Chapter 7
1165 Words
I stirred awake to the gentle beeping of devices and the subtle smell of disinfectant.
For a brief moment, I believed I was on my own.
But then I sensed it, the warmth of a hand firmly holding mine.
I gradually opened my eyes, and there he stood.
Eric.
Perched on the chair next to my hospital bed, soundly asleep, his head propped against the wall, his hand tightly gripping mine as if releasing it would break everything apart.
For a brief instant, I simply gazed at him.
Who was this individual? Why was he gambling so much for someone like me, someone damaged, forsaken, expendable?
Was he genuinely here for me, or was there another scheme I hadn't grasped yet?
I gently squeezed his hand. His eyes opened almost instantly, keen and focused.
Upon seeing that it was me, alert and observing him, a faint smile of relief appeared on his face.
"Good morning," he remarked, his voice raspy from slumber.
"Good morning," I replied hoarsely, my throat feeling dry and rough.
He leaned in, filling a glass with water from the jug next to my bed and assisting me in sitting up to take a sip. His touch was gentle, considerate. There’s nothing quite like the careless, harsh way Zack used to treat me.
While I drank the water, I observed a subtle bruise on Eric’s knuckles.
"I said softly, 'Your hand.'"
He looked down, as if just recalling it now.
"It's not a big deal," he said nonchalantly. Zack's security assumed they could intimidate me when I requested your release documents last night. "They were in error."
I inhaled sharply.
"You battled against them?"
His grin broadened. "More like... reminded them about whom they're confronting."
A small, unexpected smile pulled at my lips for the first time in what seemed like ages.
It vanished rapidly, supplanted by a burdensome, consuming guilt.
"This is insane," I replied, nodding my head. "You don't truly know me."
Eric's expression relaxed. "I have sufficient knowledge."
A quietness lingered between us, dense yet not unpleasant.
He then got up, straightening the creases in his suit jacket.
"You will be released today," he declared. "I've taken care of the documentation already." "We're departing from this hospital in one hour."
I gazed at him in bewilderment.
"Departing?" "But... where should I head?"
He moved nearer,softening his tone.
"Alongside me." To my place. A secure location. "Somewhere Zack is unable to find you."
Terror seized me.
Accompanying a guy I hardly recognized seemed rash. Hazardous.
But what options were available to me?
Remain here, exposed to Zack’s fury? Go back to the frigid, unloving Cain mansion where my demise may not be unintentional next time?
I trembled.
Eric must have noticed the uncertainty in my gaze, as he crouched beside my bed, speaking in a soft yet strong tone.
"You are completely justified in feeling scared, Leena." "Considering what you’ve experienced..."
He gulped heavily. "However, I promise you, I will never harm you." "Not ever."
I examined his expression, searching for any hint of deceit.
There were none.
Simply genuine honesty.
Gradually, I nodded.
"Alright," I murmured.
A sense of relief washed over his expression.
He got up once more and took out a small duffel bag from under the bed.
"Karina arranged your belongings." She wished to remain, but... He gave a slight smirk. "She expressed her trust in my ability to manage you more effectively than Zack ever did."
My heart filled with emotion at the mention of my friend.
Karina, consistently my protector in the bleakest tempests.
I allowed Eric to assist me in standing up. My legs trembled, weakened from days spent in bed, yet he supported me firmly without causing me to feel insignificant or pitiable.
We departed the hospital together.
And in that moment, I abandoned the remnants of the life that Zack had ruined.
The black vehicle parked outside shone brightly in the late morning sunlight.
Eric swung the door open for me, his actions so fluid they felt nearly automatic.
As I settled into the soft leather chair, I understood how dreamlike everything seemed.
Yesterday, I was held captive by Zack.
Sure! Please provide the text you'd like me to paraphrase. I was different. Another person's obligation.
Perhaps even the hope of someone.
Eric drove quietly for a time, the gentle hum of the engine the sole noise surrounding us.
At last, I discovered my voice.
"Who precisely are you, Eric?" I inquired, pivoting to look at him.
He laughed quietly, keeping his gaze fixed on the road.
"I'm a lawyer." An entrepreneur. "Someone your father relied on when he understood he couldn't safeguard you alone."
A sharp pain pierced my chest when my father was mentioned.
"He... he realized Zack would treat me that way?" I spoke softly.. Eric's jaw clenched.
He had his doubts. Your union with Zack was a component of a broader corporate acquisition. A method to secure the enterprises of both families. Your father believed Zack would be reasonable enough to honor the one-year contract... but Zack had different intentions.
I bit my lip to hold back the tears.
"Then why should I be married to you?"
Eric grinned, but it failed to reach his eyes.
"Since I proposed to terminate the previous contract and marry you officially." It was the sole loophole robust enough to sever your connection to Zack without scandal.
Legally wed me.
The phrases echoed in my ears.
"However..." I stumbled over my words. "We're not actually married, are we?"
He looked at me for a moment.
"Negative." "Not at this moment."
Nevertheless.
The word hung in the atmosphere like vapor.
"You don’t have to do anything that doesn't appeal to you, Leena," he said quickly. "You have your freedom now." "Staying with me or starting anew somewhere else... it's up to you."
I gazed at the city skyline moving by outside the window, sensing the overwhelming burden of freedom.
Selection.
Something I hadn't experienced in an extremely long while.
We parked outside a majestic glass structure that overlooks the city.
Eric's residence occupied the top floor, a spacious penthouse brimming with sunlight, plush sofas, and gleaming floors.
It seemed cozy. Welcoming.
There’s nothing quite like the chilly, impersonal Cain estate.
He led me to a bedroom that was nearby his, yet not excessively close.
"This is your area," he remarked, placing my bag down. "Nobody enters this place unless you allow it."
I nodded, feeling awestruck.
"If you require anything," he said, "I’m just down the corridor."
And with those words, he departed, leaving me by myself.
I perched on the bed's edge, sensing the burden of it all overwhelm me simultaneously.
Tears flowed down my face, not from sorrow, but from utter fatigue.
I was unrestricted.
Genuinely liberated.
Yet freedom... was frightening.
And somewhere, hidden in the depths of my heart, I realized Zack wasn't done with me yet.
He would return.
And the next occasion...
He may not display compassion.
- Writer
