"Her eyes have their own vocabulary. What a beautiful language to learn."

●●●●●●

My eyes slowly opened to different scenery. I was on my bed, in my room, in my mansion, and I didn't see Rose.

She wasn't there.

"Finally," Lana, my cousin, sighed, running her hands through her hair, dark circles visible under her eyes.

I looked at her disbelievingly, rubbing my eyes to wake up properly.

"Lana?" I questioned, still not believing that it was her.

"In the flesh," she smiled.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, sitting up and gasping when I saw the time. "Six in the morning?!"

"Is there a problem?"

"Do you know what happened yesterday?"

"You went through a panic attack," she answered slowly. "I thought you got over them."

"I did," I ran my fingers through my hair. "But they came back."

They came back after I met Rose, Lana, after my whole life flipped upside down.

"The girl you were with was really worried."

"Rose?"

"I don't know her name. She called, and I was here already and answered. She said she can't stay any longer, and that I must get you home quickly."

"Where did she go? I was her ride."

"I don't know."

"What brought you back from Sydney?"

"I'm on vacation," she grinned. "Plus, Nate and I are reliving the moments of how we met. It's like we're replaying our own little movie."

"You're still together?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"I guess so, it has been three years."

"Three years from our wedding, and we're still strong as ever."

"Whatever."

"Rude."

"Yeah, I already know that," I stood up, smirking, and walked towards my closet, picking up a pair of jeans and a navy blue t-shirt.

"Where are you going?"

"To see where Rose is."

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Who is she?"

"My fiancé."

●●●

I left the mansion after a never-ending questionnaire with Lana about my relationship with Rose. She asked about everything and I answered truthfully—well, disregarding the fact that I didn't mention to her about Rose's disease.

Lana has Agliophobia, and trust me, she doesn't want to hear about someone in pain-cause she might, probably, possibly, likely, perhaps, maybe will freak the hell out.

I walked to the penthouse, opening the door slowly and praying quietly that I'd see her sleeping on the bed, like nothing had ever happened the previous day.

"Rose?" I called quietly.

Silence.

I walked inside the empty rooms, my mind swirling with thought and scenarios of what had possibly happened.

I clearly remember being with her the last moment, before my eyes shut...why would she leave me there?

What can possibly be more important?

What the heck happened after I passed?

Sipping on the coffee from the travel-mug I had in hand, I noticed a sticky note on the toaster.

The weirdest place to stick something on.

I inched closer to it, and held it in my hand,

I came and took my things from here, it's time and I don't want to make problems...not when everything is slowly coming back to a better path.

I'm fine, and I hope you're so too.

Rose.

It's time? I whispered to myself and then read the letter again to try finding a tiny bit of a clue that might help me.

But failed.

Where the heck did she go?

She has nowhere to go—well, she has no other place except Jonathan's mansion.

Did he find her, or did she go there willingly? Cause I swear in the name of God, if he did anything to her...this day won't pass by easily.

Strolling to the living room and resting on the couch, I dialed Grace's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Grace, where is Rose?" I asked as soon as I heard her breathing.

"What?"

"Where. Is. Rose?"

"She was with you, how should I know?"

"She didn't call you?"

"No."

"You didn't talk?"

"No."

"Did she mention anything to you about her father?"

"She said he came."

"When?"

"Yesterday, at night."

"Dammit."

"Ethen, what's wron—"

"He came for her."

●●●

I slammed shut the door of my car as I marched towards the large wooden doors of Jonathan's gigantic mansion.

One of his men walked behind me as I reached for his office and opened the door quite dramatically.

"Mr. Jonathan Smith," I said, gritting my teeth, trying to fake-smile at his disgusting features.

"Oh," he lifted his head from the file he was reading. "Ethen Hendrix."

"I see you came back," I said, walking in and sitting on one of the couches, resting my legs on the coffee table in front of me and ignoring his glare.

"Yes, I did."

"Good," I nodded. "And how's business?"

"Great," he put on his reading glasses and returned to the paper.

"I heard you sealed a deal with Pointax Geldich Corporation," I stated, rolling my eyes at how he lifted his chin in ignorance.

"Yes."

"Good," my eyes shifted to directly meet his bland ones', I straighten up, moving my legs away from the coffee table and walking towards his desk.

"I came here for one thing," I rested my hands on the side of the desk and faced him, my jaw clenched. "And it's Rose—"

"Mr. Hendrix—"

"—And I'm not stepping out this place without her."

"She's not going back with you, this is her home until she legally becomes your wife."

"Oh please," I scoffed. "When did you start caring?"

"Before you even existed," he sneered back, his voice venomous.

"I want her to leave with me."

"No."

"I wasn't questioning you—"

"Leave now before I call the guards," he cut me off. "Leave for your own good, Mr. Hendrix."

