There are points in our lives where the world seems too cruel.

It seems like it's just taking and taking from you, leaving you deprived of everything you thought was yours.

It leaves you at a point where you feel like you have nothing left. It laughs at you and makes sure you burn it in your brain that nothing was ever yours to begin with. How in this world, nothing is supposed to last.

The weather was cold.

Snow had piled up in the streets and the Alucard mansion was quiet.

The mafian boss was suffering from a feeling he had never experienced in his life.

Every passing day Arius felt the emptiness in his chest grow. The hollow void of loss made it hard for him and there was nothing he felt like doing.

But still, just because he didn't want to do things didn't make all the responsibilities go away, he had to drag himself to work and at times, he thought that it was a blessing.

He had a way to divert his mind, think and worry about something else, but even then the void of emptiness wouldn't leave him. Whenever he had any spare time his mind would divert back at the sense of loss he was facing.

***

"Hmmm?" Arius got a call from Eli that shocked him, "Veronica fainted again?"

"Yeah, you want to come over?" Eli was calling him from the hospital.

"..." Arius thought about it. There were things on his mind that weren't there before. Why? Because many things had changed in the past year, "Did you tell Lex?" He asked.

"Yea.."

"Then there's no need for me, is there?" He sighed internally. He knew Lex had made up with his mother and they were now a proper family, just like Veronica had wanted.

"Don't be like that, come and visit her sometime." Eli spoke genuinely and Arius knew that but still that did not change the facts.

"I'm not coming." Arius hung up.

What was the point of going now? There was no space for him there.

Was there?

Would he still get the affection he used to from the person who was like a mother to him?

He sighed.

He had denied it always, saying that he did not think of her as his mother but in reality, he was just afraid. Having lost his birth mother so cruelly right in front of him made him scared of accepting things he wanted the most. He did think of Veronica as a motherly figure but he didn't ever want to cause her any trouble so he never accepted the title even though Veronica called Arius her son.

"Maybe I should go." He whispered to himself. He thought that maybe he might actually find a comforting shoulder.

And maybe he'll find some peace in her embrace.

Just maybe.

So he decided to make a visit to the hospital.

But sometimes, it's not the fault of the person or other people.

Sometimes, it's just the timing that isn't right. Sometimes fate can be very cruel with it's jokes.

When Arius reached the ward Veronica was in he paused right outside her room because a lady just exited the place, closing the door behind her she looked at Arius.

The same red haired lady he indirectly sold to Lex in order to fulfill a promise.

"Is Veronica busy?" He asked her.

Rosalie nodded, "She's with her family." She replied, a bit awkwardly.

Her being here meant that Lex had made it.

"I see." He looked down at the bouquet of tulips he had bought for her, "Thank you." He smiled at her and she bowed and left. There was nothing for them to talk about further.

The hope he had come with shattered into pieces while he felt a sharp pang of pain in his chest.

He sighed and sat down on the bench right outside the room and stared at the flowers.

He sat there silently as time continued to pass but there was no sign of anyone coming out of the room.

He waited and waited but it didn't help him.

Each passing second just seemed to give him more pain. It was just confirmation that the little space he had in their family was now no longer there.

"What am I doing?" He softly laughed at himself.

Waiting was just torturing him, so he stood up and looked at the closed door.

'Should I try knocking?' He somehow managed to ask himself by collecting some hope again.

Taking a deep breath, he took a step forward but paused when he heard laughter from inside.

He smiled. He could no longer delude himself now.

The flickering candle of hope had now completely died, so he turned and left.

There was no place for him now. That family was complete without him or rather he was never really a part of it.

He had always known that but now that the fact was thrown onto his face. Arius knew he was filling in for the place Lex had left and he knew full well if Lex came back that spot would be taken away. After all, it was never his to keep.

It was just that, it was painful and it hurt.

It turns out, no matter how much he denied the fact, he always wanted the affection of a family, and there was nothing wrong with that.

He was a human being too after all.

Sighing, he left the bouquet on the bench and began walking out, then stopped, walked back, picked up the flowers and left with them.

On his way out he threw them in the bin.

"What a waste." He told himself as he kept walking while it began to snow.

The evening just seemed eerie for some reason, as quiet as winter mid-nights or maybe it was just him. Maybe it was just his internal feelings being reflected everywhere.

When he reached the mansion he saw something that made him smile.

Even when his whole world had fallen apart, there was one person who didn't leave his side.

"Caesar." He said his best friend's name as he looked at him standing in front of the main entrance.

"Yes?"

"I'm back."

"Welcome back."