𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 06. 𝕴𝖓 𝖂𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝕾𝖞𝖑𝖛𝖎𝖊 𝕱𝖎𝖌𝖚𝖗𝖊𝖘 𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖂𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖂𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖟𝖊 𝕭𝖗𝖆𝖝𝖙𝖔𝖓'𝖘 𝕭𝖊𝖆𝖚𝖙𝖎𝖋𝖚𝖑 𝕷𝖎𝖋𝖊

(𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 :- 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚔𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚕, 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌.)
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𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓕𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 :

Blaze Braxton continued with his life after that incident. One day, he thought he heard that same girl's voice in his dream. He could see her vivid features clearly.

This disturbing dream brought him back to reality and he couldn't believe what was that he just witnessed. It was as if he was under some spell.

From that day on, he continued to dream of that girl. Under this spell of time, his mind almost stopped functioning properly. He was constantly thinking of that girl and things she did that day repeatedly. Many times he dreamt of that person too. He saw himself getting intimate with her and however hard he tried, he couldn't wake up before finishing those dreams.

The desire to eat or be hungry vanished from his lifestyle. He oftentimes found that he was not eating food properly. But, he seemed to not mind it at all. In truth, he was suffering constantly. Having those intimate dreams was almost like cheating on Mavis. If only there was something he could do to stop it. He was always stunned with a small headache problem. His mind and thought were out of control.

Emotional stress started to burden him. It was as if he could start crying whenever he was alone for no reason at all. He started feeling depressed, sick and sad all day or most of the day. He had lost his power of concentration and was becoming more and more focused on negative things. Then, came that fateful day which was going to ruin Blaze Braxton's little world of happiness.

He was all alone in his office at midnight. His eyes had already started to show hollowness within their depths. He was looking at the ceiling and wondering what went wrong. Then, suddenly his eyes started to get close on their own account. He again dreamt that horrible dream of getting physically intimate with that girl.

This disgusted him to the core and he finally pushed his brain to open his eyes. Relief washed over him when he saw that he was still in office. But, it was short lived, just like his happiness. His eyes looked down only to see himself tied to the chair. In front of him, was the same girl who was troubling his brain for the past one week. She, very slowly, made her way towards him and placed herself on his office desk.

"What are you trying to do to me?" Blaze asked, frustrated by this situation he was in.

"See, I only wanted to feel you once. But you couldn't even allow that. Now, look where you're now..." She bent down and produced scissors from her handbag. Her left hand gently pressured his chest and she started to tear his shirt, ripping it from everywhere.

"Please leave me alone. I didn't do anything to you. Just leave me please."   Blaze begged her to leave him alone. Just then, a picture of Mavis flashed across his eyes. Blaze's eyes started tearing up. He didn't want what was happening there. Deep inside, he knew that nobody was going to come for his help. But, he kept praying that someone could come and help him.

All his clothes were badly ripped now. And the girl was exploring his body, touching him where he didn't want to be.

Touch is a highly important need of humanity. It is essential for our healthy emotional and physical development, and it is also the very first sense which we all develop. Most of us are aware of this significance, however, along the way somewhere we forget about the importance of touch, especially in our relationships. Besides it's not right to touch someone without his/her consent. There's no deeper sin than that. Besides, Blaze already had Haphephobia. A strange phobia for someone who's a lawyer by profession.

Haphephobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by a fear of being touched. Other names for haphephobia include chiraptophobia, aphenphosmphobia, and thixophobia. Being touched by strangers or without consent can make many people uncomfortable. However, if the fear is intense, and appears even when touched by family or friends, and if it causes significant distress, it may be haphephobia.

This condition is different from a hypersensitivity to touch, which is called allodynia. A person with allodynia may also avoid being touched, but they do so because it causes them to feel pain rather than fear.

Blaze was a baby born prematurely, in just 7 months. It was a blessing from God that he was alive and breathing soundly when born. As a child, he would often start crying or show freezing in position whenever someone tried to hold him. His temper tantrums and always clinging to his parents was becoming a very problematic thing. It increased tremendously when Blaze started going kindergarten. No matter what, he would prevent himself from being touched by the teachers.