I narrowed my eyes, backing away from his desk and walking outside the office the spacious hallway.

If he wasn't going to get her, I'll get her myself.

With that thought in mind, I made my way behind the backs of the guards standing solidly in front of the main entrance and up the stairs.

I tip toed on the carpeted floor, opening the rooms silently and checking if she was there.

"Excuse me, sir," a deep voice, with a Spanish tone of rolling off the words, came from behind me and I turned slowly to meet one of the guards. "You can't be here."

"I didn't ask for your approval," I smirked, as he made his way towards me.

"You can't be in the inner rooms, it's personal—"

"And I don't give a shi—" his arms came to my chest as he pushed me, making me step backwards in response.

"Escúchame," [Listen to me] I pinned his against the wall, rising him a little and using all my force to keep him in place. "You leave now before I destroy your little pretty face, bueno?" [alright?]

"Those are orders," he hissed, clenching his jaw. "And you can't be here—"

I loosened my grip on his shirt and quickly grabbed him by the elbow, twisting it so he'd fall to his knees from the pressure. I secured him down, then circled my arm around his neck with every particle of strength I withhold in my body. His breathing cracked, and his face reddened under the pressure.

"When I say something, you listen to me," I whispered before I punched him, and he lay on the ground steadily.

I didn't kill him, of course, I just blocked his arteries until his body gave out.

I walked away breathlessly, checking each room until I stopped in front of one door.

One white door that felt different.

I think I sensed her presence, like it's some sort of hidden connection between us two...I don't know if such a thing is there, but I swear I felt it.

I felt it in all my senses.

I opened it slowly, watching her slowly as she came into my view, hiding her face behind her hands and sobbing.

I walked in, my eyes fixed to her weak form, shaking shoulders, and pale skin.

I walked in, only for my eyes to meet an incapacitated body with an impregnable, colorful spirit named Rosabella.

I kneeled down, so my face was directly in front of her shielded one.

"Show me your eyes," I said, my voice deep and unrecognizable.

"Ethen—" her hands jerked away from her face and she stared at me in amazement.

"Meet my eyes, Rose," I said slowly, and her eyes quickly locked with mine.

I tried reading her mind, guess what may be happening inside her secured brain...but I couldn't. I know for sure that every secret is revealed once your eyes meet someone else's, but that didn't happen with her.

It didn't work.

Her gray eyes stared into mine deeply, like it had no longer been looking into my irises, but into my naked soul that lay behind.

I don't know what she was reading...

I know I'm not an open book, I've made sure I locked everything and threw the key away to somewhere...but seeing her look at me like that made me doubt myself.

Maybe she caught that key.

"What happened?" I asked after the long silence that built around us.

"The same shit," she whispered, her eyes turning glassy again.

"Explain."

She turned around, giving me her back and moving her hair to the side of her neck, "I don't explain, I show," she muttered before her other hand moved and pulled the collar of her shirt downwards.

Clear traces of whipping was all over her nape and upper back, my fingers automatically moved and traced her marks...stopping directly after I saw her whole body wince at my touch.

"Turn around," I demanded and she quickly turned.

"He did that?—"I breathed. "—or his men?"

"His men."

My body tensed at her two-worded response and I stood up quietly and lifted her chin so that I'd see her face.

She definitely is, I answered a question in my mind as I stared at her gorgeous pair of eyes.

"I'll be back," I whispered, lifting her face more and brushing my lips on her forehead.

"Where are you goi—"

"Stay here."

I walked away, back to the never-ending hallway. I picked up my pace as my eyes caught the stairs and rushed down, having only one destination in mind.

His goddamn office.

"Ethen, don't do anything stupid," Rose's voice came from behind me.

"I won't," I hissed.

I walked down the last steps but stopped when I felt her behind me again, much closer, and tugging my shirt.

"Ethen," her grip on my forearm made me turn.

She had that sudden strength that made my body surrender to her simple contact.

"Don't do anything you'd regret," she said, her voice steady and firm. "He isn't that simple old man that you can challenge, Ethen. You can't win against him. He is way different than what you think he is—"

"I don't care—" I held her hands in mine, releasing them to her sides.

"No," she cut me off, determination clear in her tone. "I don't want you to get hurt—"

"I won't."

"Ethen—"

"Trust me, Rose."

I left her behind me, making my way to his office and jerking the door open. His head snapped up and his eyes met mine.

"You're still here—" he tried asking.

"You said you cared about Rose before I even existed, huh?"I cocked a brow and smirked at his surprised expression.

The answer to the question I had in mind when I looked into her eyes came flooding back to my memory as I saw him taken aback from my presence.

Is she worth it?

She definitely is.

●●●

Raghad.