Chapter 66-A Deal with the Devil

This had to be the longest elevator ride in history.  My stomach was in knots between the nerves and the morning sickness.  I hesitated when the doors slid open, but I pushed my nerves aside and stepped out into the hallway.  There he was, propped up against his door frame waiting for me.  This was a bad idea, and I knew it the moment our eyes met.  He looked at me but his eyes were cold, the intensity with which he stared at me caused a wave of fear to wash over me.

"Let's not have this conversation in the hall."  Mulo's voice was low and steady.
I turned and pressed the button on the elevator frantically.  I couldn't do it, I would have to find another way but before the doors even opened I found myself inside his penthouse.

"You came all this way, might as well come in."  He had an icy demeanor that caused my pulse to race, there was only one other time I had ever been this scared of him and Aric wasn't around to save me this time.
"Calm down my love, I'm not going to hurt you."  His voice was void of all warmth.  "How did you know I was back?"
"CeCe.  Sh..she told me when I talked to her last week."
"Ah..of course she did."
"I need your help."  I spoke softly and flinched when I saw the anger flash across his face.
"You want me to turn your unwilling dying husband.  What makes you think I'd agree to such a thing?" he spat angrily.
"Because you can't just let him die."
Mulo let out a curt laugh "Actually I can."
The painful truth of his words struck me hard.
"But why, why would you do that?"
He stepped closer to me and gingerly played with a strand of my hair.

"You know the answer to that question."  He leaned in to kiss me and I took a step back.  The anger on his face, the hatred that burned in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine.
"Please Mulo.  I'm asking you to do this for me, for my sons."  My legs were shaky but I stepped closer placing my hands on his chest.

"From what I gather he's accepted his fate and that includes leaving you and his sons.  Why can't you do the same, we both knew this was only temporary anyway.  He's just dying a little sooner than expected."
The harshness of his words were like a slap in the face.  The look on his face was cold and uncaring as if he were discussing the weather instead of a man's life.
"How can you be this way?  If you care so much about me, how can you stand by and watch as my heart breaks?"
For a brief second, I thought I caught a glimpse of softness before his expression hardened again.

"You asked me for space, for a chance to make it work with your human and I did that.  Him living forever was NOT part of the deal!"
The one thing I didn't think about when I came here dawned on me, he was jealous.  Marcus was a threat simply because he loved me.  Marcus loved me more than Jesse did, more than my father and more than Mulo.  He loved me truly deeply and unconditionally.
"Please, I'm begging you.  Don't let him die."

Mulo didn't speak but I could feel his gaze on me as I looked down at the floor.
"What do I get in return for this act of generosity?"
"The nature of doing something out of generosity means you aren't expecting anything in return."  I spoke softly meeting his gaze finally.

"Yes well..." He spoke moving to stand behind me.  "That's not how it works for me."
He rubbed his hand across my cheek and his features softened as he looked at me. 
"What do you want?"
I watched as a slow smile spread across his face.  He leaned in close and I could feel his breath on my cheek when he whispered into my ear "It's been far too long since we've been together."
I drew in a shaky breath and closed my eyes as I weighed his request.  I had already put Marcus through so much, I couldn't betray him like this.

"Mulo, please, don't ask me to do that."
Unmoved the tears that escaped the corners of my eyes, he looked directly at me "Those are my terms."
"If I do this, you'll save him?"
"Yes."
I looked down and twirled my ring around my finger.  I couldn't let him die.  Without looking up at Mulo, I nodded my head in agreement.  He lifted my chin to look at him before kissing me.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back but it wasn't the same.  I felt him pick me up and he carried me up to his bedroom.

*****

I cried the whole way home.  I was relieved that Marcus was in the backyard with the boys when I got home.  I ran to our room and immediately went to shower.  I never felt so low in my life as I did standing under the scalding hot water scrubbing my skin.  I was so undeserving of a man like Marcus.  When I finally stepped out of the shower I still didn't feel clean.  I wrapped the towel around me and stepped out into my room.  Marcus was sitting on the bed waiting for me.

"Where have you been?"  I could hear the strain in his voice.  I walked over to my dresser and started getting dressed.

