His Imprisoned Queen

Chapter 2 Bryce Sanchez

"Elina Jones? Can you hear me, Elina Jones?"

I open my eyes abruptly and blink a few times until my vision clears. From above, A nurse is looking at me with concern.

"Are you feeling okay, Ms. Jones?"

I nod as my brain is processing slowly. Okay, so I'm still alive.

Wait.

I'm still alive!

How come I'm still alive?!

I sit up and pull away the cover; all my body parts are still here! I start pinching my skin. I feel perfectly fine! I look around, finding myself in a deluxe private ward twice the size of my motel room. The next thought comes to my mind: s**t. There's no way I can afford this. I open my mouth, and my voice comes out in a hoarse whisper, "where am I?"

The nurse hands me a cup of water and explains, "we are at Bell Wood Hospital. It's a private hospital. Someone sent you over after the explosion accident. We've given you a complete set of physical checkups, and all results are good. So you are free to go anytime you want."

I quietly gulp down the water and digest the information. So the explosion DID happen, and that handsome man snatched me from the jaws of death. My heart starts racing at a crazy speed as I think of him. I take a few deep breaths to calm down. To be honest, my bones are still a bit sore, and I would very much like to stay in this comfortable room longer, but my personal financial situation won't allow me. I smile at the nurse and say politely, "I think I'm good to go. Can I pay by credit card?"

"Everything's already paid, Ms. Jones. You just need to sign a few papers at the front desk before you leave."

My jaws dropped. Did I bump into some kind of angel? The nurse smiles, gives me a slight bow, and starts to leave.

"Wait!" I call her before I realize I did, "can you please give me the name of that person who sent me over and paid for me? I really want to thank him. And… I need to pay him back."

The nurse gives me an apologetic smile and answers, "Sorry, Ms. Jones, we don't know either."

"Does he have… hmm… dark brown hair and blue eyes? Oh! And he is very good-looking!" I don't mind if I sound awkward at all. I just want to find this man.

The nurse chuckles and thinks for a second, then says, "If I remember correctly, he has blonde hair, just like yours."

***

As soon as I enter my motel room, I tumble into my bed and wrap the blankets around me. My brain is a mess. What happened in the past twelve hours has been too much for me to digest.

I think about how close I was to death. Yes, I've survived, but think about my colleagues whom I didn't get a chance to meet yet. Have they survived? I don't want to admit it but the odds against them surviving seem very small. s**t. That's so bad. Then the thought of losing my first official job before I even had a chance to start it crosses my mind, making me even more depressed. Well, compared to the tragedy that happened to most people in that building, the problem I am facing seems frivolous.

I toss and turn in my bed, thinking about what I should do now. I want to find my savior and thank him, well, maybe not just thank him. My cheeks start burning as I think of that crazy desire I had for him when I was in his arms. How can I find him? Hmm, maybe I can start by looking for details about the explosion. I grab my phone, open the news APP and type the name of the building, and a few articles pop up. But none of them talks about the explosion. That's weird. I quickly scan through the articles, trying to find clues about the accident. But there's none. It's like the explosion accident has never happened.

I lock my phone and close my eyes, pondering deeply. It now seems evident that the spilled coffee and the closed station were just ways to prevent me from going to the building, but I still managed to get there in time. So that's why the man had to show up at the last minute to save me from the accident? And I definitely heard him calling my name. So he knows me!

I shake my head. Don't be stupid, Elina. You are thinking of yourself as way more important than you actually are. You have been a nobody since the day you were born. No one cares about you. Even your own mother kept you with an abusive asshole under the same roof. Well, my mom had tried to protect me at first when Carl started beating us, but at some point, she just gave up. She said she didn't have the guts to leave him, but I could tell, deep down in her heart, she didn't WANT to leave him. She still loved him after all the shitty things he had done, and my mom had paid the heaviest price for that love. It makes me think how love can be the most dangerous thing in the world. Anyway… speaking of Carl, that pair of golden eyes in the alley… does it have anything to do with my savior? I mean, that thing was probably trying to save me too, right? From getting murdered by Carl? My head hurts, and I bury it in the pillow.

At that moment, my phone dings, which makes me flinch. I'm becoming hypersensitive. I grab my phone and click on the new message that just came in.

ALICE: Hey babe, heard you've moved to LA, wanna hang out tonight?

I couldn't resist a smile. Alice was my best friend in high school, okay, ONLY friend, actually. She went to a community college in LA after graduation. She is not the type of girl who puts time and effort into studying. Her life pursuit is to find a good husband who loves her and, of course, is rich enough to let her stay home and be a good housewife. All she wants in her life is a perfect family. She is very serious about her love choice and persistent in finding her Mr. Right. I guess that's why she didn't date anyone in high school, even though she was very beautiful. I don't know why a girl like her wanted to be friends with me. I asked her once. She said she liked to hang out with smart people. We sort of drifted apart when we were in college. We didn't text much, called a few times, but never stopped liking each other's i********: posts (well, not strong proof of we still being best friends, but anyway.) Before I type my reply, another message comes in.

ALICE: Please tell me you're available. I've got some big news to tell ya!

ELINA: Sure! Where do you wanna meet?

