At the palace, in the stark chill of the bathroom, Henry luxuriated in the embrace of a warm, peaceful bath, his body slowly unwinding in the soothing heat.
His black hair, slicked down with water, cascaded over his forehead, hiding the depths of his closed eyes as he surrendered to the moment's peaceful stillness.
The world around him narrowed, relaxing his mind. A thought of him getting a little vision, a vision where Lita was with the crown prince leaving him behind.
He slowly opens his beautiful blue eyes, the color of a summer sky, each one a window into a depth of feeling that was previously hidden. He shakes the thoughts of those visions he has imagined, telling himself to forget about Lita.
A single tear, like a pearl of sorrow, escaped the corner of his blue eyes, tracing a glistening path down his cheek.
He couldn't shake the feeling towards Lita the way she left him, the way she had begged him to have an affair and how she told him she still loved him.
He knew, deep down, that he should let go of Lita, that Vanessa deserved his joy, but the echo of Lita's love, a love as fierce as it was flawed, still resonated within him, a phantom pain that refused to be silenced.
I... I shouldn't even be thinking of Lita. That... commoner. A nobody who left me shattered, a worthless thing.'
A frown etched itself onto his face, a mask of self-deception hiding the lingering ache of Lita's betrayal—a betrayal that felt like a denial of his very feelings, a dismissal of his worth.
He gets up from the warm bath and dries himself with a soft cloth of towel.
He pulled on a polo shirt and black pants, the simple act a small victory against the turmoil within. He sank onto the couch, the soft cushions offering little comfort against the weight of his emotions.
He sighs, Could this aching emptiness, this gnawing sense of loss, possibly deepen? The thought itself felt like a chilling premonition.'
No... I should focus on my engagement with Vanessa...'
Vanessa should be the one I am thinking of right now... Not some commoner that who left me.
A bitter hatred coiled in his chest, tightening with every unwanted thought of Lita, every unexpected glimpse of her.
He wanted her gone, erased from his life, replaced entirely by the comforting presence of Vanessa, his family, and friends.
He craved a world where Lita was nothing more than a forgotten ghost.
He could not give a single forgiveness towards Lita... Not ever... Not even a single forgiveness inside of him towards her.
No matter how she begged, he wanted her to be gone from his life without any single left from her soul.
He wanted her completely gone, utterly erased, not a single trace of her existence left behind.
He yearned for a finality so absolute that even her soul would vanish without a whisper.
He's grateful that Vanessa has healed his broken heart even if he was too stubborn at that time. He knew she deserved his joy, without explanations.' A slow, chilling smile stretched across his lips.
As he looks at the window admiring the orange sky of the afternoon. His emotions and thoughts towards Lita have slowly disappears, he finds it comforting to admire the sky.