chapter forty-three

As I approached Orpheus’s apartment, I could feel my heart racing. I’d only been here once, and the thought of returning had me both nervous and excited. I was here to check on him, to make sure he was okay after what happened with Vanessa. But I also had another motive—to bug his apartment with cameras.

The door was unlocked, and as I stepped inside, I was met with an eerie silence. The place was dark and cold, and I could sense a lingering sadness in the air. I flicked on the lights, and my eyes immediately went to the man hanging upside down from the ceiling, his blood dripping into a bucket below him. It was a gruesome sight, but I knew it was Orpheus’s way of coping.

I moved further into the room, my eyes scanning every corner for a place to hide the cameras. I found a few spots and quickly set up the devices, ensuring they were hidden well. As I was placing the last camera, I noticed a beautiful portrait of Vanessa on an easel in the middle of the room.

The painting was exquisite, the colors vibrant and alive. I could feel my breath catch in my throat as I took in the details of the portrait. It was clear that Orpheus had put his heart and soul into this piece, and I couldn’t help but admire his talent.

As I continued to stare at the painting, I noticed something odd about the medium he was using. The paint looked like it was mixed with blood, and as I looked closer, I realized that it was indeed the blood from the man hanging from the ceiling.

The brutality of the medium took my breath away, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at Orpheus’s dedication to his craft and Vanessa. I had never seen anything like it before, and I knew this was something special.

I approached Orpheus, who was still painting away, his eyes never leaving the canvas. “How are you doing?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He didn’t look up at me, but I could see the pain in his eyes as he continued to work. “I’m numb,” he said, his voice strained. “I just want to make it up to Vanessa, and if this is the only way I can do it, then so be it.”

I let out a sigh, feeling a pang of guilt for what I was about to tell him. “Vanessa has your heart in her lab,” I said softly. “She’s displaying it on a shelf, right next to the flowers she babies.”

Orpheus looked up at me then, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness, fondness, and relief. “I’m glad she still has it,” he said, his voice barely audible. “I want her to have a piece of me, even if the rest of me isn’t allowed in her life.”

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration for Orpheus. He was willing to sacrifice everything for Vanessa, even if it meant his own life. I felt a kinship with him. I knew without a doubt that I would be doing the same thing if Vanessa ever called me to do so. However, to see it in action rather than just in theory was a brutality I never wished to experience.

I continued to move from room to room, placing the cameras in the corners of the rooms, making sure that I captured as much of Orpheus’s home as I could. I knew he was well aware of what I was doing, but he didn’t seem to care. He was too focused on his painting, and I could tell it was his way of coping with what had happened while still giving Vanessa all of him.

When I was done placing the cameras, I went up behind Orpheus and hugged him around the waist, kissing the back of his neck to comfort him. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed into my embrace, letting me know he appreciated my presence. I made sure to relax my grip in a loose hug, so I wouldn’t hinder his movements as he dipped his brush into the different pants and glided the bristles across the canvas.

As I watched him finish up her portrait, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration and compassion for Orpheus. He was a broken man, but he was still trying to do what was right by Vanessa, even if it meant sacrificing more of himself in the process.

I only hoped that one day, Vanessa would be able to see the beauty in Orpheus’s heart, just as I had seen it in his painting. I placed a delicate kiss on the back of his neck, feeling his skin shiver slightly at my touch. I’d like to think after all my surveillance of Vanessa’s life, that I knew her best. I knew she might take some time to make it right within herself, but she already had her sights and claws in Orpheus. She would have to be smote by every god in existence for Orpheus to be let go.