"The wound is the place where the Light enters you."

― Rumi

Rose's POV:

My whole body froze as my mind went completely blank. Lindy also stiffened, the colour that her cheeks held a moment before due to the shame, drained, making her skin resemble a pale white paper.

I clenched and unclenched my fists. My anger vanished into thin air as pure fear and fright filled me.

Marienne was a cruel man. The fact that he wasn't normal made things worse. At the moment, he resembled a cold blooded murderer. The pains and sorrows he had already inflicted upon me, made things far worse.

I was pretty sure if this kept going on, my past will come back to haunt me. My nightmares will comeback, worse than ever before and I didn't want to go back to that raging flare of an inferno.

That monster terrorized me. And if I broke down, nothing would be able to help me.

I was thinking normally at the moment, but if my panic attacks and flashbacks came back.....

My head spun and I closed my eyes.

I didn't have any control on my mind. I was living in a zephyr of emotions and my mind didn't know how to deal with this.

No matter how much I tried to make myself understand that those monsters won't come back, those demons won't come back, deep down I knew. I knew that they would probably come back and shatter me into pieces if anything triggers them.

I was trying my hardest to control myself.

But Marienne was making my patience run thin.

I opened my eyes and cautiously took a peek toward the devil through my blurred vision. I felt Lindy's warm hand squeezing my cold ones reassuringly. I looked at her and saw her wearing a melancholic smile.

I begged her with my gaze and I was pretty sure that she could read it.

Don't go.

She looked at Marienne sternly and spoke, "Fils, nothing happened here. You should go, cher."

I looked up at Marienne and our eyes locked.

His surreal turquoise eyes were a brume of many emotions. Fury, disgust and determination were the ones I could only decipher.

He looked intimidating and haughty, his posture rigid, frozen. He looked eerily calm.

From some reason, his calmness disturbed me and gave me goosebumps. I knew that it was the silence before storm. It was an indication of his upcoming outburst.

I gulped, trying to make as less movement as I could. His scotching gaze seemed to set my whole body ablaze. I felt cold terror gnaw at me.

Cold sweat formed under my palms as I gazed into his eyes. Those dangerous pair of eyes had such a frightening effect on me, I could see 'crazy' written in bold letters in them, it made me scared..

His appearance and his personality were the complete opposites. He looked divine, like some creature out of heaven yet his conduct was loathsome, abhorrent and inhuman, something straight out of the pit of hell.

My breaths became pants as I waited for his next move. I saw his fists clenching and unclenching, as if he was trying to keep his anger at bay.

"You- Madame- You are supporting this murderer? The same person who murdered l'amore?"

"She is not a murderer Marienne" Lindy whispered, looking at him with disapproval, "Le fiston, this woman can be innocent. You will harm an innocent?"

"NO!" Marienne boomed, prancing closer, "You are choosing the wrong person tante, I know she did it!"

"What if she didn't?"

"YOU ARE DEFENDING A MURDERER?!" Marienne hissed, but Lindy remained stoic and didn't even flinch.

She must be used to seeing him like this.....

"Tell me madame," Marienne hissed, "Are you siding her because Madeline is finally out of the picture? You didn't like her did you?"

A loud sound echoed throughout the chamber as I witnessed Marienne getting slapped by the petite woman. His face was turned sideways as he rubbed the area.

I only pray that the god saves me....

"Mind whom you are talking to chien!" Lindy spoke as her eyes became misty with tears, "I adore you and try to win your trust. You trust that chienne Quarsiekiev but not me?! You will just torture a girl and if I do anything I become the enemy? Why do you not take your medicines?"

"They were making me worse madame!" Marienne grumbled.

"Because that chienne told so?!" Lindy cried out as hot tears made their way down her cheeks.

"SHE IS NOT A BITCH!" Marienne bellowed, making the older woman cry harder. He sighed, frustrated and ran a hand through his hair, "Tante, if you do not resign immediately, I will also have you checked and enquired by the police. If you understand me, please go. It's hard for me already."

Lindy seemed to ponder over his words.

My heart stilled for a moment as I anticipated her answer.

Don't go.... please don't go..... he might do something that would break me.....

Lindy faced me with tear streaked face and gloomy looking eyes as she said, "Don't harm her. She is a loveable child."

No.....

Why?....

I clasped the bedsheet tightly as nightmares seemed to unfold in front of me with their raw, ugly and blaring colors. I was seeing the colors of terror, pain and sufferings.