"Amari, I asked you a question."

"Tell me you love me." I spoke keeping my back to him.

"What?"

"I need to hear it, please."

Marcus got up from the bed and stood behind me.  I felt his warm arms wrap around me.

"I love you Amari Smith."

The warmth and sincerity of his words flooded me with guilt and my entire body shook as I started sobbing.  He turned me around and held me as I cried.

"Amari what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so very very sorry."  

"Sorry for what?"
"I...I just didn't want to lose you.  I couldn't face...I couldn't face life without you.  Please forgive me."

Marcus held me against his chest, stroking my hair.

"Come on it can't be that bad."

"But it is.  I...I went to...I went to Mulo." I managed to choke out the words.
He stopped stroking my hair and his body instantly tensed at the mention of his name.  He pulled away from me and the look on his face was like a knife in my heart.

"Why?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"Nevermind, I don't think I want to know.  The fact that you came home and showered speaks loudly enough."  Heartbreak and disgust was written all over his face.

"Marcus please.  It wasn't like that."  I reached out for him but he backed away as if I were poisonous.

"You couldn't even wait until I was dead."  The pain in those words caused a tightening in my chest.

"I was trying to save you.  I wanted to save you!  Don't you understand that?  Don't you understand what your death will do to me?"  I cried but my pleas were falling on deaf ears.  He wouldn't even look at me.

"I never wanted you to save me, all I wanted was for you to accept what was happening and to just love me in the time I have left."  He collapsed down onto the bed.  Tears pooled at the bottom of his eyes, his will and strength finally breaking.

"But I do love you Marcus.  More than I knew but I do love you. I am in love with you.  That's why I couldn't accept you dying."

I dropped to my knees in front of him.  "And it's because I love you, I couldn't do it.  I've put you through so much, I couldn't betray your trust, your love for me that way."

As I sat there waiting on him to speak my thoughts went back to Mulo.

I remembered his touch on my skin, how instead it making me warm and excited I only felt sad and disgusted with myself.  The look of anger on his face when I told him to stop made me shutter.  His eyes burned with a fury I had never seen before and his hand tightened around my wrists as he pinned me to the mattress.  He could have forced me or compelled me but he let me go.  Neither of us spoke as I gathered my clothes and redressed he left the room and went into his slumber chamber slamming the door behind him so hard it caused a crack in the wall.

"Marcus, please say something."

"I would leave you if it wasn't for the fact the boys are already dealing with enough.  All I wanted was to enjoy the time I had left with my family and now you've tainted that.  It doesn't matter whether you went through it or not, it's the fact you went there to sleep with that man."  His words were laced with so much anguish.  He got up and walked over towards the door.

"That's not why I went there."  It didn't really matter why I went, the damage was done.

"Oh really, then why did you go?"  I glanced up at him.

"That again?" 

I nodded.

"So what was the plan he was going to some how force me?  You would do that to me regardless of how I felt about it?"

"I was desperate and not thinking clearly."

"And how did you end up in a position to almost commit adultery?"

"He wanted...I had to...in exchange for him agreeing."  The shame of how I belittled myself was overwhelming.

"And that's the man you're in love with." he said with a sarcastic laugh.

"No.  You may not believe me, and honestly I understand why you wouldn't but it took him asking that of me after everything he's done to me to realize the truth.  There has been only one man in my life that has loved me without expecting anything but my love in return.  You."  I paused waiting to see if he would say anything but he didn't so I continued.  "I'm sorry it took me so long to give you what you've deserved all along.  I'm sorry that it took me knowing I was losing you for me to fully comprehend how much I truly love you."

Marcus turned his back to me and I felt him flinch as I circled my arms around his waist.

"I was selfish and I wish I could take back everything I've ever done to cause you pain but I can't.  What I can do is try to make it up to you, if you let me."

"I need to go check on the boys."  He said removing my arms from around his waist.  I stepped back wiping the tears from my face and he took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Marcus.  There's something else you need to know."

"What?"

"I'm pregnant."


******So I got the chapter out but I am still working to recover all my sims.  You will see some changes as I work through to get everything back.  Thanks for your continued support.