- What do you mean, "enough"? – there was a menacing growl, cold and frightening, to the point of trembling. – It’s me who will decide here when I have enough and when not.

Artemis blinked slowly and rounded her eyes when something that looked painfully like a bar stool flew past her face.

Letting out a startled sigh, she closed her eyes, threw her head back to the ceiling and noisily sucked in air through her small nose, clenching her fists.

- But we have nothing left. - The elf bartender calmly replied, and immediately the bottles in the inner drawer of the table, which he had hidden from Raphael, shattered with a ringing crack, and a huge puddle of hot liquid accumulated under his feet.

- Ouch. - Raphael grinned maniacally, throwing anger with his scarlet eyes. – I think I found something.

He pushed off the bar with his hand and lost his balance for a moment, feeling his legs give way before he grabbed the next chair.

- You. - He pointed a finger at the bartender, narrowing his eyes to the size of thin slits. – I’m giving you one last chance. Give me a fucking cognac.

He screamed like a madman, his deadly aura went out of control and swirled around him with gloomy shadows that seemed to be just waiting for the order of their master to attack. But the elf remained unshakably calm, wiping the tabletop with a rag, on which the stains of spilled alcohol were also visible.

- I’m sorry. - Artemis murmured in a melodious thin voice, addressing the bartender. – Would you be so kind as to get another bottle for this obnoxious idiot? And I promise I’ll get him out of here and you won’t see him again.

- Today. - Raphael added hastily, hiccupping.

- One bottle, please. - she smiled and took out a handful of gold coins from the pocket of her dress, which appeared there as if by magic and she did not fail to thank the elf king mentally. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Her face was turned to the bartender, but her eyes involuntarily squinted in the direction of the vampire, noticing his smug smile, as if it was his merit that the bartender handed him a bottle of cognac.

- Have you come to point out my miserable situation to me?Otherwise, why this look? – he grinned, opening the bottle and taking a big sip straight from the neck, casually wiping his lips with his shirt sleeve.

His raincoat was lying on the floor and was completely in an ugly state, wet and dirty, as if someone had trampled on it. Artemis didn’t even have to try to think about what had happened here, judging by the scattered and broken furniture and the complete absence of visitors, she had already guessed that Raphael was too assertive in his desire.

But has he always been like this? She could not remember that her kind and caring boyfriend and husband had ever shown aggression or unfair treatment to other people.

- You can stay, miss, there’s no one else left here that this crazy vampire could beat up. – the bartender said to Artemis, pointing to the complete devastation.

- The guy says right, let’s stay. – Raphael threw his ass on a chair, turning to her in the most unsightly collapsed state. - You’re still beautiful, baby.

An excruciating painful sensation gripped her heart when he smiled at her, threw off the old anger. She wanted to run away, hide and cry from her own grief, but she had no right to do that. No matter how much it hurt her, she was still just his past. A pleasant, beloved, painful past.

- Did it take you to get drunk to the point of unconsciousness to decide to say this? – proudly lifting her chin, she asked.

- It seems to me that I am dreaming and if I only stretch out my hand to you, you will scatter in the wind like your own ashes. – he mumbled too sadly.

- Oh, it’s so prosaic. She said sarcastically. – It’s your own fault that you refuse to accept the fact that I’m standing in front of you in the flesh. I thought you’d be happier to see me after all these years.

Raphael bit his lip from the inside and a crystal drop appeared in the corner of one of his eyes, which he immediately blinked.

While he was alone in the bar, he was thinking about what he should have done, what he should have felt, what he should have said, but everything became more complicated when she appeared again in front of him, forcing all the pre-invented phrases to evaporate from his head.

- Do you think I’m not happy to see you?

- You answer me! – she snapped irritably, pursing her lips with resentment.

- Temi, my dear. My beloved wife. - he reached out and finally touched her cheek, making her flinch as if the fire itself had touched her. - I love you, I’ve always loved you.

Artemis was insanely happy that the bartender had disappeared, leaving them alone. It was too strange, confusing, awkward to hear Raphael’s words. She didn’t want anyone else to hear it.

- But I betrayed you. - his eyes dropped to the floor, and his hand fell limply on his hip. – For so many years I have carried in my soul our personal tragedy, your loss... For so many years I refused to let anyone near my heart, leaving it entirely for the memory of you... But I betrayed you when she came into my life.

He grinned convulsively and his whole body trembled, as if from cold, when he covered his eyes with his hands and hot tears flowed down his cheeks.

Someone who could now see Raphael in such a vulnerable state might have become an exceptional witness to this, but it is unlikely that he would have survived later. And yet, Raphael couldn’t contain his emotions.

For the first time, he was truthful to himself, accepting the fact that he loved Thea so much that he was not happy to give her body in exchange for seeing his late wife again.

Although he was an egoist who wanted everything at once, but now he has made a decision, he has come to the full realization that his affection for Thea is much stronger than all those feelings that he experienced before.

And it was destroying him so much from the inside. He couldn’t say these words to Artemis, because she was still an important part of himself, he loved her just as much, but not as much as before, as if she was someone dear to him, but was not the most important in his heart.

Raphael felt the soft touch of her hands as she hugged him, but she tried not to make a sound as tears gushed from her eyes. She stroked his back, gently tapping him, giving a soothing rhythm. She knew everything without words.

She didn’t want to take it for the truth, but it was just an illusion. The truth was cutting with a sickle, opening bloody wounds and forcing her to see that the past could never compete with the present. She was in the past. She understood that.

- She loves you very much too. - she whispered faintly, still feeling his trembling under her hands. "She was afraid to tell you, afraid of your uncertain future, and yet her feelings are crystal clear to me. I lived every moment of her life as if it was my own life, but in someone else’s body.