Lindy slowly walked away from me, her stance seemed apologetic and guilty.

Oh no..... no.....

My breathing became harsher as Marienne's eyes landed on me. With a predatory precision, he pranced towards me.

What is he going to do?

My nerves came alive as my whole body started to shake. I could see the black dots lining up my vision.

Was I having a panic attack?

But this wasn't a panic attack.

It was terror. My body was reacting this way because I knew something would happen to me.

He was near the bed now.

Monster.

Demon.

Beast.

My mouth felt dry.

Suddenly, he sat himself on the bed. The small squeak sound it made in protest, made my heart drop in my stomach.

"You are a very clever Rose," his cool voice grazed my ear like a knife of ice slicing human flesh, "First my love and then the only person I respect after my parents, you sure are a thing."

He neared, keeping our eye contact. I wanted to move, but I couldn't. His eyes held mine their captive, just like him.

"Lindy never defends anyone. But you- You are something else aren't you, Rose?" He was now sitting with his legs folded in front of me.

Please go away....

I shut my eyes tightly, not wanting to see whatever was going to happen with me.

I heard him chuckling faintly. "You are so good at seduction you know, it comes natural to you."

Please please please go away....

"Open. your. eyes, little minx." He gritted out the words slowly. I could feel his warmth radiating from his form, his breath fanning my face ever so lightly making my nose tingle in a delicious way.

My eyes opened and locked with his.

What?

His turquoise eyes floated into the land of nothingness and then to the pit of hell where his anger seemed to flare.

I yelped and a sharp pain shot through my scalp as he pulled my hair. The burning pain made tears prickle my eyes.

I grabbed his hand to untangle my hair from his clutch but his iron grip only seemed to tighten up more.

"Let go-" I begged meekly.

A smirk slowly lit up his face. "Why? Shouldn't you be punished?"

Tears fell down my eyes.

Oh why can't I be strong?

"Because you are shattered," A small voice in the back of my mind whispered.

"Please-" I begged in a teary voice, "Please stop."

He let out a humorless laugh, as if he was mocking me. I cried harder but his grip didn't falter.

"Do you know that I have found out your companion? Don't you think you should admit your crime before it's too late?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I-I- didn't-"

He burst out into a full blown laughter. The sound of it gave me goosebumps. He really looked like a psychopath.

"Listen- little girl-" he said in between his monsterous laughter, "Your helping hand is going to be caught. And when he is, I will find out the truth. I know that you killed my Maddy. It's about time I found it out officially. Remember, you will be dead either way. If you confess now, I might take a pity on your cute little face and give you an easy death. But remember-"

He inched closer, keeping merely hairbreadth between us. "Remember-" he whispered, making my skin tingle in fear, "If I find out from that man or woman that you are the one that is responsible, which you are anyway- your death is going to be far more gruesome. More painful."

He brought his lips near my ear. His warm breath caressed my earlobe softly as it sent shivers through my body and not in a good way.

Pain, the physical pain he had caused me and the mental pain I was scarred with.

Fury, for being captive for no reason.

Sadness, for his unfortunate condition.

Confusion, at his behavior.

Hatred, towards him.

"Remember- I will show no mercy. I will make you scream, beg for your life. I will not care that you are a human. I will run my sword here-" I felt his fingertips graze just the spot below my left breast, where my heart was, making the blood pumping organ stop for a moment, "Again, and again. You will die Rose. It's up to you how."

And he pulled back with that.

I felt the caress of warmth that I felt in his presence, diminishing. The reality hit me hard and I realized what he had just stated.

He was going to find the killer!

The mere thought of it planted a seed of hope in my heart.

I could finally be free.

I heard a clearing of throat as I looked at Marienne. He was now standing up near the bed, examining me with a hawk like gaze.

"You are yet to be punished," Marienne stated as a cruel smirk lit up his features, "You will be punished. Do not think for a while I am going to let you go just like that for bewitching my tante. But you will be punished in another method. Good night for now."

I shiver as his warning cut deep into my skin.

My skin crawled thinking about how he might punish me.

I didn't know what happened to me when he was near me. It was like I was directly transferred to a paracosm. The warning he gave me-

I shivered.

I didn't really want to think about it. For now, I only wanted to focus on my bodily pains and a good night sleep.

Gulping down half a bottle of water that was kept in the nightstand, I let myself lie down the stinky, viscous bed.

I anticipated a nightmare.

And so it came.

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