⚠️TW: Mentions of rape ⚠️

A burning light pierced Mariana's eyelids, forcing them to open, only to make her hiss in pain as she regained consciousness.

Her fingers and arm were flooded with a wave of excruciating pain. They felt sore on the inside as if she had needles digging into her flesh. Her mouth felt like a pit of vomit as her head whirled around in dizziness.

However, she tried to prop herself up and see where she was but instead of her being in a sitting position, she winced and slid back down to her side.

She clenched her teeth and tried to bring herself forward using her arms and it eventually worked, after a few minutes.

Once her eyes were in full focus, she had a good look around.

She was laid in what looked like a hospital bed and directly in front was a window that was covered in blinds. Her heart beat rapidly of the faint voices she heard down the corridor. She also heard some footsteps which increased her heartbeat as well as her intense, heated breaths that made her face grew hot.

She feared it was Xavier so she tried to lift her arms but couldn't as they trapped her down like vines—literally—because she noticed that there were tubes inserted in her veins and she was now in a hospital gown instead of her clothes.

"What is all this?" Her voice came out as a  shaky whisper as she feared the worst. She didn't even know where her family was or where Xavier was, he could even walk in at any minute.

"I got to get out of here." It was easy saying that than having it done, since her legs wouldn't budge and between them ached and burned badly.

Something wasn't right...

Even though she could feel her bra and panties still on her, they felt torn and loose.

No...no... it can't be...

Panic rose in her mind and she suddenly felt sick. Her arms were starting to get sticky and wet and somehow, the air around her became stuffy as she felt like she was becoming trapped and someone was coming to get her.

She tried once more to get out of bed but failed and ended up screaming out in frustration.

"Why am I here!?"

"You're in the surgery room."

The sudden voice out of the blue froze her panic. The airs across her arms stood up in fright, as she didn't expect an actual answer and that just made her even more worried.

"Who's there?"

Micah was standing in the corner but then came into the light. Mariana noticed he was dressed like all the others, but his smile was warm and full of friendliness, but it just made her more alarmed at what he was doing there, just standing in the darkness.

"Hello, I'm Micah, your bodyguard."

"Are you gonna point a gun at me too?"

"No, I'm not like the others."

Her eyes peered in suspicion. The calmness in his voice should've made her feel at rest, but it just sent alarm bells ringing in her head as there may be a hidden intent behind them. And the claim 'he's not like the others' was hard to believe and besides, what made him different?

"Prove it."

He pulled his shirt up, and there weren't any signs of weapons around his waist and the faint lines of a six-pack.

"Hm okay." At least he had no gun to threaten her with which was the last thing she needed right now as she was too exhausted.

He pulled his shirt down and came closer to her but slowly, so as not to alarm her.

"So...um... if you don't mind me asking, is your name Mariana?"

"How do you know that?" She raised her eyes and her mouth was slightly parted. She was shocked he knew her name and even slightly worried as to how he got that information.

"I saw it on your file that the Boss gave me."

"Oh," she said. Well, that explains it.

"I think your name is really beautiful."

"Thanks," she responded monotonously but a small smile fell on her lips. 

He smiled and kissed her hand. She slipped it a bit back as she wasn't expecting that.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why does Xavier want you here?" Micah asked, pulling up a chair close to her bed but still keeping his distance.

She grumbled and released an irritated sigh. She hated Xavier.

"Because he's heartless." She put it simply and laid her head on the pillow. Her head was turned the other way, away from him. "My father died before he could finish paying off his debt. He couldn't even allow my mother to grieve. Instead, he came to the funeral, looked straight into the eyes of a woman who just witnessed her entire love buried underground with death, and had the nerve to say that if she didn't pay back the remaining sum, she dies too."

Her eyes stung with tears of anger. Her chest flamed up as Xavier broke her family apart. He just couldn't let it through, her mother was his sister for crying out loud! Despite all they had gone through in their childhood, how could he possibly do this to her?

"I'm so sorry that happened to you Mariana...." he truly felt for her as he was speechless at everything he had heard. In all his life, he had never seen someone act so heartlessly and inconsiderate, especially to someone who was their own blood and had just lost their significant other.

She just hummed in response. She didn't understand why he was so interested but there was one thing she wanted to find out.

"Anyway, do you know if my mother and siblings are okay?"

His friendly smile soon turned into a melancholy one. His eyes cast down onto the floor, not wanting to look her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry Mariana I can't tell you."

"What? Why not?"

"Um, I don't exactly know how to."

Her mouth was agape as only one thing could come to mind at what he was talking about.

Could Xavier really be that heartless?

She put her undesirable thought at the back of her mind as she didn't want to believe he could actually be capable of doing what she had thought he had done.

"Can you just tell me?"

"Well alright, but first, do you have any record of what happened earlier?"

"No... what happened?"

"Oh dear, do you really want to hear this?"

"Yes, just tell me!" She didn't want to wait anymore of what had become of her mom.

⚠️⚠️TW AHEAD⚠️⚠️

"Well alright," he shifted his legs as his eyes faced the wall instead of Mariana's. Seeing her pale and tired face, down on her luck, made him even more reluctant to tell her what happened.

"Xavier drugged you and then forced himself on you while your mother was helpless to do anything."

"What!" She cried out in horror but it slowly died out into a whisper. She wanted to cross her arms over herself as some form of comfort and protection because she felt exposed and the loose gown wasn't even helping, but she was unable to due to the damage that Xavier caused.

She suddenly felt uncomfortable in her own skin. It felt she had Xavier's crusty fingers crawling like little insects up her arm. The thoughts that his hands roamed around her body, touching parts which he shouldn't be touching, made her want to throw up. She made her feel sick and disgusted with herself.

She couldn't believe he had taken advantage of her when she was completely defenseless and even worse, in front of her mother who couldn't even stop him.