Ch. 1 - DISTRAUGHT
"Yes doctor I think she's slowly waking up, I'll go let her guardian know"
I gradually opened my eyes to find myself in an all-white room, as a middle-aged lady started asking me questions about who I was. As I completely woke up, I realized I was in a hospital bed as all the memories came flooding back to me, suffocating me with all the pain and shame that came with it. I didn't see it coming, I don't think anyone did. If I didn't already hate my parents enough, well now I hated them more. How could they let their daughter go through what she did and not save her, or even try looking for her, especially when it was their fault she was in such a situation? I never wanted to see their faces ever again.
I looked down at my body and saw all the scars covering it, making me recall all the times I got whipped or beat by those people, all those times they violently assaulted me as I cried out in agony. As if reading my mind, the lady who I assumed to be a doctor said, "Don't worry miss, most of them aren't bad enough to be permanent, and it's thanks to the man who saved you and brought you here. They'll heal and disappear within a few weeks if you take care of them properly."
But whatever she was saying wasn't registering in my head, it wasn't going to. All I could think about was how I was trapped for nearly 4 weeks like that and before I could even register it, I felt the fresh, hot tears falling from my eyes. I started shaking as the tears burned my face and the doctor left to give me space, when all of a sudden some strange man walked into my room. He had a dangerous aura about him, and his eyes showed no emotion at first. For all I know, he could've been one of the people that had captured me or worse, he was going to be the next person to hurt me again. I wasn't sure of anything at this point. He slowly started taking calculated steps towards me and that's when I lost it.
"NO DON'T TOUCH ME...please....stay away from me, I'm begging you.", I whimpered the last bit timidly, cowering away in fear.
"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you love.", he said rather cold than intended. He didn't even know why he called her "love", she was a stranger after all. But for some reason, he wanted to cherish her, protect her, and make her feel safe. "Just relax and let me help you eat something for now, you'll be okay."
Those words seemed to flow out of his mouth so easily, but how could I trust him? He could've mixed something in the food he wanted to feed me, so that I'd pass out and make it easier for him to abduct me. How could I trust anyone after what had happened? And why the hell was he calling me love? I wasn't going to be an idiot and trust him, with the risk of getting locked up like a wild animal again. The more I thought about it, the more fear I felt towards him.
"W-why are you here? What do you want from me? I don't even know you, and what are the guarantees that you won't do what they did, huh? FUCKING ANSWER ME DAMN IT!", I screamed out of panic. I don't know what came over me but I couldn't bare to be around anyone at the moment, and soon just felt myself start to hyperventilate and cry harder than I was before.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong? Don't worry I'm here, just take deep breaths. I'm not a threat, I promise.", he spoke a lot more gently this time, not wanting to freak me out, and brought my face to his torso before wrapping his arms around me. I could feel hesitation in his movements, almost like he was scared he was going to hurt me or was contemplating on whether he should do it or not, but he hugged me anyways.
"I-I can't. Please make it stop, help me...I can't breathe.", I sobbed against his chest. It made me feel weird when I realized that I didn't know who this man was, but for some odd reason, I felt comforted and safe near him. What was going to happen to me after this? Would I be able to live like the normal 23 year old Aileen I once was before any of this happened? I didn't know anything. All I knew was that nothing was ever going to be the same after this, and that I could still be in danger.
The same doctor and some nurses came in hurriedly to hold me down and inject me with something as I thrashed around, and the last thing I remember was the faint pained look etched on Elia's face as he held my hand with a firm grip. And then I blacked out.
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From Author:
Sorry that this chapter was so short, I didn't want to put too much information in the first one and promise that the other ones will be longer. This is my first book on this app and I have a lot planned for it, so it'll be a rollercoaster of emotions, with both love and sorrow. Hope you guys like this and show me support for it, thanks my loves! ~ Venus <3