His condition started worsening when a girl of his class touched his chest one day. Immediate fear or anxiety took over him when touched, or when he started thinking about being touched. He got his first panic attack then and there only. Panic attack, which included an increased heart rate, sweating, hot flushes, tingling, and chills throughout his body. Seeing his condition, doctors deducted that he has Haphephobia.

This phobia was however subsided with time when he first met Rhys, who could express himself without much talking or touching. With time, slowly and steadily he started going around with minimal physical contact like shaking hands and patting heads. He met Luna after that, who was just like Rhys, but still different. She was calm and collected. Her beliefs contradicted the ordinary lifestyle. And he could see himself blending in his best friend's family. Then, came Mavis.

A storm in his still everyday life. She had returned from Switzerland after completing her studies there. Initially, they didn't have much conversation. But, Mavis had a way to deal with people. Her charm could never go unnoticedand he was no exception. With black hair and dark brown eyes, she would seem very common. Someone who would blend anywhere. And she was exactly like that. Somewhere along his life, Mavis entered and made her own place. Everything about life was like a fairytale from there but, now, it was ruined. His life had turned into a nightmare.

After taking Blaze Braxton's innocence, the girl left. Without a tinge of guilt on her face...
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His office light was off. Someone's footsteps could be heard. Blaze saw a hand touch his shoulders. Immediately, his body jerked backwards and his breathing started to increase. Before loosing himself to darkness, he heard someone call his name.

"Are you... Okay?" Mavis sat next to Blaze and touched his shoulders. Blaze's body immediately jerked backwards and he curled himself on the farthest corner of his room.

His room, unlike Mavis, had little to no colour at all. Everything was either grey or black. Except for his front wall... Just above his television was a wallpaper with empty photo frames. It was a gift from Mavis on their engagement party. She wanted to collect their best family moments and hang them there.

Blaze's eyes travelled towards his window, where something colourful laid. It was a wind chime which Luna gave him on their engagement party. She believed that wind chimes help to attract positive energy and suppress ill luck. The gentle tinkling sound that emanates from it helps this energy to linger on and meander gently in your space thereby attracting prosperity.

There was a dreamcatcher with bicolor mesh in his room too, made and gifted to him by Mavis on Valerie's behalf. He remembered those happy moments spent with his family. A lone tear escaped his eyes and he hugged himself closer.

His family was very tensed with the situation. Even Mavis started feeling helplessness. They decided to hide Blaze's condition from Rhys and Luna, considering her pregnancy.

One day, he couldn't contain anymore and disclosed what happened to him in that office to Mavis. Guilt of cheating was eating him alive.

Finding out that you've been cheated on feels like a punch to the stomach. It erases all of the trust that you thought you and your partner built, and sometimes the damage caused can't be repaired. Blaze knew that his words had most possibly ruined Mavis's chances of finding safety in him.

However, if the relationship is strong enough and both partners are willing to work towards rebuilding the trust that was lost, it is possible to forgive and move forward. Even after they cheated. The key is to be sure that your significant other truly feels remorse rather than guilt for cheating. For a relationship to survive an affair, there must be a show of genuine remorse on the part of the cheater. And Mavis knew Blaze would never do so willingly.

"I am sorry... So sorry. S... Sorry Mavis." Blaze sobbed like a baby in his fiance's arms.

"Shh... It's okay. I know you didn't do it on purpose. I forgive you. Now, please try to forget that..." Mavis herself was crying. Of course it hurt her to know everything. But, seeing Blaze in this condition hurt her more.

"Please don't forgive... Do something. Anything. But, please not this." He was becoming an emotional wreck before her and she couldn't feel more helpless. She wanted to help but how?

"It's not the end Blaze. You know I love you and I am here. And I'm not letting you go... Please..." Mavis kissed his hair and hugged him tighter.

