Arya had gone back to her room after the walk with Belle. One of the housemaids had helped her out of the wheelchair and into bed, and someone had brought her water and a small bottle of pills. She hadn’t said much. Her thoughts were too full. Everything felt like a blur again.The walls of the room were quiet, the air soft with the smell of clean linen and something faintly sweet, maybe lavender. She had just laid down, her back resting on a few propped pillows, when there was a soft knock on the door.“Come in,” she said.Juan stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and stood there for a second, like he wasn’t sure if he should go closer or not.“How are you feeling?” he asked.Arya looked at him and gave a small nod. “I’m fine. How are you?”“I’m okay,” he said. He walked closer to the bed, then pulled the small chair beside it and sat down, resting his hands on his knees.For a few seconds, he didn’t say anything. Arya didn’t either.“I’m sorry,” he said finally.She turned
Hm," Belle grinned, a mischievous smile curling on her lips. She stepped behind Arya's wheelchair and started to wheel her out of the living room and toward the side corridor that would lead her outside."Where are you going?" Arya asked, wincing in her seat. She was strange, feeling as though Belle could push her off of the chair and leave her in the garden."You could use an evening walk," Belle replied, shrugging. "Actually, I should have been more thoughtful towards you when I had a wheelchair.""Why?""So I'd have had someone to take me out for evening walks.""There are maids for that," Arya said, twisting a bit so she could see her."No, it's. different," Belle said, opening the door and wheeling her out. "Anyway, where do we go? Juan's house is enormous so there's lots to see. You are always locked up.""Show me somewhere that looks nice," said Arya, taking in their surroundings as they came outside.The air was coolish, and the lights along the pathway were already on, castin
Juan didn’t stay in the house long after Belle went inside. He waited a few minutes, then got in his car and drove back to the hospital. The sun had started to set, and the streets were busy, but he barely noticed. His head felt full. The conversation with Belle was still playing through his mind, but he pushed it aside.Arya was being discharged tonight.He parked outside and walked in through the front entrance. The nurse at the reception gave him a tired smile and pointed toward the hallway. He nodded and walked through.When he stepped into Arya’s room, she was already sitting in the wheelchair, her hands in her lap, her face pale. A nurse was checking the clipboard by the bed. Arya didn’t look at him right away. She just kept staring at the floor until the nurse left the room.“You ready?” he asked, walking closer.She looked up and gave a small nod. Her lips were dry, and her eyes looked dull. She didn’t speak.He reached for the handles of the wheelchair and pushed her out of t
Juan stayed where he was for a while and then he sat on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees, fingers tangled in his hair as he exhaled slowly. The room had gone too quiet, save for the clock ticking on the wall and the faint hum of electricity from appliances.He stayed in that position for another few minutes, running through every moment that had led to now. The sounds of the gunshots were still.ooud in his ears as well as the beeping of the hospital machines, he still heard the inteen who to the senior doctor Arya's drip had been poisoned and he could still see the way Belle looked at him before walking out, her mouth twitching like she wanted to cry or curse or both but didn’t bother doing either.At first, he told himself it might be better this way. Maybe Arya didn’t need to come home to Belle. Maybe Belle didn’t need to be here when Arya walked through the door with her half-healed body and guarded silence. There’d been too many arguments between them already. And now th
Juan froze.He stared at the message, the letters sitting quietly on the screen like they hadn’t just taken a piece of his chest and ripped it out.He didn’t even realize his hand was shaking until he almost dropped the phone. He blinked once, then again, trying to clear his thoughts.Someone had poisoned Arya’s drip. And whoever it was had just looked him in the face and slipped away like it was nothing.He turned in a circle slowly, checking out everyone within proximity of the place but there was no one bearing semblance to the man that had just escaped from him. Someone had watched and followed him from the fight to know where he was taking Arya too. Waited until she was vulnerable and alone. They had come with a plan. They had worn fake scrubs. They had waited for the right floor, the right time. And now they were gone.He took one more look at the message.She’ll die next time, and so will you.Juan gritted his teeth, still holding the phone. Then he turned and started walking
Juan’s breath caught in his throat, but he didn’t say anything. He just looked away, his chest aching, his mind a storm of anger, guilt, and fear.He knew Dominic was right. He had met Arya down by the plan he had made. Instead of protecting her, he had put her life at risk. And now, how could he even be there for her with everything crumbling down?He should have let her go when he had the chance. If he was so scared of Dominic getting to her, he should have taken her out of the country or even just out of the state. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere far. Somewhere she wouldn’t have to live looking over her shoulder."Why aren't you saying anything?" Dominic asked.“Fuck off, Dominic,” Juan said through clenched teeth. He didn’t wait for a reply. He turned, walked to the end of the corridor, and into the wide lobby space. The windows there stretched from the floor to the ceiling, looking out onto the city. It was morning. Cars moved up and down the roads like nothing was wrong. A bus passed