Chapter 12 Crystal Clear
Crystal Clear
The very next day, Darren sent Anya and Irina to me for my full workup.
Waxing, haircut, manicure, pedicure—the works. Apparently, since I was so eager to return to the world, I needed to look like I was ready. That meant returning to my usual badass redheaded goddess image that I wore so well.
Aside from the wonderful pain of waxing just about every crevice of my body, I had to admit that I did feel a little more human after they left.
Another week went by of just stretching, standing, and light exercises. It was my extended punishment for going against my husband, for daring to challenge his rule. His methods made zero sense to me, but the more I thought about it, the more it made me see the only truth possible.
He liked me like this.
He liked me trapped. Vulnerable. Dependent.
He liked being needed by me.
Not to mention I’m sure he loved knowing I was always in the same place every moment of every day.
He could always count on seeing me in bed the second he walked into the room.
And I imagined every time he did, he would hope to see that longing in my eyes, the relief that came from his presence, and the desire to keep him close.
Delusional fuck.
Once upon a time, that had been true. Painfully true.
But those were the darkest days of my life.
Days of mindless instinct for survival, days when I allowed my shell to be Darren’s puppet while I retreated internally in an attempt at self-preservation.
And those wretched days were over and never coming back.
However, I had to imagine it was a lot more enjoyable for Darren when I had working legs. He had to miss it, right? The fighting, the fucking, showing me off to the world, the pure unadulterated entertainment that came with owning a woman like me.
There was no way he was satisfied with the current state of things. How was he so calm knowing I was this defenseless? And while we were at war, for fuck’s sake!
He should have been ecstatic about my progress, but instead, he acted like an angry bear as he pushed my wheelchair outside and stopped near the pool.
I was finally going to start with water therapy today.
It was the closest thing I could get to walking, so I would take it with open arms and a grateful smile.
Sid stood with two other members of his staff next to the pool, waiting for me. Camaro lay down on the bed that had been brought out for her next to Clive and Owen, who sat in the shade.
“Good morning, Mrs. Davis,” Sid greeted with a genuine smile. “Are you ready to walk again?”
“Absolutely.”
I could feel the disapproval coming off Darren in waves as he tried to hide his scowl from me. He didn’t like my eagerness. Well, too fucking bad.
“Excellent. Then let’s get started.”
Dressed in a sporty two-piece bathing suit, I was lifted from my chair and carried directly into the pool. Darren had changed into a pair of black swim shorts so he could help me if I needed him. I was determined not to.
Once we reached the three-foot marker, Darren reluctantly lowered me into the water. When I stood upright with no assistance, I felt the smile on my face reach well beyond my eyes.
“How do you feel, Mrs. Davis?” Sid asked from above. “Any pain? Discomfort?”
Darren’s eyes sharpened as he searched my face for any sign that I might downplay what I was feeling. But I was happy to speak the truth.
“Nope.”
Granted, the water helped keep any weight off my pelvis, but either way, I was finally standing on my own.
“Okay then, one little step at a time,” Sid instructed.
Darren then took my hands and held them in front of him, offering me support and standing directly in my path to the other side of the pool. I almost rolled my eyes, but remembering what happened last time, I decided against it and gripped his hands instead.
“Whenever you’re ready,” he said gently.
On a nod, I took a deep breath and slowly lifted my foot. When I felt no pain, I leaned forward, set my foot down a few inches farther, and let my back foot follow.
Nothing. I felt nothing. No pain.
I took another tentative step, my legs feeling wobbly and unstable as I slowly moved them through the water.
My hips were so tight, each movement feeling like I was pulling against the strongest rubber band in the world. My stride was pathetically short, barely a foot, but it was still another step closer to gaining back my independence.
My hands clung tightly onto Darren’s much larger ones, finding trust in his strength to hold me up. He walked backward with every step I took, his watchful eyes studying every tick of my facial features as he helped me through the water, and I was careful not to give away a single sign of trouble.
By the time we reached the other side of the pool, my chest was heaving with excitement. When I looked up at Darren, he wore a somber smile, not exactly infectious but encouraging nonetheless.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Fucking amazing.”
His gaze immediately hardened. “Watch your mouth,” he warned.
