KIAN

There was something off about the way she spoke to me. It was unlike Irene. She always sounds so cheerful.

I couldn't concentrate on the work after that call, my mind wandering to her every second.

I had told her that it would take me two hours to come back but fuck it. I wrapped up everything and instead of two hours, I was back home in forty minutes.

I stepped inside our bedroom, closing the door, my eyes instantly landing on Irene who sat on the bed, her back against the headboard, her knees drawn up, chin resting over them.

For a single second, she glanced at me before looking back at her phone distractedly.

I moved across the room and slowly shrugged out of my suit jacket and draped it over the back of the chair.

Usually, when I come home, she always has something or the other to tell me. She was unusually quiet today.

She didn't even smile at me like she does every time I come back from work. I have become so fucking accustomed to her smiles and questions that without it, my day felt incomplete.

Her cheeks looked flushed, her nose red, her eyes glistening and she was fucking shivering.

Someone hurt her. Someone fucking hurt her. My fists clenched by my side. I am going to skin them alive.

I strode over her, coming to stand next to her at the edge of the bed. She didn't even look at me and I noticed that she wasn't even doing anything on her phone, just tracing random patterns on the black screen.

Even when I push her away, or be mean to her, it doesn't effect her, she always tries to see the good in people so if she is in this state then that fucker must have done something cruel. My fingers trembled with the urge to kill.

I lifted my hand, gently grasping her chin between my fingers and tilting her head up. I asked in a low voice, "Who the fuck made my wife cry?"

More tears gathered in her eyes and she quickly blinked them away before lowering her eyes.

"Irene," I warned. "I asked you a question."

"No one", she spoke in a small, broken voice and I swear it made my heart physically hurt.

I squeezed her chin making her lift her eyes to me. "Why did you ask me to come home early?"

She shrugged, her lower lip trembling before a tear rolled down her eyes.

Fuck.

"Tell me their name," I demanded.

She removed my hand from her chin and wiped away her tears. Clearing her throat loudly, she tried forcing a smile on her face. "N-no one. I am okay."

"Are you?"

Her smile faded away and she nodded curtly.

"Let's assume everything's fine. Then where's my hug?"

On another day, her eyes would have lit up with joy on me asking for a hug but today they remained filled with tears and so much sadness and hurt.

Her movements were slow as she forced herself up and kneeled on the bed, her arms coming to wrap around my waist, her face burying in my chest.

Just like I expected, a sob escaped her mouth followed by another, wetness seeped into my shirt and her body shook.

She needed me. That's why she wanted me home early. Fuck.

It only took her a few seconds to realise that she was crying and her arms loosened around me, she pulled back to glance at me, mumbling, "I'm sorry."

My shirt was wet with her tears but I didn't give a fuck. I grabbed the back of her neck. "Who?"

She shook her head. "I'm just overwhelmed--"

I leaned down, our noses brushing together as I snapped, "Don't fucking lie to me, Irene. Give me a name!"

Her face crumpled and she flinched, leaning away from me.

Fuck. Fuck. This wasn't helping.

Before she could pull back, I cradled her head in my palm and pressed her face back into my chest making her once again break down into sobs.

My other arm went around her waist as I hugged her back for the first time in an attempt to console her.

I will find out who did this and when I do, they will beg for death.

When it became clear that her cries wouldn't be subsiding soon, I manoeuvred her until I sat on the edge of the bed with Irene sitting sideways on my lap.

I held her tightly, afraid of letting go and she cried into my chest.

The longer she cried the more uneasy I grew. I was desperate to know what happened and who the fuck did it.

I stroked her hair, hoping to comfort her. I didn't know what to do, how to calm her or how to make her better.

I wanted my cheerful Irene back. I wanted my wife back.

When her cries slowed down, I cupped her cheek, tilting her head up. "Baby, please talk to me", I said desperately.

She looked so fucking broken, her eyes empty. Whoever took that light from my wife is going to fucking suffer.

