Chapter Forty-Nine

Sebastian’s POV

“The French men, they molested me” The words fell off her lips and I could feel the blood rushing to my face, though there was no emotion on her face.

This was a mistake, I must have misheard. It couldnt be possible.

All I saw was red.

I was angry and sad and confused and scared. I couldn't remember why I had felt these things, but I remembered those words very cleary. Those words were engraved into my mind, they found a way to keep themselves in my memory. It played on a loop in my mind, the image of her lying broken and bleeding on the floor, the smell of her fear in my nostrils, her broken soul. It felt like I could remember her, more like sew every single detail, the sound of her screams, and every single word she screamed. The way her eyes were wide open and full of fear as she tried to call for me, I'd always hear it echoing in my mind.

I could picture the men laughing while they tossed her back and forth, I could imagine them staring at her luscious body, I didn't want them to look at her, or touch her. I wanted to be there for her, I wasn't there for her.

It made me think that if I had listened, just maybe if I hadn't left her, if I didn't start that fight with her, she would have looked more alive than she was right now., Sha would have been going on, safe, warm, happy, we could be having our breakfast and fighting over silly things.

How I wished things could be different. They had to be, when I looked at her, I felt possessive. The look in her eyes told me I had not misheard, if anything, she looked scared that she told me.

“I beg your pardon?” My voice sounded so weak in comparison to hers, it felt like she had taken all the strength from my body.

“What did you say Alina” The anger and venom lacing my voice caused her to back away slightly, but not too far.

My heart started to pound inside of my chest, it was a strange sensation, like an electric current running through my veins. The kind of current that made me want to tear this room apart and put the blame on something other than myself. But I kept my cool composure.

“They said they wanted a threesome with me, apparently my past is going to do everything except stay in the damn past where it belongs.” Her eyes were locked on mine and I didn't miss the way her hands were trembling. The same way I was when I was about to lose my mind. I wasn't exactly sure which one it was.

I stood up from the chair and sat on her bed before pulling her into my arms, not tightly considering her present condition. But she didn't hug back, her hands laid limply by her side while her head rested against my shoulder. Her breath brushed the shell of my ear and sent shivers down my spine.

She closed her eyes to keep them from tearing up and focused on controlling her breathing, in and out before she pulled away.

“I am fine.” it was a visible lie , however it came across weak enough to convince me. And it worked.

“I’ll kill them.” The word hung heavily in the air between us for what felt like an eternity.

“They will find a way to get even” Alina whispered as she stared at a spot just above my head. She seemed distant, like a woman who didn’t know what was real anymore. She was looking at the space above me but wasnt actually seeing anything. Like a person who has lost their soul and doesn’t know why.

And suddenly it became all too clear. This woman was broken.

“And I will get more even. Did they touch you? tell me, what else did they do to you?” I spoke with my fingers stroking the skin along her arm and then my hand reached out to rest upon her hand, feeling the warmth radiating off of the smooth flesh underneath my palm. My thumb slowly traced circles over the smooth surface and all I wanted to do was protect her.

“Let it go Sebastian.” she spoke without turning around, still gazing straight ahead, her voice devoid of emotion but somehow managing to convey a feeling of sadness. “It’s too late now, I should have never started in the first place.” she muttered the last sentence to herself and shook her head slightly. I noticed the slight tremor in her fingers and I pulled her closer into my arms once again. She leaned into my embrace.

As I stroked her hair, I knew the last thing I was going to do was let it go, those men needed to pay for everything they had done, I was going to see to it personally. If this woman didn’t want revenge, I would have it for her. They hurt her physically and emotionally, no one was allowed to hurt her.

When she was calm, soon I had to attend to a few things so I left her alone for a moment. It would only be for a minute or two, so I told myself.

“Where are you going?” Alina asked, but not very forcefully, not with her usual enthusiasm, she looked exhausted, sad, maybe even a bit afraid of what would happen next.

“I need to check out a few things.” I smiled reassuringly at her, hoping she would accept my excuses, although I knew that she would not because we both knew its true.

“Don’t do anything stupid, I know you.” Her voice held warning and tiredness, she didn't want to push on, she wanted the whole thing gone but I couldn't do that.

“Trust me” I forced myself to say, smiling.

Once I was outside, I dailed the number of the only person I knew who could clear this mess.