Chapter 820 - He is awake (1/2)

3:21 PM

Before opening his eyes, Aiden was aware that he is thirsty. So thirsty… His lips are dry, and he tried licking them to ease the discomfort, but it seems that his tongue is dry as well. How unpleasant.

He slowly opened his eyes and his sight landed on a glass of water on the bedside table. Convenient.

Aiden gulped the water in one breath and tried to remember, how on Earth did he end up in the bed? Did he get drunk last night?

That water was not enough to quench his thirst, but it helped a bit.

What's with the pain…? Did he get into a fight? Even if he did… who can hurt him like this? Aiden can think of few people, Stella comes to his mind first, but she would probably knock him unconscious and not fight him when he is drunk.

Last night… He remembers that he watched on the phone how Sarah went with Aaron… Sarah!

He turned to his right and exhaled in relief. She is sleeping next to him. She is safe.

Some images flashed in his mind, but those must be fragments from a nightmare, because Sarah is sleeping peacefully next to him… bedsheets are fresh and barely wrinkled, and those dreams were horrible. He would never treat Sarah like that.

The sight of his left arm confused him. Why is it bandaged?

How much did he drink last night?

He closed his eyes but no matter how much he tried to remember, there was not a single image of him drinking alcohol. But there are images of twisted faces… colors… cries… and sound of Sarah telling him that it's OK and that she is next to him… and… why is he smelling that mysterious medicinal cream that Sarah carries with her wherever she goes? Other than his bandaged left arm, is any of them hurt?

His breath hitched at the mental image of Sarah grimacing in pain while suppressing cries… her eyes full of tears… Did he really hit her while she was holding onto him? Did he…?

Aiden slowly moved the cover, exposing Sarah's hands and his eyes widened in horror when he saw the bruises. She is wearing short sleeved loose fitting t-shirt and sweatpants so he can't see more than that, but… Aiden reached toward Sarah's waist and carefully lifted her t-shirt. His heart stopped at the sight of two dark bruises on her lower abdomen.

Images of him acting like a savage were coming at the front of his mind and his whole body trembled.

There was a sudden shortage of oxygen in the room and his insides painfully convulsed.

4:49 PM

Sarah groaned softly while trying to move. Every cell in her body still hurts like hell… the only spec of relief compared to that morning is that she showered and now she is clean.

Her drowsy eyes sprang open when she realized that Aiden is not in the bed next to her.

Seeing that he didn't fall off the bed in his sleep, and that the glass of water she kept there that morning is empty, Sarah concluded that he is awake… somewhere in the suite. Hopefully.