FLASHBACK

I muffle a wail of pain against the soft pillows of the bed, feeling sore everywhere. I feel like my bones have been broken into little small pieces - well, that's almost what happened. Truth be told, I feel dizzy and like I could throw up at any given time. It's so cold, yet when I land the back of my hand on my forehead to check my temperature, I feel boiling hot. With the little strength I have left, I search for a thermometer, easily finding it in the spot where I usually put it.

I place the electronic device a few inches away from my forehead and when multiple erratic beeps and a red bright light with the letter H appear on the small monitor; I panic for a bit.

I take my top off to check on my recent bruise on the side of my stomach, whimpering due to the pain the simple motion was causing me. It has stopped bleeding, good. That ugly bruise is clearly the cause of all my current discomfort; I check in the drawer for some painkillers, knowing full well I'm not going to find anything strong enough to soothe the pain.

I'll have to wait for Andrew to come with Nikolas. Dreading that alternative, I try to ward off the thought.

I doubt I can stay awake any longer, so I do the only reasonable thing to do. I go for a nap on the bathroom floor. I know it's cold, but it will probably cool my skin down for a minute...

●●●

I open my eyes and look at the ceiling, I'm in my room well the room I'm usually in when I'm too sick and Nikolas comes to take care of me, I remove the covers I was tucked in and realise that I'm naked but for a white long shirt, my legs feel sore, and my bones still feel broken.

"Good Morning Elide, you woke up,"' I feel someone caress my face, Andrew. Nikolas is right next to us, looking at me, smiling in his usual sadistic way.

I glance at him too, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"How long have I been in this state-" When I get hurt like this I'm allowed to be abrupt, ask questions, and be mad since Andrew is not going to risk worsening the situation, but if I disrespect him I'm simply going to pay for it later on.

"Three days," I shiver in disgust. I know my body, so I already knew what they did in those three days, and the satisfied gleam on both of their faces didn't leave space for any doubt.

END OF FLASHBACK

"It's Nikolas" I and Damien said in unison.

I sat there looking at Damien in confusion, wondering how the hell he knew him, but then it all clicked and it doesn't take any explanation from Damien to understand. Of course, he knows Nikolas he is his son's best friend, after all.

"Have you met him?" he asked, breaking our uncomfortable silence that had lifted. I nodded, sighing. At that moment, I felt like it was never going to end. I would never be tranquil in my home, or anywhere and all that because he was still watching me. They were still watching me.

"What happened? You know him well?"

"H-he, well, you know he's a doctor. He used to come and visit me every time I was in really bad conditions, so Andrew could keep doing what he did to me without facing any consequences."

"Nikolas was ‌my personal doctor. He's as fucked up as Andrew. He-" The words died in my mouth, not wanting to talk about it. I turned my back to Damien. I knew that if he had asked me to expand on the point, I would've blown into tears.

"Come here El, we don't have to talk about it," he said as he scooped me up and sat me down on his lap. Placing my head on his chest, I closed my eyes in an attempt to stop tears from falling down as he drew small circles on my back, while he whispered shooting words in my ear.

"Everything is going to be fine I swear El, I'll make sure that both of them won't do anything to you, they won't go near you ever again, you don't have to worry pretty girl," he said with such determination that I couldn't do anything but believe him.

I looked up at him; he was looking straight ahead of him, his jaw clamped tight, his anger palpable.

The wrath seeping through every pore of his being was in such a contrast with the delicate little touches he was giving me as reassurance.

Slowly his touch began to work, and I became less agitated, wanting to make him know that he was helping me, but not really feeling strong enough to talk without my voice trembling. I leaned against him and kissed his stubble beard.

That one action seemed to break him from his trance. As his eyes locked with mine, I saw that anger dissipate. Instead, a very weak smile and eyes filled with adoration and care replaced it.

"Thank you, Damien," I whispered. He nodded and kissed the top of my forehead, releasing a tired sigh. His big arms engulfed me in a tight hug and my head fell into his muscular chest, right into his erratic heart. As we kept this position, I could hear his heartbeat gradually slowing down.

I was so scared but yet I was sure he was going to be there for me I knew he would keep his word, just like he managed to make sure Andrew was sentenced without me having to testify I knew he was going to solve this one issue.

Though I was never going to admit it out loud, blindly trusted him.

I blindly loved him.

But when he suddenly became rigid, I worried I had said everything out loud.

"Elide..." But I knew myself. I was always so careful when it came to what I said. Eyes the thing was that he knew me too. He could read me like an open book. Shit.

I looked down, not daring to say what I had known for a long time. I knew that he cared for me, but I didn't know if he loved me.

I pleaded with my eyes, begging to let this go.

"I want you with me every day I'll talk to your brother. If that is necessary, I'll talk with everyone you want cause I'm not risking your safety, not even for a second. I can't leave you here knowing what-"

"I'm not going with you," I said confidently, l just gotten my life back or so I thought I couldn't rely solely on him, I didn't have a stable income and he lived way too far from my parents and friends, I wasn't going to get roped into that mess again I had to be as careful as possible. I trusted him, but trust wasn't enough in this case.

