Slowly, I felt like ants were biting me all over my body. A sudden rush of pain, as if someone poked thousands of needles on my entire body. The irritation, so itchy, so painful, making me restless. I felt my body heavy, too much weight to even shift and stop the pricking pain everywhere. 

“Ugh” I felt my lips sticky, throat dry, eyelids heavy. Trying to move my fingers, just a little, I couldn’t help when a sob exited from my mouth. So uneasy, so painful. I thought. I knew my body suffered too much injury, but now when I felt the pain from every fucking vein of my body, I felt like dying.

“Liara?” I heard a shuffling. I tried so damn hard to open my eyes, but I couldn’t. I wet my lips desperately trying to speak up, but my dry tongue didn’t help. “Wa- water,” my voice was unknown to me. My throat felt so uncomfortable, like I was getting roasted. 

I felt my body moving up on its own. Moving my eyeballs, I pried at the small open of my eyelids as the light blinded my iris. Slowly, I felt my heavy eyelids open and I could see Anthony’s face looming over me with a glass of water in his hand. Keeping my body unmoving, I looked at his face. He looked tired than usual. Slowly, as I devoured the water, it felt bitter to my tastebuds. I cringed at the taste, but sighed when it flowed down to my throat. The itchiness subdued. 

“Better?” He asked, after removing the glass of water away from my lips. I wanted more, but couldn’t afford to fill my bladder up so soon. Nodding at him, I saw him standing still, confused. 

“You look like shit,” I whispered. My throat, still itchy but better than before. Moving my head in his direction, I tried to sit properly. He looked at me and smiled. 

“I always look like shit to you.” He remarked, and I nodded, acknowledging that I always tell him that. But today he looked tense and his posture was so careful around me as if I’d break any minute.

“Anthony, look at me,” I said. I had so many questions popping up in my mind, but I felt drowsy. I needed the answers as soon as possible before I went to sleep again.

“Liara- I -“ he began, but I spoke before he could start a string of apologies. “How long was I unconscious?” He stopped speaking and stared at me.

“Ten hours.” 

“Does Dima know about it?” I asked again as I moved my eyes towards my waist that was covered under a duvet.

“No, I-“ I stopped him again with another question that irked me as soon as I opened my eyes. “Where am I?” 

Furrowing his brows, he glared at me. Walking towards me with a glass of juice, he sat down beside me. I followed his every move silently.

“First, drink up.” He placed the glass on my mouth and I slowly drank, but felt like vomiting. Turning my head to another side, I glared at him. “Answer me!”

“Remember the cop? Charles?” He asked, and I nodded.

“Yeah, Zearo suggested bringing you here. For your condition was inappropriate to take you to any of your properties.” I stared at him for a second to check if he was serious. How the hell did Zearo come into the picture when I did not inform him?

“Zearo?” I inquired. I did not want him to know about any of this. He knew Samira had a stupid grudge against me and he still left her that day.

“Yeah, when you said that you were in Shimmers, I called him and asked him to find you, as I couldn’t reach in time and I was worried about you.” 

“You informed him, why—ah” I felt a sudden pain in my abdomen. Slowly moving my hands, I adjusted properly. 

“Liara! We can talk later, alright? Please, you need rest.” He urged, but I shook my head vigorously. “I want to know every damn detail and call Aria here before my meds kick in and I become unconscious.” From the inside, I was angry. I wanted to know what happened after I fell on the ground. Where is she? When did he find out? Did he see her stabbing me? Did he rescue her again? My head felt heavy and so did my eyelids. He looked at me as if I was going crazy. Soon I crashed back on the bed and darkness took over my sight.

***†**†****†****

“Her vitals are a stable man. Just stop worrying so much, alright?” I heard a faint voice. Feeling as if I knew the source of the voice, I pried open my eyes. This time, the condition was a little better.

“John?” I spoke groggily. I had an inkling that Anthony would have asked John to treat me. It was always this way when I wanted to save Dima from worrying. Honestly, me getting attacked was a regular thing when I joined the company. But I never had to face this level of injury where I’d be stuck in bed for days.

“Oh look, who blessed us with her beautiful voice?” John grinned at me happily. My vision, still blurry. I smiled at him but felt like smiling also hurt me. 

“Tell your man to calm down, as he is going crazy here.” He said and pointed at the other end of the bed. I slowly shifted my head towards where John pointed. My heartbeat rising and so did the beeping sound in the machine. 

“Deep breaths please.” I heard Zearo’s voice when I felt like suffocating. I choked a few times, but then looked at him. His disheveled features surprised me. I tried not to focus on him, as whenever I looked at him, I imagined Samira. 

Charles, John, two of his assistants who wore aprons, Aria and Zearo, stood surrounding me. It was a small plain room and these many people suffocated me. John asked everyone to go out so that he could check my condition and I was glad that he did. 

