get to her room. Her mother addressed the house-elf quietly, "Shilla, would you please put her to bed? She's had such a big day."

As soon as the child and the elf were out of sight, Lucius grabbed Ginny rather forcibly and placed his hands possessively on her shoulders. "I thought this day would never end," he breathed as he took in her youthful innocence and her beauty.

He undid her hairstyle in one swift motion then sunk his fingers into her silky ginger locks. "Exquisite," he whispered. He brought her face to his and devoured her lips in a burning kiss. If it were possible, he was even more passionate than he had been that morning. Ginny could feel her own desire building as well; she involuntarily moaned against his lips, certain that she would end up in his bed before the night was over.

He broke the kiss and bent his head down. She closed her eyes as her head dropped back of its own volition; when she did, he held her closer still as he licked and nipped at the creamy skin of her throat. At one point, he bit down so hard that she cried out a little - but it only excited him more and his raging erection now pressed insistently against her stomach.

He asked in a ragged breath, "My room or yours?"

Almost before the invitation was out of his mouth, she was holding her knickers on one finger before him. "Neither," she said as she hiked her leg up to his waist and gave him the most wicked smile.

He cast a quick Silencing Charm, hoisted her up, and slipped inside her, pressing her back up against the wall. It was desperate, it was exciting - it was raw, forbidden pleasure. It didn't take either one of them long to peak; grinding into her to make his ecstasy last, he kissed her deeply, bringing her to climax once more.

"You are incredible," he told her as he gently set her down. They gazed into each other's eyes while their breathing returned to normal. Then with one last, soft kiss, he whispered, "We'd best sleep in our own rooms tonight, just in case Rhiannon wakes up early tomorrow. Good night, my sweet Ginevra."

She watched him until he reached the top of the stairs. Feeling sated yet rather tempted to ignore his request, she groaned softly to herself and reluctantly followed his lead. As she went into her room, she thought about his proposal. It sounded tempting, but still, she just wasn't sure.

Ginny sat on her bed and picked up her favorite picture of Draco. She watched the image in the frame as it smiled and waved to her. It blew kisses, winked at her, and mouthed 'I love you', over and over. She smiled sadly; as if he could actually hear her, asked, "What should I do, Draco? He's the closest thing I'll ever have to you, and I . . I think I might love him. I know if you could, you'd probably scream at me--"

She laughed at herself. "But he treats me wonderfully, and of course, he adores the children. He positively dotes on Lucas. And," she added in a whisper, "I can see who must have coached you when it came to pleasing a woman."

But she knew he didn't have any answers for her; he wouldn't respond or stop smiling at her or even yell at her for sleeping with Lucius. This wasn't something she could discuss with Pansy or Millicent; they wouldn't understand at all. Not even Luna, with her amazing tolerance for unthinkable possibilities, would have any sage advice. She was alone on this one.

She kissed the photo and set it down on the nightstand. Closing her eyes, she rolled over and fell into a fitful sleep filled with dreams of him.

* * * * *

"Ginny, it doesn't matter what I want. I'm out of the equation. It's what you want. All I want is for you to be happy. And if he makes you feel something that resembles joy, then I think you should say yes."

It was Draco, talking to her, just as clearly as if he were standing in her room. Just as if he were alive and she were awake.

Still, she fretted. "I know, I just - I don't know how to say it. I feel like . . like I'm betraying you somehow."

"Darling, the only way you could betray me is if Potter had lived, divorced Granger, and married you instead. Now that would be an insult to me. Like you were spitting on my grave."

Licking her lips, Ginny asked slowly, "So . . do you two ever see each other? In the hereafter?"

He laughed softly. "No. Our paths never cross. Probably because they never did on Earth, really. Kind of hard to explain it, but I guess that's how it is."

Just then, Draco reached out and tried to touch her face. Even though he had touched in her other dreams, this time, Ginny believed - no, she knew - that he couldn't physically touch her, so his fingers went right through her.

"That's good. You're letting go," he whispered. "I must say, you do look happy. Content." He paused then said, "If this is the man you choose, then I'd suggest you give him an answer first thing in the morning. Don't wait; say it over breakfast. I promise, nothing will make him happier."

She looked down at their wedding photo in her lap and closed her eyes. No tears came. And when she opened them, he was gone.

~End of Chapter~