CHAPTER |14
1442 Words
Aiden's POV
I looked again at the bag on her lap, the worn handle, the careful way she protected it everything suddenly made sense.
The tired face, the weakness, the way she had looked on that roadside, a sharp guilt rose inside me.
Because while my children had been asking for her, she had been sleeping in a half-built structure with no safety, no proper food, and no protection.
And tonight had almost ended badly because of it. The car entered my compound a few minutes later.
The gates opened slowly under the bright security lights before the driver fully stopped. Marcus had already appeared at the front entrance.
He must have been waiting. His eyes widened the moment he saw who was sitting beside me.
The front door opened wider, and before either of us properly stepped out, two smaller figures rushed forward.
Liam reached us first.
He nearly collided with Amarahh before she fully stood. "Amarahh!"
His voice carried pure relief. Ava came right behind him as a child who usually controlled her reactions. She ran straight into Amarahh's arms without hesitation.
"Where did you go?" Ava asked, already holding her tightly.
Amarahh bent carefully despite her obvious pain and wrapped both arms around them. The tears returned immediately to her face.
Liam stayed close enough that he almost joined the hug too. "I thought you left forever," he said.
"No," she whispered. "I did not want that."
Ava pulled back just enough to look at her face, then she froze.
Her eyes landed on the bruise. "What happened?"
Liam noticed it too immediately. "Who hurt you?"
Before Amarahh could answer, Marcus stepped forward and gently said, "Inside first."
The children stayed attached to her all the way into the sitting room. The staff appeared one after another. Grace from the kitchen covered her mouth in shock.
The chef looked deeply ashamed, probably because he still blamed himself for everything that followed Ava's allergy.
Amarahh tried answering everyone's concern with weak reassurance.
"I am alright."
But even saying that seemed to cost effort, I noticed her breathing had become too shallow.
To slowly, her face had gone pale.
Ava still held one hand, speaking quickly about school, about missing her, about how Liam had been angry all week.
Liam stood close, clearly unwilling to let her out of sight again. Then I saw it happen. Her eyes lost focus.
Only for one second but enough.
"Amarahh."
She turned toward my voice, but her body moved first her bag slipped, her knees gave way. Everything happened fast after that.
She collapsed before Ava could hold her. Ava screamed her name and liam dropped immediately beside her.
Marcus rushed forward.
But I reached her first, catching part of her weight before her head hit the floor fully.
Her eyes were closed, her skin looked frighteningly pale now. And as I lifted her, one clear thought settled inside me.
This woman had been surviving alone far longer than anyone in my house had understood.
The moment Amarahh collapsed in my arms, the room changed completely.
Ava's frightened voice filled the sitting room first. "She fainted!"
Liam moved closer immediately, his face pale in a way I had not seen before. Marcus reached my side, but I had already lifted her fully into my arms.
She felt too light. That was the first thing that hit me strongly a grown woman should not feel this light.
Her body rested against me without strength, her head falling against my shoulder, her breathing shallow but still there.
"Open the door," I said sharply.
Marcus hurried ahead without wasting a second. The staff stepped aside quickly.
Ava held my arm as I walked. "Is she dying?" she asked, her voice shaking badly.
The question made me stop for half a second.
I looked at her directly. "No. She is not dying."
"But she is not opening her eyes."
"She will be fine."
I was not sure yet, but I could not let fear settle inside them.
Liam stood by the front door, fists tight. "I am coming too."
"No," I said immediately. "You both stay home."
Ava shook her head at once. "I want to go."
"You cannot. It is late."
Marcus stepped in carefully. "I will stay with them, sir."
I nodded and carried Amarahh outside. The night air felt colder than before.
I opened the back door first, then changed my mind and placed her carefully in the front passenger seat instead so I could watch her more closely.
Her head leaned weakly against the seat, shut the door, went around, and entered quickly.
For the first time in a long while, I drove myself without waiting for the driver.
The road to the hospital felt too long. Every red light annoyed me every slow car in front felt unbearable.
I kept glancing toward her. Her face looked pale under the passing lights the bruise on her cheek looked darker now.
Her lips moved once, but no words came.
"Stay awake," I said, though I knew she could not hear me properly.
She gave no response.
When I finally reached the hospital entrance, the emergency staff came immediately because they recognized me before I even finished speaking.
Two nurses brought a stretcher. I lifted her again before they fully positioned it. Then rolled her inside while asking quick questions.
"What happened?"
"She fainted."
"Any injury?"
"She was attacked tonight."
"Did she lose consciousness before now?"
"At home, just now."
They took her straight inside the emergency room doors closed, leaving me outside. That short wait felt longer than it should have.
I stood there with both hands in my pockets, staring at the closed door and again, that old hospital feeling returned.
The same smell, the same white lights, the same silence between rushed footsteps.
For a moment, memory pushed too close. Another night, another hospital, another person behind a door I could not control.
I forced that thought away. This was different. This had to be different. About twenty minutes later, a doctor stepped out.
Dr. Miriam Cole removed her gloves and faced me calmly. "She is stable now."
The breath I had not noticed I was holding left slowly.b"What happened to her?"
The doctor checked the file briefly.
"Exhaustion, lack of proper food, dehydration, stress, and body weakness. She also has bruises from physical assault."
The words hit harder than I expected.b"Is it serious?"
"She came in weak already. Her body has clearly been under pressure for days, maybe longer. If this had continued, it could have become worse."
I looked toward the room door. "She needs a rest?" I asked.
"Rest, food, and safety. She also needs proper observation tonight."
I nodded. The doctor softened her voice slightly. "She has likely not been taking care of herself."
That answer I have already understood now after the doctor left, my phone began ringing.
Ava.
I answered immediately.
"Dad!" Her voice came too fast.
"How is she? Is she awake? Is she talking?"
Liam's voice came behind hers. "Put it on speaker!"
I leaned against the wall outside the room. "She is stable."
"What does stable mean?" Ava asked.
"It means she will be alright.
"Can we come there?" Liam asked.
"No. Both of you should be asleep already."
"We cannot sleep," Ava said quietly.
I closed my eyes briefly. "Listen to me. She needs rest, and you both need rest too."
"Will she come back home?" Liam asked.
That question stayed in the air for a second.
"Yes," I answered, surprising even myself with how quickly I said it.
Ava sounded relieved immediately. "Tell her I asked for her."
"I will."
"And tell her I had not finished my drawing because she was not there," Ava added.
A small breath left me that almost became a smile."I will tell her."
After ending the call, I entered the room quietly.Amarahh lay still on the bed, connected to a drip.
The bruise remained visible.
Without the usual alertness in her face, she looked younger, too tired, too defenseless.
I pulled a chair closer and sat down for a while. The room remained silent except for the soft machine sounds.
Then suddenly, her face tightened, her brows pulled together, her fingers moved weakly against the sheet.
A small sound escaped her lips. At first it was unclear, then the words came.
Soft, broken, almost frightened. "Please... leave me alone..."
I leaned forward, her breathing became uneven, then clearer words followed.
"Casper... please... leave me alone..."
The name made me sit upright immediately her face tightened again as tears slipped from the corners of her closed eyes.
- Writer
