Ivan's Queen

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen - Tortured Secrets

A week has passed after Ivan's birthday party and everyone has gone back to their normal routine at the castle. Our families had stayed back for the weekend and I loved having everyone around again. Unfortunately, Ayla couldn't attend as her and Asher were visiting another realm but they did send Ivan his presents and talked to him over the phone. Evie and Isaac almost didn't want to leave. They were in love with the castle and my parents had to drag them to the portal in the end!

I smile as I think about their antics while making my way down the hallway. As promised when I was doing my best to persuade him not too long ago, I just finished helping Ivan complete his work that was delayed due to the celebrations. It took forever and involved a lot of regret on my part but we eventually got through it all.

I find the bedroom's door to be slightly open and step in with my pajamas in hand. Ivan stands with his back turned to me and his hand is outstretched to pick up his t-shirt. But what I see has me freezing in shock. His entire back is a mass of destroyed skin and scarred beyond belief. As my eyes roam over it all I notice the deeper scars that could only have been inflicted by knives. There's burns too, as if someone took a hot iron to his skin.

He's always covered his upper body so I've never seen him shirtless until now and I realize why.

"I-Ivan?" I gasp in shock and watch his back tense before he whirls around.

"Amelia..." He starts cautiously before rushing towards me when tears slip out of my eyes. "No, don't cry! I'm okay, I'm fine ангел!" (Angel)

"What happened?! Why would someone do this to you?!" I cry as my body trembles in fear over what I have just seen.

"It's nothing!"

"Nothing?! Ivan, are you really going to lie to me?!" I reply weakly as I wipe away my tears.

He sighs before taking a seat on the bed. There's a troubled look in his eyes as he clenches and un-clenches his jaw. He remains silent for a long time and I almost think he's not going to tell me until he finally speaks up.

"Before I declared war on my enemies...there was this woman." He starts lowly and his words make me tense as my stomach clenches with dread. "Amelia, I swear to you that we didn't do anything other than kiss. It never went further than that and I'm so sorry it ever happened."

I nod silently but my heart still aches with pain. The thought of another woman touching him makes me mad yet hurt at the same time.

"It was never love, mere desire on my part. But I thought she reciprocated my feelings...it seemed like it at the time." He scoffs as his fingers clench the edge of the blanket. "She was sent by the enemies and disguised as a servant girl whose mission was to get close to me. When I was at war, she appeared in my tent one night. I was puzzled but didn't think much of it and using that to her advantage she drugged me. That night, while I was unconscious, some men came and took me to where our enemies had set up base. I was restrained and tortured until I wanted to beg for my death."

"Oh my God..." I trail off shakily as tears slip down my cheeks.

"Come here." He murmurs with a sad smile as he holds his arms out.

I make my way to him and settle on his lap as he holds me close. He nestles his nose in the crook of my neck and inhales deeply. I'm assuming my scent instantly calms him down. He pulls away eventually but rests his chin atop my head with his arms wrapped across my waist. He inhales a shuddering breath before he continues with his story.

"I was whipped and knifed until I lost all hope and accepted my defeat. Until one night, my father met me in a dream – he possesses the gift of dream walking. We knew nobody could rescue me in time so he coaxed my beasts from the spell they were under. When I woke up, they went berserk. I was so weak that I let them take over and the next thing I know I'm leading my men back to my kingdom victorious." He trails off in a whisper and I feel his entire body deflate.