Locked in his castle, the young king was still trying to pick his pieces, but his efforts were fruitless. He still bore the mental scars of his ordeal and his failed romance. Dominic spent hours on end, working on his paintings, but not even that was able to take his mind off Rachel. Most of the time, he flipped his canvases over and threw his brushes up against the wall, frustrated and on the brink of tears. He even had two tattoos done: Her initials on his left wrist and a yellow canary on his right one. It was the only way for him to feel closer to the woman who had captured his heart, his unfulfilled dream.

Dominic did not even visit Jean. And, to his relief, his friend did not dare set foot in his castle, either. He couldn’t deny that the Frenchman was faced with an impossible decision. Still, his betrayal hurt him and put Rachel in harm’s way. Dominic had not decided if he could forgive him or not and running into him would put him in a difficult position.

The only one who visited him was Linda. She looked genuinely concerned about him: incredibly enough, she had not tried to take advantage of his vulnerability. Indeed, the redhead acted more like a friend than the woman who had been pursuing him over the last year. They had dinner together; she gave him her opinion on the – few – new paintings he had managed to finish; and made sure not to bring up New York. Moreover, she did not dress provocatively at all. Dominic did appreciate her change; but, even so, the thought of getting back together with her did not even cross his mind. Broken and still very much in love with Rachel, he could not even think of getting into a new relationship so fast.

Quite often, he would turn up the volume on his stereo and watch the sunset from the terrace. One particular song dominated his playlists: Within Temptation’s “Shot in the dark”. Dominic would listen to it, over and over again, reflecting on the past.

A cloudy, spring afternoon found him gazing out on the snowy, Alpine peaks, with that loud music ringing in his ears. Daylight was slowly fading away, as Mont Maudit peak broke through the white mist. He smiled upon the breathtaking spectacle, at the same time feeling blessed for living in the ragged wilderness.

“There’s that song again,” Linda’s feminine voice interrupted the moment, as she stepped beside him. “I could hear it on my way over.”

“It grows in you,” Dominic croaked, reluctant to take his eyes off the view. “The echoes make the experience much more…”

“Painful,” She finished his sentence. “Excruciatingly painful. You need to stop living backwards, Dominic.”

“That would be the right thing to do,” he agreed with a nod. “Maybe I will, eventually. Just not yet.”

“I understand you’ve been traumatized,” Linda made her voice sound sweeter. “You’ve suffered great loss over the past weeks, but…”

“That’s a major understatement,” Dominic interjected, turning his head to the right to face her. “I’ve lost everything, Linda.”

“Yes, you have,” She furrowed her brow. “But, it’s time you found something new. Look behind you.”

Obliging, he noticed a black, electric guitar in its box, leaning against the far wall.

“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you,” He said, smiling down at her. “I don’t know if I can ever learn to play, though. It takes a lot of patience and I’m quite short of that right now.”

“You will,” Linda spoke, her voice firm. “You’d feel much better if you played, instead of just listening to music.”

“And you know this, because…?” Dominic raised an eyebrow.

“My brother’s been playing for seventeen years,” she replied. “He says ‘music can heal your soul, if you’ll let it’. I’ve also bought you an amplifier. It’s quite heavy; I couldn’t carry it up here.”

“Well, thanks again,” He winked at her. “Not just for the guitar. You’re the only who visits me.”

“I couldn’t let you go through this alone,” Linda declared, her voice softening, as her hand brushed his wrist. She wrapped her fingers around it, but, as she pressed them to his new tattoo, her gaze shot down to his arm. Using her left hand to hold his forearm up in the air, she rolled his sleeve up.

“A canary tattoo?” Her voice became high-pitched. “When did you get that?”

“Four days ago,” Dominic said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

“You did this for her, didn’t you?” Linda asked, lifting her gaze to his face.

“Yeah,” He admitted, looking away from her.

“I’m so stupid,” she whispered, shutting her eyes, as she eased his arm down. “I thought I’d win you over by being your friend. I guess I was wrong.”

“I’m sorry, Linda,” Dominic spoke in lazy tones. “I should have been straight with you.”

“Well…” Linda let out a huff of frustration. “Don’t be. You needed a friend. Anyway, I’m throwing a fundraiser on Saturday night, down at ‘Louis’ diner. I’ve left an invitation downstairs. After that, it’s all over. No more visits. I won’t bother you again.”

“Bother me?” He exclaimed, once again turning to her. “Who said you were bothering me? I loved you being here, Linda.”

“But you can’t give me more, can you?” She inquired, her voice wobbly, as she blinked back tears. Her simple question put him in a difficult position. Dominic could not come up with a rebuttal. He simply stared at her, clenching his jaw. “That’s what I thought. I’ll see you on Saturday. Goodnight.”