Arabel's POV
My right hand feels crushed and I let a groan leave my mouth.
Slowly, I open my eyes to see the handsome face of Richard hovering over me with a sad expression.
I blink as everything rushes back in.
Alex kidnapped me and Daisy. He was with Eve, and he was forcing me to marry him when a shot rang out. I didn't see Richard until Alex pulled me up with a gun to my head.
I felt relief and fear at the same time.
Relief that he was there to help. And fear that something bad would happen, or he wouldn't mind getting hurt in my place.
“Arabel?” His voice jerks me out of my reverie as he peers down at me intensely with a worried-filled expression.
It makes tears spring from my eyes.
I survived. I'm safe.
“Are you okay? Should I call the doctor?” He moves closer, touching my forehead. This is when I notice the bandage hanging over his shoulder and arm.
I try to sit up, but it is difficult because the pain seeps in from my right arm to every part of my body.
Then it dawns on me.
I was shot.
“Hey!” Richard rushes toward me, helping me carefully to sit up, and I see the reason for the pain.
My right arm is in a cast.
Suddenly, I begin to cry. I am weary with exhaustion and everything: the hope, the idea of fleeing, Richard's presence, the assault, and everything else.
I am tired of sorting one problem out and falling back into another.
“Shhhh, it's okay now.” Richard leans over me, grabbing my head softly and embracing me tightly as I cry softly into his arms. “Everything is fine now. You are safe. You've got me. I won't let anyone touch you.”
Instead of feeling reassured by his words, my tears increase.
He continues to press kisses to my hair, silently, till I sober up.
Carefully, he places my head on the headboard and trails soft kisses over my face, making me shut my eyes.
My eyes dart to see the bandage and the cast on my right hand. Then I ask. “What happened?”
He caresses my face as he sits beside me on the hospital bed, reminding me of the true reason why I left his place in anger prior to my kidnapping.
Perhaps if I didn't leave in anger and we went to the airport together in groups, Alex wouldn't have kidnapped me then.
It dawns on me that Alex is always on my trail, watching our every move. The moment he saw how insanely mad I was and how I drove out alone in a different direction, he took the liberty to kidnap me.
For a brief second moment, I think of the good that came out of the abduction that day. I feel some sort of relief that it happened at that moment and not when I was already in London. If I were already home and gone missing, no one would have suspected foul play.
Richard would have assumed I was hiding from him. Fortunately, I wasn't on the plane and didn't arrive home, which probably gave Richard an idea of where I could be.
I'm sure that made him figure it all out. Aside from that, I heard Leo tell him not to let me travel now.
“We went to the airport to find you, but you weren't on the plane. I went to London with Caleb, and you weren't there either. Ashley told Caleb about Alex's request for you to meet with him, as well as how she suspects he has you. Then Leo called to tell me he found your car deserted, with your phone inside. I knew he had you. "Because you have no phone on you, we couldn't track where you were until Daisy called.”
I gasp.
“Daisy?” I ask, and he nods immediately with a proud smile on his face.
“She was in tears, and she told me Alex took her and mother forcefully. With Leo and Gonzales' help, we were able to find out where he was hiding you two. I heard someone talking in the background and I figured you were in Spain. Gonzales used to be my business partner, you know him, don't you?”
I nod intermittently.
“He was of great help. He didn't want me to come along, but I insisted.”
"And you got shot," I finish, gazing into his blue eyes. There are bags over his eyes, tempting me to want to ask when he last had a good sleep.
Is he still battling with insomnia? Or was it because of my kidnapping?
Silence ensues, making the air thick with tension.
“Where is Daisy?” I finally ask, hoping she is fine and not hurt.
“She's with Ashley. I didn't want her to see you this way,” he informs me, and I nod, remembering how I had to keep Daisy out when he was in the hospital because I didn't want her to think her Daddy was dying again.
“He shot you, right?” I inquire calmly, watching him hesitate before nodding in the affirmative.
I already know the answer. I simply wanted to confirm its accuracy and avoid making hasty assumptions.
With one last question in my head, I gulp loudly, my throat hurting like crazy. I shut my eyes to erase all the scenes racing through my head, but they won't go.
Not yet.
I am still grappling with the shock and trauma of my best friend kidnapping me and forcing me into marriage.
I wonder what would have happened if Richard hadn't come in at that moment. I wonder if I would be bonded to Alex in marriage by now.
After summoning up enough courage, I flicker my eyes open.
“Alex,” I say, locking eyes with him. “Where is he?”
As I blurt out the question, my heart begins to pound wildly in my chest. I can't remember anything else that happened after he hurt me because I became unconscious.
He shakes his head without an inch of sadness. Instead, relief takes over his expression as he mutters. “He is dead.”
I freeze; a cold chill darts down my spine.
Alex is dead.
I don't know what to feel. I can't decide whether to feel relieved that I no longer have to worry about returning home or facing kidnapping. I don't know if I should be pleased that he won't hurt me or my child anymore. I don't know if I should be glad that I didn't marry him and that I won't be forced to marry him anymore.
Or to be sad. Because he was a friend. A good one at that.
He was my confidant.
He gave me hope when there appeared to be none. He motivated me and encouraged me to keep going.
He gave me shelter when I came back to New York as a new person. He stood by me and supported me.
And now he is dead.
With my heart ricocheting hard like it would soon burst out of my chest, I shake like a leaf blowing in the autumn wind before losing it again.
I burst into uncontrollable tears.