After the Sun Sets (18+)

CHAPTER 17a - Enslavement pt.2

The room was dark. The ward was quiet. All she could hear were Jonathan's soft snores as he slept peacefully. She wondered if he was dreaming and if so, what of. It had been so long since he told her about his dreams. She wondered if he was comfortable, if he was at all hungry.

He didn't eat, he didn't talk to her. He didn't ask her why she never went back to his room that morning, or where she went or with whom. He didn't ask why Aiden and Siena weren't with her when she came back in the evening. He didn't ask if she'd be going home or at what time. He just pretended to be asleep until sleep came to him. He was broken, as was she.

The moonlight shone through the window, its silver gleam shining on Aiden's drawing of the superhero doctor. The irony bit at her heart.

Was he a hero or a villain? Was she?

What example was she setting for her children? She had given up everything for her family. Her life, her friends, her profession. And now here she was, throwing it all away for another man. A man who challenged every one of her values, her every belief. A man who triggered feelings in her that made her question the very foundations of her existence. Everything she thought was right, now seemed wrong. Promises, honesty, order, sacrifice. And everything she always believed was sin, was now her truth. Passion, self-fulfilment, vulnerability. Everything that once made sense now seemed futile, and it was all because of Owen Shaw.

She felt stronger, happier when she was with him. He made her believe it was okay and that she deserved it. But her happiness was wreaking havoc all over the world as she knew it. She wished she could pray but she felt too ashamed.

She had destroyed her relationship with God, the one thing she was always so sure of. She'd betrayed Him too. And that was how she knew she was too far gone. Jess was right. She couldn't walk away. She was addicted to this man and she knew it.

The door of the ward opened. She heard the familiar sound of his steady footsteps and her heart pounded to life. It was past two in the morning. He must have been called in. She held her breath until she heard another door open and then close. He was in his office, right next to the nurse's station. They would see her walk in. It would raise questions. It was a bad idea but she got up nonetheless.

She felt his pull drawing her closer, out of Room 7, up the corridor. There was nobody at the desk. She heard a scuffle at the far end of the ward, letting her know that Isaac was doing his rounds. She thought it a good omen, even though as she reached for the door handle of the office, her heart pounded as though she was about to commit a terrible crime. It was thrilling and terrifying at the same time. But then she thought about Owen, his kind eyes and wise words. She felt his smile soothe her skin and by the time she pushed down on the handle, her breaths were calm.

Owen was sitting in his chair, his elbows resting on his knees, head hung low between his forearms as his fingers massaged the back of his neck. His green scrubs confirmed her theory that he had just come from the theatre. She had read about a terrible motor vehicle accident on the coast road a few hours earlier and somehow, she knew it was why they called him in.

"Long night?" she asked walking in and closing the door softly behind her.

Dr Shaw lifted his head, and even though the room was dark save for the dim light of his desk lamp, his green eyes found her brown ones instantly. She could see how tired he was. His hair was messy and she knew he had run his fingers through his curls at least a hundred times. His eyes were bloodshot. His usually sarcastic lips dipped at the corners.

"The longest."

She wanted to run to him. She wanted to kiss the dark circles under his eyes and massage the kink in his neck. She wanted to wrap herself around him and absorb his ghosts, let him take what he needed until he forgot about what was wearying him. And if he was too tired to take, she would give him the release he needed. She wanted to do unthinkable, unspeakable things to him, things that would never have crossed her mind before. Anything to make him whole. She didn't care if it destroyed her in the process. They had been caught. She was an adulterer. A sinner. He couldn't sink her any further down, but she could make him soar.

His green eyes flashed with something she could not read, but she knew he saw her desire in her eyes.

"Why are you here?" he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I heard you walk in. Thought you might want to talk."

He shook his head, never taking his eyes off her. "You should be at home, in your bed, sleeping. Why are you here?"

Her breath caught in her throat. "Aiden and Siena wanted to sleep at Mum's, so I thought I'd stay here tonight."

"With Jona. So, you're here for him."

Lora heard the resentment in his voice. She wanted to correct him but the truth was she didn't know why she was there. Maybe she thought staying with Jonathan would make up for the fact that she was cheating. Maybe she thought this was closer to Owen than being at her house alone. Maybe she was secretly hoping to run into him. Or maybe she didn't trust herself to be alone.

"Be honest with me," Owen said at last. "Am I just an adventure to you? Am I a distraction?"

And at that moment, as she saw the question on his lips, the fear in his eyes, she knew exactly what he was to her.

"You are an adventure. You are everything new. You're my rebirth. You're everything I should have done right the first time. The answer to every mistake, every error, every lapse in judgement I ever made. You are the truth to every lie I ever believed. You are a light I never thought I needed. You make me look and feel like a completely different person and somehow, I know that that person is who I truly am. You know me better than I know myself and you teach me new things about myself every day."

Her hands were shaking. Her eyes were crying but her voice was strong.

"But Jonathan is my husband," she went on. "Whether we like it or not, he is there and we cannot just pretend he doesn't exist. I can't keep doing this to him."

"That's it?" Owen asked cocking an arrogant brow. "That's all he has on me? A signed piece of paper? And you're going back to him?"

"I never said I was going back to him. I don't know what I'm going to do, Owen, but I need to tell Jonathan the truth. Although I'm certain he already knows."

"Jess?"

Lora's lips curled sardonically. "No. You. Apparently, you can't keep your eyes off me."

She noticed how his shoulders relaxed and his eyes gleamed brighter, but she missed the dimpled smile that normally decorated his perfect mouth.

"You're a very attractive woman, Lora. It's a wonder any man can keep his eyes off you." They smiled knowingly at each other, their hearts warm with affection. "I can't imagine my life without you. When Carla left, I thought my life was over. I thought I would never find happiness again. Then I saw you, this strange little thing, with strange ideas and a horrible political standing." Lora threw him a sharp glare. "And I was so intrigued by you. I never wanted to be part of someone's life so much. I just want to take care of you, Lora. All the time. Whatever it takes."

She saw the truth and the sadness mingle together and flow through every fibre of his body. She felt his need for her and hers for him. They could never be complete without each other. They would live half-lives. Good lives. Simple lives. A life free of sin. But a half-life nonetheless. And while their connection was beyond the physical, the physical was what healed instantly. It was what took the pain away and gave them the momentary freedom and sense of completeness that they needed.

She walked towards him deliberately. He leaned back in his chair, eyes still on her, head tilted to one side as he admired her. She dropped to her knees in front of him, brown eyes wide and innocent. She bit her lower lip while she plucked up her courage and Owen's eyes went wide with awe, his heart frantic as he realised what she intended to do.

Despite his exhaustion, he was hard in an instant, and by the time she rested her palms flat on his thighs and slid them forward towards the ties of his scrubs, he was straining against his clothes. Then he was rendered speechless as Lora, the most beautiful, the most holy of all angels, batted her lashes at him and, in the most seductive tone he'd ever heard in his life, she sang, "I think it's my turn to take care of you, Dr Shaw."