CHAPTER 39
Amara fought against the heaviness of her eyelids, attempting to open them only to be met with resistance.
‘No!’ Her voice echoed in her head as her head pounded with sharp pain. Turning on her side as she groaned,
She grappled with the wish to see, but her eyes seemed reluctant to comply. A wave of obliviousness engulfed her, momentarily shielding her from the memories of what happened before he lost her conciseness.
Breathing heavily, she scrunched her nose, feeling another sharp pain ripple through her head. Her hand fisted her hair, seeking comfort amid distress.
As she struggled through the haze, memories crashed into her mind like a relentless storm. The names echoed with a mix of familiarity and dread – Rafael, Abigail.
A chilling shiver crawled down her spine as she recoiled from the vivid memory of his belt.
Her head throbbed with pain. The sensation of her insides being ripped out intensified, and panic gripped her. A haunting echo of her scream lingered in the back of her consciousness before she lost conciseness.
Gathering strength, she peered and opened her eyes with struggle while a pained groan escaped her lips, resonating with the effort it took to fight the heaviness.
She still could feel the leather of his belt against her skin.
Chills raced down her spine, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. A shiver coursed through her body.
As she shut her eyes, Rafael’s angry eyes flashed before her eyes. With a breathless exhale, she instantly snapped them open. The wounds on her back and arms felt to be bandaged. And despite the discomfort, she could hardly feel the pain. But the ache in her heart was deeper than the ocean.
What greeted her was the darkness. It appeared to be night; her eyes found the light source only to find moonlight coming from the window casting a pristine shadow all over the room.
Adjusting her focus, she could tell this room was unfamiliar. To her right were monitors and an IV bag that connected to her arm. The bag seemed to be filled with a clear fluid, connected to the back of her hand that had her fingertips wrapped in bandages.
A little tinge of fear yet anticipation mixed with both anxiousness and panic gripped her hard in unfamiliar surroundings. Where was she? This wasn’t Rafael’s apartment. Did Rafael bring her somewhere else? Where he could hurt her more?
Her breath quickened, her eyes looking around with vulnerability in them.
She quickly began looking around and pushed herself into a sitting position.
The soft sheets under her hands wrinkled as she ripped out the IV from her hand, bringing out blood as the needle tore through her skin.
Raising herself from the bed with much effort, she unclipped the heart monitor from her fingers.
Her desperate eyes flickered around and she stilled. A large mirror was placed in front of the bed she was sitting on. Though the darkness hindered her vision, she could still make out her reflection in the mirror.
A breathless gap left her lips as she found herself dressed in a black short nightgown.
The Lacey fabric cascaded down her sides resting just above her pelvis.
Her arms and back were covered in white bandages, a small bandage on her forehead.
Her hair cascaded down her back reaching the rim of the flimsy nightgown.
She shuddered clutching onto the fabric as several thoughts crossed her mind at once. Who changed her clothes? Why was she dressed in a backless lingerie?
Amara breathed heavily in trepidation. She needed to get out of here. Right now. The moment her feet touched the cold ground, she heard alarms go off. In a panic, her eyes broadened and she tried to run for the door when her legs gave out. She fell to the floor letting out a pained moan.
Amara quickly tried to push herself on her feet and was about to open the door when the door opened from the other side. In the darkness, she could not see anything, but she could see the silhouette of a tall and muscular man with broad shoulders standing in the doorway.
Rafael was not that tall. And he was not that much muscular either. Another fear settled in. Did someone kidnap her?
She started to panic, recalling what happened just hours ago. What was happening? Who was he? Why was she here?
"Amara." The silhouette called, his voice deep and husky, carrying a timbre of domineering aura while walking carefully towards her. “You’re safe.” His deep voice assured her.
He knew her name.
Amara broke into sheer panic. Her features turned into the tableau of stark fear. The color drained from her face.
Would he hurt her? She couldn’t think anymore. Pushing herself on her hands and behind, she scrambled away looking up at him.
Despite his voice being soothing and so familiar, she couldn't calm down. She hardly felt at ease in this stranger's presence. With wide panicked eyes, she looked around. There was only one exit and if she tried to run, he’d catch her.
The man stepped forward and she instinctively stepped back eyeing around for anything to use as a weapon. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as the fight or flight mode kicked in.
A small glass vase on the bedside table instantly caught her eyes midst the dark. The curtains blew with the wind casting a chill running down her spine.
She recoiled in fear, scrambling backwards until her back collided with the bed. Her arms instinctively wrapped around her, hugging her knees to her chest. The depth of her fear was palpable.
"No one's going to hurt you," The unknown man mumbled in a hoarse voice as he attempted to advance. His unwavering gaze remained fixated on her, a hypnotic intensity emanating from his eyes. Despite the captivating allure, she resisted, knowing better than to succumb to his unsettling presence.
With cautious movement, she turned towards the table slightly. Purposely slamming her back against the table with a force that sent the things resting above it falling. The movement seemed so natural that she was unable to comprehend what she just did.
"Amara!" The man mumbled with concern and outstretched his hand, palms facing up showing he didn’t mean her any harm. That only seemed to agitate her more as she couldn’t see his face and all the darkness around the room just seemed to make her vision more unclear.
Amara noticed as he didn't make any move to get closer, though he could easily overpower her with the muscles he possessed but she just stared at him with uncertainty and uneven breath. Unsure if he seemed as harmless as he pretended to be.
What happened with Rafael earlier had her nerves on edge, she couldn’t help but look at everything with suspicion and fear.
Holding his gaze, she carefully moved her hand behind and patted the area, when her fingers touched the vase, she quickly held it in her fist. Meanwhile hoping his eyes wouldn’t catch the movement.
Amara swallowed hard, the tension between them building. He tilted his head to the left as if he was accessing her.
"I won’t hurt you, little one." He murmured with a deep disappointed sigh. Running his fingers through his hair, he took another step forward.
Amara's heightened alertness prevented her from making eye contact or pondering the strangely familiar voice. But her mind was blank, nothing seemed to matter more than her escape.
"Give me your hand," the same deep voice muttered, her eyes jerking towards him instantly as he held her gaze into a fierce one.
The curtain blew with the wind once again, and this time the moonlight from the window fell on his body, her eyes caught a glimpse of the white button-down shirt he was wearing and his rolled-up sleeves exposing the strong forearms rippled with muscles, the dark veins threatening to pop out.
A sudden familiarity of his body startled her and she couldn't look away, he slowly nodded his head at her, encouraging her to take his hand. Amara contemplated, her body instinctively moving towards him but then she stopped.
She didn’t know him, and who knew what his intentions were?
He instantly sensed her resilience. Carefully stepping forward, he extended his palm. Amara stared at his hand for a while and then her hold on the vase tightened. She took a deep breath prepared to strike him if he’d touch her against her will.
She prepared herself as the man leaned forward. Clutching the vase tighter, with ferociousness in her eyes she raised her hand to attack him. It all happened suddenly. Instead of meeting his neck, the vase fell from her grip.
A hand gripped her wrist tightly. The grip was steel-like, making her heart beat race with panic once again. She looked up at him with quivering eyes.
Adrenaline rushed through her veins. Instantly with the other hand, she tried to grab something else. Her fingers just touched the fallen vase before she jumped as he slammed his foot against the vase sending it rolling down the bed.
She heard him curse under his breath.
"Let go!" Amara screamed. Eyes flamed with fire and desperation.
He crouched and pulled her forward towards his face. As the fallen moonlight whisked over his face, she finally could see his eyes. Eyes penetrating her soul. Grey soulless eyes.