“Okay, Mrs. Davis, walk back to the other side now,” Sid called.
Darren then turned around and guided me back the way we came, only stepping back when I moved forward.
“Stop looking down,” he scolded. “Keep your eyes on me.”
I hadn’t even realized I had been watching my feet the whole time, fearful I would miss something and trip over it—in a fucking pool, no less.
But I glanced up and focused my eyes on his as I took one heavy, wobbly step after another.
Only once did I lose my footing and start to tip over, but Darren kept me upright with ease.
“I’ve got you,” he reassured, his tone soft yet strong. “Keep going.”
And I did. For the next thirty-five minutes, we walked back and forth, hand in hand, until I found myself growing tired enough to stumble. Fighting to keep my eyelids open, my hips were becoming so damn stiff, and I could feel them actually start to ache.
“I think that’s probably enough for today,” Sid suggested as he turned away to suddenly cough obnoxiously into his sleeve.
“No, I can keep going,” I replied quickly. I didn’t care if I was tired. I was finally moving, and I wasn’t ready to go back to my helpless state yet.
But Darren shook his head. “No, Jaden. You did really well today. You don’t need to overexert yourself. You’re already tired as it is.”
“No, I’m not,” I retorted, which earned me a sharp warning glare in return.
A breath of disappointment left me as I fought the urge to yawn and failed.
“We can pick this up again tomorrow,” Sid offered with a pained groan as he tried to recover from his little coughing fit.
My eyes darted back to Darren’s, pleading with him to let me stay.
“Can we just float for a little while?” I asked sweetly, keeping my tone as innocent as possible. “I’m not ready to go back to bed yet. And it’s such a nice day out.”
Attempting to avoid a repeat of our last altercation, I had to employ a different tactic. Being an artist of persuasion, I utilized my best offense against my stern opposition and reached back for the big guns—my bedroom kitten eyes.
Darren sighed in annoyance as he looked down at me, his eyes narrowing in suspicion because he knew exactly what I was doing. His grip on my hands tightened as he considered my request.
I decided to make it even easier for him and bit my lower lip, a whispered “please” under my breath—the final nail in the coffin.
“Goddammit,” he cursed under his breath. “Sid, bring Jaden something to float on,” he ordered.
I positively beamed up at him, his features slightly softening in response to my gratitude.
Gripping the small inflatable inner-tube I’d been given, I kept my upper body out of the water and just let my legs hang below me. Darren floated with me for about two minutes until he abandoned the idea and started swimming laps instead.
Clive and Owen took Camaro for a walk while I was content to just float away in the corner and watch Darren swim, enticed by the rippling muscles of his back and arms as he powered through the water like a shark.
Jealousy vibrated through my useless legs as I watched his body move so swiftly, all four of his limbs working in strong synchronized movements.
Envy turned into inspiration, and I found myself slowly kicking my sore and tired legs under the water again.
The muscle atrophy had drained me of my energy but not my ambition.
Suppressing another yawn, I lifted my heels to bend my knees and draw circles in the water with my toes. I made sure not to aggravate my hips further, hopeful that the cool water kept any inflammation at bay.
Clutching the inner-tube, I placed my chin on my folded arms and closed my heavy eyelids, resting them for just a moment.
Lost in my focus, I suddenly realized that the water had grown still, and the splashing sounds had quieted. I tilted my head up to look around the pool to see if Darren had gotten out, but I didn’t see him anywhere.
“You’re a bad little girl, Jaden,” Darren’s smooth voice said behind me.
I jolted in the water, my heart rate spiking as I turned to see him leaning against the wall of the pool, his wet hair slicked back and his eyes blazing with heat.
“Stop doing that!” I growled at him, irritated by his ability to sneak around so easily. For a man his size, it shouldn’t be possible.
“Stop doing what?” he asked as he moved closer to me, his predatory gaze making me slowly retreat in the water.
“Sneaking up on me like that. Those little jumps I get are really irritating.”
“Maybe you need to start paying more attention to your surroundings instead of daydreaming.” I huffed at his accusation. “But since we’re on the topic of what’s irritating, I recall you being told you were done for the day.”
I frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”