Alice sends me a yelp link to a restaurant downtown. I click in. My smile fades when I see four dollar signs glowing on the detail page, which indicates the place is "ultra high-end." My phone dings again.

ALICE: This restaurant is the best! And there is a bar next to it. We can go after dinner!

I go back to the yelp page and scroll down to look at the pictures. No wonder it is expensive. The interior design looks really fancy. I sigh deeply. I will be so willing to go if I'm not broke! As if she is reading my mind, Alice sends two more texts.

ALICE: I'll pay the bills! To celebrate your move to LA!

ALICE: Let's meet around 7. Don't remember to dress formal.

I quickly reply with an "okay" emoji and a "heart" emoji.

ELINA: See you there!

After a quick shower, I take out my one and only prom dress from my suitcase. It's a black-hued midi silk dress complemented by a balconette-style neckline and spaghetti straps. It's not a cheap dress. It's precisely cut and beautifully tailored, which shows my curves perfectly. Then I put on a beautiful pendant necklace, dangling into my cleavage, and a pair of pearl earrings, glowing through my blond wave hair. Hmm, nice. I feel confident when I look in the mirror. Wait!

I get closer to the mirror and let out a gasp.

What the hell? The bruises and the cut on my neck are gone! I have an unscathed neck! There's not even a scar. I don't want to make a fuss about it, but I was in an explosion accident! Not only is my body intact, but my old wounds are also cured. Is modern medical technology this advanced?

I take a deep breath and look into the mirror. Okay, I’m not going to think about it now. I'm going to leave everything behind for one night because all I want now is to enjoy a nice fancy meal with my friend. I grab my makeup bag and start applying some foundation, mascara, and lipstick on my face. Well, I don't want to use the word "gorgeous," but I definitely look FRESH! I smile at myself in the mirror. Just one night, let me leave the worries behind.

***

I arrive a few minutes early and stand outside the restaurant to wait for Alice. People, especially men, are peeking in my direction, making me feel quite uneasy. Also, my high heels are not very comfortable, so it's getting harder for me to stand still. Next second, I hear the clinking of high heels.

I look up and see Alice walking toward me. She is wearing a gold gown with eye-catching sequin embellishments, elegant tulle flutter sleeves and a V-neck design. The matching gold earrings with long tassels shine brightly under the light. Gosh, she truly looks like a goddess. She waves at me frantically as she walks, and when she finally stands in front of me, she lets out a squeal.

"Oh my god, Elina! Look at you! You are so different. You look gorgeous!"

"You look stunning too!"

We hug each other so tight. I can feel my eyes tearing. I can also see tears in Alice's eyes when we pull apart. She murmurs in an unbelievable tone, "gosh, I can't believe it's been four years. Why did you never come back?"

My insides are burning with guilt.

"Sorry Alice, I just…"

"WAIT. Is that asshole still living in your mother's house?"

I shake my head and squeeze her arm gently.

"I will tell you when we eat."

A waitress leads us to the table after Alice fills her in with reservation info. When we walk, I can't help but notice Alice's handbag belongs to one of my favorite luxury brands, the one I can never afford. I wonder if she has made her dream come true. After we sit down, Alice confirms what I thought by simply showing me her left hand. A six-karat diamond ring is shining brightly on her ring finger. We take another round of squealing.

"This is beautiful! How come I just saw it?" I put her hand in mine to get a closer look at the ring.

"This is the big news I'm about to tell you today! I'm engaged!"

"Great. When is the wedding ceremony?"

"Actually, we're pretty much done with the official process…" Alice suddenly looks very embarrassed. She lowers her head and speaks in a low voice.

"Listen, Elina. I'm really sorry that I cannot invite you to the wedding. I promise God it's not because I don't want to invite you."

"Then why?" I ask curiously.

"Well, I can't say yet. I promise I will tell you when it is time."

I look at Alice suspiciously, and a terrible thought flashes in my mind. I grab Alice's hand tightly.

"Alice, are you under threat? Is your husband threatening you?"

"No! No, of course not." Alice shakes her head violently and adds quickly, "I love him. And he loves me. A lot."

"So he doesn't want me at your wedding ceremony? Is that just me, or are all your family and friends not invited?"

"Well…" Alice avoids my eye and starts reaching for the menu, "how about let's order first?"

"Alice! You need to be vigilant! This man is a control freak. Apparently, he is trying to cut your contact with the outer world and---"

"It's not like that!" Alice interrupts and stares at me a little angrily, "he is a great person, I promise. Oh, and you probably know him. He attended the same high school as us, but we never took the same class."

"What's his name?"

"Bryce."

My heart skips a beat and starts racing at an incredible speed. A voice in my head is shouting desperately: Not that Bryce! Please, not that Bryce! Feeling my voice shaking, I ask, "Bryce…? You mean Bryce Sanchez?"

"Yep. Wow, how come you know him? I mean, he was a nobody in high school."

My vision starts to get blurred, and I can do nothing to stop it. I clench my fists so tight that my hands hurt. Of course, I know him. The Bryce I fell in love with when I was seventeen. The Bryce who rejected me in twenty seconds at the after-graduation party. The Bryce whom I still cannot forget after all these years.