My surroundings were a blur as my eyes slowly opened.
The last thing I remember is Ansell pushing me on the bed and me losing consciousness.
My body was in resting mode so I could not move it frantically. Before my vision could become clear, the incident that took place before I lost consciousness replayed in my head.
I felt a pang of regret when I realised how I had been recaptured by my tormentor before I could fully run away. I still remember the way he tortured me in that dark room. And the information that Desy shared with me about her killing my brother is still alive in my head.
Though I was in a dungeon before I lost consciousness, right now it feels like I am sleeping on clouds. The mattress below me as is as soft as pure cotton. With my blurry vision, I could conclude that I was no longer in that terrifying place, instead, I was in Ansell’s room. The relief of the change in environment was almost surreal, considering the recent torment I had endured.
My head tilted to my left and I saw a manly figure standing beside the window. His back was facing me and he was lost in his thoughts, gazing out into the distance.
As much as I guessed that it was Ansell, my blurry vision didn’t let me be sure.
Blinking multiple times I lifted my hand to rub my eyes, only to feel stinging pain. My head turned to my right and this is when I realised that an injection was there in the back of my palm while a steady drip was standing beside me.
As my vision cleared I saw a girl and my eyes drew in confusion as I had never seen her before. Before I could voice my confusion and inquire about her presence in the room, she approached me, bridging the gap between us.
“Ma’am don’t move” she whispered.
I believed she must be the nurse attending to me.
“Is she awake?” A deep voice, unmistakably Ansell’s, resonated through the room.
The girl nodded softly.
“Call the doctor” he instructed her, his tone firm. “And give me a few moments alone with her. Come back when the doctor is here”
She nodded and disappeared from the room.
I closed my eyes and turned my head to the other side when Ansell came in front of me. I don’t want to even see his face. His presence evoked emotions that were hurting me more than my physical state, and I couldn’t bring myself to even meet his gaze.
A heavy silence hung in the air. So much was going in inside me but my lips were as immobile as my body. I am not sure how many hours or days I was out but I still feel a loss of energy. I want to succumb back to sleep, where I need not think about anything.
After a minute, which felt like an eternity, the side of the bed dipped and in another second, I felt a palm on my head.
“Nara” he murmured, his voice soft and tender.
A tear escaped the corner of my eyes and for the first time, his voice felt the same as it had before. I used to like him but deep down, I knew he was no longer the same person.
This man has a double personality disorder.
He will treat me nice one second and in the other second he will treat me like trash.
I was glad that my head was turned away from him so he couldn’t see the tears that rolled down my temple.
Instead of replying to him, I stayed silent.
“I know I went a little hars on you. But I lost my control when I came to know that you had escaped me” I heard him say it, but there was not even an ounce of regret in his voice.
I am sure he will not think twice before treating me even more cruelly if I try something like this again.
“I am here, in front of you, alive breathing. What do you want from me now?’ I couldn’t stop myself from asking but I didn’t tilt my head to meet his gaze.
“I want you to accept the fact that you have nowhere to go except this place and you have no one else but me. Every inch of your body belongs to me” his words carried an eerie possessiveness, leaving no room for doubt about his intentions.
“So, you believe that gives you the right to inflict pain upon me?” A wry smile made its way to my lips.
“Do you think it easy for me to see you in pain?” He questioned, his words surprisingly genuine. “It’s far more agonizing than you can imagine ”
“Then why are you doing all this?” I asked, turning my head to face him. My voice trembled slightly as I continued, “On one side m, you say that you liked me, while on the other side m, you are ready to kill me. I have accepted that what my brother did to Desy was wrong but what was my fault in all this?” My eyes welled up with tears, my lower lip quivered and my vision became blurry.
He stayed silent, staring into my eyes deeply without moving or even blinking.
For a second, I thought I detected a glimmer of something akin to sympathy in his eyes. It was as if a crack had formed in his facade, hunting at a shred of the person he once was. But just as quickly as it appeared, the moment dissipated, leaving me with a sense of desolation.
It is my fault because even after seeing his devilish side, I am still hoping for sympathy from him.
Why do I always forget that he is not the same Ansell anymore?
I know he wanted to say a lot, to reprimand me but before he could say anything we heard a gentle on the door.
“Sir, may we come in?”
I assumed it was the doctor.
“Come in” Ansell allowed as he left the bed and stood aside.
The doctor and the nurse entered the room. Ansell gave them away but his eyes were on me all the time the doctor was performing checkups on me.
I distracted my mind because the more I saw him, the more I got angry and frustrated. He has put me in a situation that I never thought possible, even in my worst nightmare, and the mere sight of him intensified my sense of helplessness.
The doctor checked my temperature, blood pressure, oxygen level, heartbeat and Got knows what. It took him almost 15 minutes and I let him do whatever he wanted with protesting because it was of no use.
Finally, after 15 minutes, he stood back, and the nurse came and to remove the injection from my hand. The drip was now empty and I was ready to protest in case they thinking about injecting it once again.
“She is fine from our side” the doctor said which me relief, “but she is very weak” he added.
He then turned his attention to me.
“You might experience dizziness due to your weakened state. It’s a common side effect. To aid your recovery, try not to skip meals. Including fruits and vegetables in your diet will aid in a quicker recovery than just relying on tablets”
I merely nodded.
There was no point in telling me this because my meals, like so many other aspects of my life now, were dependent on Ansell’s decisions.
The doctor packed his bag and left the room, once again leaving me alone with Ansell. I was finally feeling good when the injection was not there.
Taking a deep breath, I mustered the little energy I had left and managed to lift my body. I am not sure how many days have passed since I escaped him, the days have blended, lost in the haze of unconsciousness. I was out of my senses for most of the time. I was feeling dirty, I could smell grime on my hair, and at the moment all I wanted was a long, relaxing bath.
“Where do you think you are going?” Ansell’s question didn’t come as a surprise. I was ready for it.
“Do you seriously think that I could escape you in this situation?” I asked him, my tone laced with both defiance and resignation. He stared back at me. “I need to freshen up and want to have a shower” I told him.
“Let me help you” he said when he saw me struggling as if he were not the one responsible for my condition.
His sudden, “Kindness” grated against my nerves, and I raised my palm to him, effectively stopping his advance.
“No, thank you so much” I rejected. “You have already done enough for me’
I could see him gritting his teeth in anger as a flash of rage passed through his eyes. I braced myself for a storm of of words or response. Yet, surprisingly, he held back and stayed quite.
Gingerly pushing the duvet aside, I mustered the energy to lower my leg to the floor. Standing up felt like a monumental effort, with my body protesting every movement. The dizziness that the doctor had warned me about enveloped my senses, but I pushed through it.
With the support of the edge of the bed, I managed to walk a few steps but I stumbled when the bed ended and there was nothing for my support.
Days had passed since u had last stood on my own two feet, and the result was evident in the trembling of my legs.
Giving myself a few minutes, I walked ahead, only for my knees to wobble and me to lose my balance.
Panic surged through me and I gasped when I couldn’t balance myself if and my body fell forward. I braced myself to fall in my face and break my nose…