Page 31 of Bittersweet Revenge

“Then go!” I clipped with exasperation, pointing at the door.

I rang for a quick breakfast, then showered and shaved in record time. I didn't like leaving Esmeralda alone with the slow maid.

I was back in her room within twenty minutes. I was relieved to see that her vitals had remained as strong as they'd been when I'd left her.

I sat on the armchair by the door in the darkened room. There was just enough light coming through the gap in the heavy curtains for me to see Esmeralda. My eyes focused on her chest and the slow and regular movement made by her breathing.

Seeing her chest move was almost therapeutic, almost soothing. My heart squeezed painfully when I relived, for the hundredth time in the past couple of hours, the moment I'd walked into the pool room to find her face down, lifeless. Thinking about her gone permanently had scared me in an incapacitating way.

This was a fear I couldn't afford, not in the world we lived in and not in a world where I knew she’d never fully be mine. Not when she was longing for another life I was not, and never could be, a part of. She was a liability I’d thought I was strong enough to avoid.

Dr. Willis wasn’t sure how long she was going to sleep. He’d just said her body needed to heal, but I almost wanted to wake her up to check she was still the same infuriating, bullheaded girl she had been before all of this. I growled, running my hand over my face. I didn’t realize how I just needed her tobeher until today.

I shook my head as a soft knock brought me out of my dark thoughts. Benjamin opened the door just a little, throwing a concerned look toward the bed.

The cool, phlegmatic Benjamin was showing feelings for a tiny girl? He was clearly smitten with her. How could he not be though?

She was just Esmeralda, impossible not to like.

“What is it?” I asked when he remained silent.

“Mister Archibald Forbes is here.”

I gritted my teeth, pursing my lips in frustration. I could only deal with one problem at a time. I’d already received an email from my father saying that he had heard from Dr. Willis about the unfortunate incident and would, therefore, be coming home earlier to help me care for Esmeralda. What a joke that all was. I was sure the man just wanted to enjoy the misery that my life was becoming. Or maybe, even worse, he just expected her to be weak enough to take what I knew he contemplated in the dark corner of his sick mind.

“I said no visitors, Benjamin,” I snapped a bit louder than I’d intended.

“I know, sir, but he heard about Miss Esmeralda's accident and is refusing to leave without either seeing her or speaking to you.”

Accident. I sighed, “Now is really not a good time.”

“I know sir, but–”

I raised my hand, stopping him in his tracks. I was a second away from losing my shit and breaking anything in view, the poor old majordomo included. “I don't care what you do with him. Just tell him to wait.”

Benjamin opened his mouth, but the look I gave him was enough to stop him. “Very well, sir. I will have him wait for you in the small library.”

I waved my hand dismissively; he could set him up on the roof for all I cared as long as it was not in this room.

As soon as he closed the door behind him, I locked it. I wouldn’t put it past Forbes to force his way in.

As if on cue, my phone vibrated with an email from Dr. Willis. Finally, the results were in.

I opened the email. Despite having expected it, seeing the results still affected me. I read the email again and again, tightening my hand so firmly around the phone that I couldn’t believe it was not crumpling in my hand.

As if on cue, Esmeralda stirred and hissed, probably pulling on her IV.

I stood up and turned on the lamp on her desk.

She blinked, looking at me silently as if she was confused.

Again, I didn't want to acknowledge how seeing her grey eyes made me feel. I prayed to God she remembered who I was. I needed her to be okay so that I could kill her with my bare hands for the test results in that email.

“Caleb?” she asked as I reached for the IV machine and turned it off.

I couldn't help the sigh of relief; at least she remembered me.

“What are you doing here?” She looked at the IV in her arm and winced. “What happened?”

---