"You will feel disgusted with me", she whispered.

"Irene, nothing you can do will ever make me disgusted with you. Please. Tell me."

"He...he..." Her voice cracked. "He...touched me...my...my b-breast...he..." Her eyes shut firmly, more tears escaping them. "...tried putting...his fingers...insi--" She broke down completely.

Someone sexually harassed her. Someone fucking dared to do that.

My hold tightened around her, the urge to kill and hurt that person increasing every second.

"Why me? Why always me?" She questioned me, tears flowing down her eyes.

I wiped away those tears. "Never again. I promise."

She shook her head. "First it was my foster father...then Steven...now him."

"Who the fuck is Steven?"

"My ex-boyfriend."

I added him to the list of people who were dying tonight.

"What did he do?" I asked carefully.

She lowered her eyes, staring at my chest and making random patterns on it. "It's not much of a big deal."

"What. Did. He. Do?" I gritted out.

"It was not...entirely his fault...I said yes to him...but then...there wasn't enough foreplay and it hurt...first time hurts but it...hurt too much...and I didn't feel comfortable...he got angry when I told him to...stop. I was scared that he might...go on but then he stopped and..." She chuckled humorously. "...he admitted to have never...liked me. It was just a game to him...just a bet to take my...virginity..."

Having Irene in my arms was the only thing stopping me from butchering the fuck out of him.

Fuck. Why was she not mine before? I wanted to protect her from all of them.

Why did Dad never think of her before?

She looked at me with so much hurt that I couldn't breathe. "Are you...angry at me?"

"Why would I be angry at you?"

She smiled wistfully. "Because I am such a mess."

"You may be a mess but you are my mess. Mine. The only thing I regret is not being able to be there for you."

She fell silent, her head resting above my heart and continued to stroke her hair.

"You didn't tell me the name."

She sighed. "My boss. I work as his assistant. I wasn't the only one he harassed today. Remember Lina? Before me, she walked out crying and I asked her and she told me everything, I promised to help her report him. He must have heard me and called me into his office to..." She shuddered. "To threaten me to not complain against him."

Boss. She worked at Arcadia, as the personal assistant of the head of the HR department.

"Resign from there", I stated.

"I know...I don't wanna go there anymore. But..."

"No buts. You are resigning. I have enough money to last our whole life. There's no need for you to work."

"Kian, yes I needed the money but I also liked working. I liked what I did. I... don't wanna stop. What if no one else hires me?"

I didn't like the idea of her working at another company, somewhere I couldn't keep her safe at all times.

She had to work somewhere I knew she would be safe...

"Zaire's assistant left recently, he is looking for a new one. Work for him."

"I don't want him to hire me just because you are his cousin...and brother-in-law."

"Send him your resume. If he deems you fit, he will hire you. If he doesn't, he won't. There's no favouritism."

I trusted Zaire and Zayden and I knew she would be safe in that environment. I could keep an eye on her through them.

They wouldn't dare to let any harm come to her.

She hummed in response and snuggled closer to me, looking exhausted and sleepy.

As I started to get up, she wrapped her arms around my neck tightly. "Please, hold me for a while longer. Please. I need you, Kian."

Fuck. I wanted to take away all her pain.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby," I assured her, picking her up in my arms and laying her down on the bed.

She had already changed her clothes and she needed to sleep.

"Don't go." Her eyes welled with tears as she caught my wrist.

"I am going to change. That's it. I'll be with you in five minutes."

She looked torn but nodded anyway.

As fast as I could, I changed my clothes and joined her in the bed, pulling her into my arms.

It was fucking ridiculous how I despised physical touch and now I didn't want to leave her.

We laid on our sides, my arm around her, her face against my chest and it wasn't long before she fell asleep.

My lips grazed her forehead, burying my need to comfort her into that tiny kiss.

Then, I grabbed my phone and typed out a message.

Me: Move Zayden or your assistant to another position, I need that slot empty for my wife.

Zaire: Excuse me?