"It's pretty shitty to be honest. Honestly, why are you still willing to be with me? I broke your trust and heart... Please." Mavis couldn't say anything anymore. She knew she could never leave him.

"Why are you willing to stay with me even knowing I had cheated. Hearing you say that you trust me and forgive me is basically breaking me emotionally, and I don't think I would ever recover. It was 100% my fault what happened, and I still hate myself. Please hate me too." Blaze pulled himself from her warmth.

Mavis was shocked to see his condition. She knew if Blaze continued talking like this, it won't be good for either of them.

"I just felt empty most of the time. I hate how much I have hurt you and I am unsure if the feeling will ever pass. I think we should call off the engagement." His throat had dried due to all this crying. He looked away from her. Seeing her face was becoming too much for him.

Mavis took his face in her hands and looked directly in his eyes.

"Look at me Blaze. Do you think you'll be able to move on like that?"

"I don't want to move on... I love you. But keeping you with me after all this will be selfish."

"It's alright Blaze. I am here. You are here. Your family is here. My family is here. After sometime, Valerie will be here too. Do we need anything else?" She smiled with her eyes full of tears.

"But..."

"No if and but. Should I take a cheater back? There's no definitive answer as to whether I should forgive a cheater. It's up to me to make that decision and it's important to remember that forgiveness is a strength. I don't even need to think long and hard about what I want out of our relationship. You didn't do it. So, don't take the blame on yourself."

"No Mavis... I won't let you do this to yourself. I know what should I do now... Maybe I should... I should... Just..."

"Blaze stop this. It's okay. Look at me." Mavis tried.

"I should just... Go away."

"Go away. Where? Blaze answer me. Where do you want to go?" Mavis had a panicked voice. She feared for him.

"To far... Very far away. I don't want to live anymore. You'll have to listen..." Blaze couldn't get to finish his sentence due Mavis hugging him again.

"Don't ever complete that sentence. How could you even think that? You understand what'll happen when you're no more around? You mom will stop breathing. Your dad will loose his only son. Rhys will loose his only friend. Luna will loose her only brother figure. And... Little Val... She would loose her Godfather even before getting to meet him. And I... I will go away with you. You give me that much right over my own life. Right?"

"I don't want you to go..." Blaze replied in a weak voice.

"I won't. So, hold me tight for the rest of our lives. Okay?" She could feel Blaze nod his head.
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𝓔𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓕𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴...
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Rhys hugged his best friend after he heard what he had gone through. His friend suffered so much more than himself. Yet, he didn't know. Nor could he be of any help.

"I am so sorry Blaze. I wasn't there when you needed me. I'm a horrible friend. I know that." Rhys murmured in a weak voice.

"It's not your fault. I know." Blaze replied wiping his stray tears.

"Now, I'm able to get what actually happened with you two..." Sylvie said while looking towards the ceiling.

"You do?" Both of them asked at the same time.

"I am not sure about Rhys but, I definitely know what happened with you." She replied.

"Will you tell us?" Blaze asked expectedly.

"Do I have a reason not to tell you? You deserve to know what happened with you..." Sylvie replied. Her free hand started illuminating their characteristic bluish white flames and a word formed shape in air with a bluish white Phoenix.

"𝑺𝒖𝒃𝒋𝒖𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅" ... It spelled.

"You were under control of a spell known as Vashikaran."

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Number of words (Excluding Author's Note) :- 2343 (Obviously the longest chapter till now)

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Author's Note :-

Writing this chapter was very tough. I mean never have I ever written something that disturbing. My characters never suffered this much...

Sorry Blaze you had to go through all that. I hope nobody in the whole world has to go through something like this.

Also, with this chapter now, complete... My 8k word count limit has fulfilled. So, I'm ready to submit my book for round two of ONC 2021.

I would once again like to thank chocoSK for motivating me to come this far. You know I couldn't do it without you.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter, characters and story this far. Till then, take care of yourself and people around you.