Rose POV

I walked into the gym, happy, practically skipping. I was so eager to see him that it shocked me. But, like all the happiness in this cruel world, it would be crushed very soon. I knew that, the thought was somewhere in my head, the darkest corner, covered by the sweetness of the moment. I didn't want to think about him pushing me away today. Not now.

I walked in, and saw that he was sprawled on the mat, reading a western book; he knew that I had come in, but he refused to look at me. His face was concentrated on the book, tense, and his mask was in place. That happiness I had felt not even a second ago shattered to pieces.

"Dimitri, what's wrong?" I asked him, my voice cautious.

He put the book down and looked me in the eye. He came over, still tense. I had never seen him this anxious before. Plus his blank face showed that whatever he was feeling was a strong emotion he wanted, no, needed to hide from me.

"Rose, I….I accepted Tasha's offer," He told me, his voice trying to sound calm, trying to pass the subject with a blank face with no emotion. At first what he said sounded so surreal that I couldn't process it. But then, my mind clicked.

My world sank. My heart shattered. There was nothing left for me here anymore. The one thing that I had looked forward to every day was gone. Those moments we shared, I was finally convinced that I was the one that pushed me into thinking that those moments were true, and that he really did love me. I was so incredibly wrong.

I couldn't speak, my voice was gone. So was my heart.

He looked at me, and I let one flash of my pain show on my face. He cringed, and he looked at me in the eye, bending down ever so slightly to do so.

"Rose, listen, I never wanted to hurt you. If it makes you feel any better I'm not leaving yet, we'll still see each other. . .you know, when you're assigned to Lissa and you're at the royal court," He said, his voice sounded desperate, like he was trying to convince himself rather then me.

I turned away from me, and I felt his fingers try to gently turn my face to face him. I couldn't do it. The tears were burning in my eyes, they stung, but I refused to let them fall, I refused to let him see just how much he had hurt me.

"Rose, please, look at me," His voice was hard again, and whatever trace of sympathy he had was either gone or covered up. I chose the first one.

And just as I was about to answer, the door flew open and in swept Tasha. I looked at her, the pressure of the ever multiplying tears was threatening to blow my tough cover. I couldn't really hate her. She had been nothing but nice to me. I had no good reason, other than the fact that she stole my boy friend.

"Dimka," She strolled over to us, and she slid her arm around his.

"Yes, Tasha?" He asked, patient with her when he knew very well that we were in the middle of something.

"I wanted to invite you to one of the parties going on, I'm speaking out there," She turned to me, "Maybe you could help, Rose."

That's when I felt the tears fall. At first it was only one, then another. I couldn't stop them. I wouldn't look at either of them.

I just shook my head and moved my hair to one side, trying to cover my face but not succeeding. Tasha and Dimitri both say those tears.

"Oh, Rose, what happened?" Tasha asked, and turned me to face them face on.

My pain was clearly on display and I felt even worse. I felt like I had to keep myself together, so I wrapped my arms around myself.

"Roza," Dimitri breathed, his accent was more pronounced now, and his hand reached up to brush my tears, but stopped.

I shook my head at him, "Please," my voice cracked, "don't, enough, please." I gasped out.

The pain in my voice made him gasp out, and I saw his own pain start to crack through the mask that he had built and perfected for years. Only I could do this to him. I wish I could just go and die, but they wouldn't let me.

"Roza," He said again, this time brushing away my tears. I flinched at his touch. It was better to severe our bond earlier, so it wouldn't hurt that bad when he left.

"Rose, what happened?" Tasha asked again.

I shook my head, "Nothing, just that someone broke my heart. But I shouldn't have expected much from him. Not when he was never mine to begin with."

With those words I left them there, tears streaming steadily down my face as I walked out the door.

Dimitri POV

I watched her walk out. I watched my other half, my lover, my student, and my best friend walk out that door. I knew that she wouldn't even look at me anymore. It was too late. I had to accept that it was for her own good, but I was only human. Even I had wants that I thought I had to satisfy, it was like being in the Sahara with no water. Only Rose could save me and quench my thirst.

"Dimka, what happened to her? Rose never cries, according to Christian unless something horrible happened. And she does the breaking," Tasha said.

Hm, she noticed that. That was pretty impressive, in the short time I hadn't expected Tasha to learn so much about her and care for her.

I sighed, "Rose and Mason had a pretty nasty fight, something about Ivashkov and her drinking with him. I heard it around the lodge."

"That's horrible! Rose would never do that with Adrian Ivashkov!" Tasha exclaimed.

I nodded, I hated lying, but I couldn't tell her about Rose and me. She wouldn't like it at all. Plus, the pain I had just seen on Rose's face was almost too much for me to take. I felt like I would fall over then and there, not that I wasn't already in pieces when I forced myself to say yes to Tasha.

"Listen, I can't go the party, I have to make sure she's ok," I told her and saw her nod in agreement. She was so unselfish and kind, god, why can't I just love her?

Because you can't pick who you love, Roza is your soul mate, your lover. And if you were smart you wouldn't have said yes to Tasha, that annoying voice sounded in my head. It was all so obvious.

I walked out of the gym, my heart torn in pieces. I imagined that Rose felt five times worse. I had time to prepare for this, she didn't. She probably didn't even see it coming, especially not when we were at the Ski Lodge.

I walked half way to her dorm when I saw her crying into Mason's arms.

"Rose, shh, Rose," Mason soothed her, letting her soak her shirt with her sobs. She looked so frail right now that it practically killed me.

I couldn't live with this. I just couldn't. I couldn't even see what she is going through right now. It hurt so much.

I turned on my heels, keeping the pain locked away in the already packed chest of pain, and jammed my Guardian mask on.

I walked back to my room, and closed the door. The mask came off, and my tears flooded out.