“Liara, this time it’s no minor injury, dear.” John addressed me as he lifted the cloth covering my injury. I had an inkling that it was not minor, as I felt the knife piercing through my skin. Not able to speak up, I just nodded, letting him know I heard him.

“If the knife had dug a little deeper, you would have lost the chance of getting pregnant.” Again, I nodded. I didn’t know why this was a big problem. I didn’t even have any impression of getting married, let alone having kids.

“It may take two months to heal. Your shoulder will heal faster provided you take care of yourself and do less work.” He looked me in the eye and said the last line as if knowing that I will not listen to this point of his.

“I’m hungry,” I said when I felt my stomach growling. I guess he heard it too. Laughing at my uncomfortable posture, he cut the bandage and rolled down the baggage like the t-shirt I had on me. 

“I will let them know you are hungry and will be back after a week to snip the stitches.” He informed me.

“I will have to stay here for a week?” Shocked, I asked. 

“No, a month.” He chuckled.

“No, I can’t.” I looked at him as if telling him I’m not joking. Staying in a stranger’s house isn’t my cup of tea.

“You have to.’’ He said, not even bothering to look at me.

“John!” I whined.

“Liara!” 

Yeah, he can be irritated sometimes. And I knew this will not end, as it always forms a continuous loop. 

Taking a deep, shaky breath, I composed myself and tried to come up with something, anything, that would convince him to allow me to leave this hellhole. “John, I have a business to take care of and Dima-“ 

“We have taken care of it.” I heard Zearo’s voice. Not bothering to look at him, irritated by the way my anger bubbled just by hearing his voice, I tried concentrating on the IV strip as it flowed through my veins.

“Okay, Liara, the cuts are too deep to be cured faster. You need to limit movement and if you want to leave this house, then let me first remove the stitches, please?” I looked at John and understood that I needed time to heal. Nodding at him, I looked back at the IV strip, trying to concentrate on it as if my life depended on it. 

“Staring at the strip won’t help it if you want to avoid me.” I heard him as soon as the door closed, letting me know John left me alone with him. Still not in the mood to argue and contemplating within my mind why I’m always so affected by whatever is related to him. 

“Liara..” I furrowed my brows as his voice entered my ears. The way my name rolled out of his tongue gave me goosebumps. It always does. 

“Okay, I know you are angry at me but-“

“I’m not angry at you.” I snapped. Too bad Liara, you couldn’t hold up. My inner self mocked me. I knew he would find my reaction amusing, but I honestly did not want to talk to him. I glared at the strings and wires attached to my body, too tired to even look at him. 

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. When I opened it, I saw him standing right in front of me. He knew I couldn’t move and stood where my eyes landed. I couldn’t even ignore him if I even wanted to. Why is he so stubborn? I asked myself. Too late, as in the next second, I saw a plate full of food in front of me. My stomach growled louder, and he chuckled. Blood gushing my cheeks, I knew I looked like a tomato. 

“You have had nothing after yesterday’s hangover. It’s bad for your health if you stay empty stomach for so long.” He said, dragging a chair near me. Sitting on it, he showed me the food placed on the plate. Few broccoli, a bread omelet, and a glass of juice. Surprised, I looked at him. How the hell did he knew I prefer eating bread omelets when hungry?

“Dima once mentioned that you prefer eating bread omelets.” He answered, looking at my expression. 

“I can have them on my own,” I said as I felt it was weird as he started feeding me. 

“Why do you keep doing stuff you shouldn’t?” His voice strained, husky as if he was. Controlling something.

“What do you mean?” Unsure why he said that, I asked him. 

“You can’t hold a spoon. Why so stubborn when I’m here to take care of you?” He was right. When I looked at my hands, it was swollen and the IVs hurt if I tried moving a little.

“I don’t need you to take care of me.” I spat. I knew I was hungry. I knew I needed his help. I knew he cared for me and I felt bad after snapping at him, but deep down, I was hurt. Hurt that he did not let me talk to that woman, did not choose me instead of that redhead, did not tell me about Julie. 

“Where is Anthony?” I asked, letting him know that I’d prefer Anthony to feed me and not him.

“Open your mouth!” He argued, he was angry as my eyes landed on his exposed neck. The veins popped, letting me know he was trying hard to control his anger. 

“Anthony,” I said again, pissing him off a little more. What did he take me as? He is a nobody to me. He can’t boss me around and I’d never follow what he wants.

“He went out to drop Doctor John and his assistant.” He said, never wandering his eyes away from me. I took a small bite of the bread and it felt like heaven. My teeth were numb as it pained when I bit the bread, but soon enough it adjusted to my condition and within a blink of my eye, cleaned the entire plate full of food. 

“That’s like my wonderful wife.” He said, and I froze. The juice that felt tasty until now started tasting like bitter gourd juice. I choked harder than usual and my stomach contrasted with the pain as I felt my stitches getting pulled.

**†****†****†****†****†****

PS: The images I use in all the chapters are from Pinterest just to add some feel and connection to the povs and the readers.

Hope you like the story so far!

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