"I'll stay with my parents. There is no need for me to move so far away don't be ridiculous." I scoffed, hoping that downplaying the situation would get him off my back.

This was going to turn into an argument. I could sense it. Neither of us wanted to let it go, no longer feeling so comfortable in his arms I got up, needing the space.

"I want you to stay with me," his tone was softer. It was like he was admitting something, but I know that he still had no intention of dropping the topic and the committed glint in his eyes made it known.

"I need to make sure you are safe Elide I can't do that if-"

"You can do that if I'm at my parents' home. I know that you would find a way. I can't just move in with you, I can't just move an hour away from my parents once again, I can't risk losing my friends, I can't all my-" The words died in my mouth seeing the expression on Damien's face.

"You don't trust me, admit it." he didn't sound accusatory, but rather defeated.

He looked hurt, but also like he knew that this was going to happen. I observed him and decided to lessen the space between us, reaching for his hands, I felt so vulnerable at that moment.

"I trust you way too much, Damien, and it terrifies me. I can't take any risks, understand where I'm coming from"

"I can't move in with you, not yet."

"This was exactly why I didn't want us to continue this. I wish I wasn't a fucking coward and let you go, but I am. I need you here with me, and most importantly, I need you to be safe."

" I should act like the man in his forties that I am and let you live your life, far away from all this fucked up mess, but I can't."

"Because without you, I don't exist. You became my sole and utter reason to breathe. You completely infected my being. I sleep and I think of you, I wake up and I think of you and I'm utterly miserable when we aren't together."

"You also make me feel anxious, like a middle schooler confessing to his crush every time we go out for a date, and I hate it, I hate how you make me feel because it's so addictive that now I cannot even bear the thought of letting you go. "

"What's make you think I could be apart from you, especially considering the current situation?" He asked and grabbed my face, caressing it gently.

"I get it, but I'll be safe. I can't move in with you. I can't become a recluse once again; I need my family. I need my friends and I start working this week so I can't simply pause my life again, not now that I'm getting it back."

"I'm not saying that I want you to be a recluse. Elide, we are a couple. We are supposed to be there for one another. I can't be there if we are an hour away from each other, it's not only about safety I want to make sure I'm there for you if you have a panic attack, or if you need to cry in my arms, I want to be your shield in every sense."

"Don't make me choose between you and my family, Damie-" He cut me off, the vulnerability in his face now gone for good. He looked offended like I had just slapped him with my words.

"I would never ask you to do something like that." he grabbed my chin forcing me to look him in the eyes, he wasn't rough by any means in fact, he was caressing me but I knew he was getting frustrated, maybe even a little angry at me and this sent an irrational rush of fear through me so I took a step back.

"Damien-" Before I could say anything, before I could explain myself, he launched in my direction and grabbed me, kissing me fiercely, completely dumbfounded. I stood there not reciprocating the kiss, not immediately though.

"Elide, you are so infuriatingly stubborn, but I'm never going to be mad at you, so don't step away from me because for every step back you take I'll take one hundred in your direction I won't give up on us."

"Dam-"

"Don't Damien me and listen to me dammit, Elide." I pinch my lips together and look at him.

"Since we give this a try guilt, guilt had consumed me because I was Andrew's father, because I still wanted to be with you no matter everything that was going on, guilt because I should've cared but I didn't and I still don't, "

"Now I'm so tired of feeling guilty. Honestly, you couldn't pay me enough to give a damn about Andrew or anyone disapproving of our relationship. The only thing I care for is your well-being, so we are going to compromise"

"If you don't want to move in with me, I will move in with you. I have the resources to make it happen. If you don't want to live in the same house, that's fine by me but I want to be close to you, but I also want you to live your life the way you want."

"You'd really do that for me?" I asked, completely taken aback.

"This is nothing. Now send me your parents' address." He said with such nonchalance I concluded I had been dreaming. A man like this couldn't be possibly real.

"Damien, you have a company to run, a job. I don't want to sacrifice all that for me. I-"

"Let me stop you right there. I'm not sacrificing anything. I can work from home. I just need my computer for that. I can also handle my meetings at home. It's my company. I own most of the shares and I have a very loyal board that will understand if I need to work from home, so I'm not sacrificing anything. "

"The only sacrifice would be not being here with you. We have already understood I'm selfish when it comes to you, so I'd rather eat glass than be away from you."

"So move in with me now, We are going to take this at the pace you most please, I'll wait until you are ready to actually move in with me, I'll wait until you feel financially secure enough, I'll wait until my last breath if you want me to, because you can be sure as hell I'm not leaving."

"Okay, I'll move in with you," I said, and before I knew it, my feet were no longer touching the ground as Damien hugged me and placed small kisses on my neck. I giggled softly.

Everything was going to be all right.