Dangerous Love - Completed 1st Draft

Chapter Twenty Three

She had lost her battle and her world faded to black.

When she had woken up she was alone in a bed, Liam was sitting next to her holding her hand and starting at the bruises that covered her from her wrists to her shoulders. She knew he was picking out the finger marks that made up a majority of the bruises. She wished she could cover them, not because she blamed herself, but because she knew that Liam would be blaming himself for her injuries.

It wasn't his fault.

It wasn't my fault.

When Liam's eyes had met her own, he flinched. She had wanted to hide herself after that, she had thought that she looked dreadful if he was flinching at the sight of her. He had stood up and kissed her forehead before excusing himself and leaving the room.

Rowen had cried then. Everything crashed around her. It was obvious that Liam wasn't going to get over what had happened to her, every time he looked at her he would see that she had been raped. She couldn't deal with that, she didn't want to see that look on his face again.

Without really thinking she called the nurse, she portly older woman had shuffled into the room and delicately asked her if she was in pain. Rowen had nodded yes, wanting anything to stop the ache in her chest. She had asked the nurse if there was a way to stop someone from coming into the room, the woman had nodded and when she asked if it was Liam she wanted banned Rowen had said yes.

"Please, he wasn't the one that hurt me," she hiccuped. "But I can't have him looking at me the way he was, disgusted." Rowen sobbed.

"Are you sure?" she asked, a gentle hand on the back of her own.

"Please, I can't handle seeing that look on his face."

The nurse had told her it was okay, and she went to get security. It had taken 20 minutes before there was a man standing outside her room, he let the doctor in and went back to blocking the door.

The doctor had gone over things with her. She was gentle and told her what damage had been done to Rowen. Rowen had asked if there was any seamen, the last thing she needed was to get pregnant from this. The doctor had told her no, that apparently her rapist had worn a condom at least.

Rowen was glad, she might have trouble falling pregnant, but with the way her life had gone it would be just her luck to get pregnant by a rapist and not the man that she wanted to have children with.

The doctor had told her that with all the testing that they were required to give rape victims that a HIV and AIDS test had been taken also. Rowen hadn't even thought about that, she shuddered thinking about the different disease were out there that Marcos could have given her. Just because he wore a condom doesn't mean she can't get anything, she had a lot of open wounds, and he could have easily made sure to cut himself and press his own bloody wound into one of hers.

After the doctor had walked out, Rowen's head was buzzing with all the information that she had been given. She had forgotten about Liam, swallowed by the drug haze that filled her blood when the nurse came in and gave her something for the pain.

~***~

Pounding. Something was pounding. Rowen winced when she forced her eyes open, the pounding wasn't just in her head, it was the door. It was shaking on the frame, the glass rattling. The noise hit her next, shouting, cursing in Italian...

Italian?

Liam!

Rowen pushed herself from the bed, her legs slightly shaky, she had made it halfway across the tiny room when the door burst open forcing her to squeal and stop. Liam stalked in, his eyes blazing, she wanted to shrink away from him when he looked at her, directing his rage at her.

"Cosa pensi che stai facendo le donne!" (What do you think you're doing woman!) Liam shifted his direction towards her, picking her up making her gasp as her head swam with his sudden movements. He gently placed her in the bed, glaring at her as he looked down at her.

"Liam, cosa stai facendo?" (Liam, what are you doing?) Rowen asked, half afraid to move when he was looking at her like that. He blinked at her, his rage simmering but not as bright at it once was.

"Why weren't they letting me in? Why were you out of bed? Why is there a guard on the door?!" his voice was steadily raising as his questions went on.

"Do you want me to answer them all?" she asked quietly. Liam deflated and sunk into the chair beside her bed.

"Please Rowen." she didn't know what he was really asking for, so she answered his questions.

"I'll start with the easiest one. I was out of bed because I heard you yelling and the door was pounding. I don't know what I thought I could do, but I wanted to see if you were okay I guess."

"That's one."

"They weren't letting you in because I asked them to keep you out, that also explains the guard."

"Why?" she winced when she remembered his face, he had looked so disgusted.

"When I woke up, you were sitting here, in that chair actually, and the way you looked at me... disgusted with me... I couldn't see that again. I knew things were over, even if it wasn't said... I could see it on your face when you looked at me... you hate me... you think I'm dirty... broken..."

Rowen couldn't breathe through her sobs. Her heart was breaking in a way she didn't think it could. It felt more than just a simple heart break, like her soul was being torn in half.

Liam didn't say anything. Didn't give her false words to make her think she was worthy of him anymore. She knew this would happen, no matter how she wished it wouldn't it did and now she had to live with this for the rest of her life.

Raped.

Beaten.

Left behind.

Broken.

She added them to her list of injuries. Her body would heal, she would move past being raped, but nothing could help her from losing Liam.

Her life looked bleak without him in it. Sure being with him had gotten her in this position to begin with. But if you put aside this, it had been the best time of her life. What started out as two people looking for a release turned into something she couldn't put into words.

She loved him.

She felt a hand on hers before the bed dipped and Liam climbed onto it with her. His large arms wrapped around her shoulders bringing her towards his chest. She could hear his heart, it was racing in his chest, his breath was coming faster also. It didn't take her long to cling to him, her arms tucked in under his, her hands fisting his shirt as she sobbed brokenly into his shirt.

"Baby." Liam's voice was a broken whisper. "I'm so sorry."

Rowen folded over more as she cried, was this is? Was this his goodbye? If it was she couldn't bear it, she didn't want to hear this. Not now... Not ever.

"Rowen," he buried his face into her hair. "Ti amo, mi dispiace così tanto, ti amo..."

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Just a short one compared to many as of late.

Thanks for reading!

Please remember the little star of magic-ness.