A Tormented Heart

Chapter 22: Secrets

Recap:

"Yes, yes I know." Sophia waved a hand. "The daughter of the Mr Knight whom you respect and admire so much, etc, etc. Please Nic. I've known you since childhood. You don't behave like this towards every daughter of every man that you've ever admired." She observed him through narrowed eyes.

"Yes, but - "

"But, nothing. For God's sake, when will you accept that you care for her? That you care for Cecilia?"

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It was the same recurring nightmare. The one that had tormented her since before she even knew the meaning of the word 'nightmare'.

'You're mine! Do you understand that?! MINE!!' A large figure loomed over her, hooded, eyes glowing red. A sense of dread filled her.

'Get away from me!!!' The hoarse scream was coming from her, she realised belatedly. But who was he? Why did this man fill her with so much fear?

'SHUT THE F*CK UP, YOU STUPID F*CKING WHORE!' A kick to the ribs. 'YOU UNGRATEFUL SL*T!' A kick to the hip. 'I SHOULD NEVER HAVE TAKEN YOU IN!' A kick to head. The world was growing fainter. 'F*CKING DOING MY HEAD IN, YOU AND THAT STUPID ORANGE HAIRBALL!' Another kick to the head. 'It's time to show you who's boss around here...'

The darkness closed in as the man drew closer, a strange leer in his eyes. Dull grey eyes stared back at her from the mirror, before the darkness finally engulfed her.

Cecilia shot up in bed, heaving as cold sweat slid down her temple. Blindly she reached for a glass of water by her stand and gulped it down.

She couldn't understand why the dreams had come back. She'd been doing so well until recently - she'd even been managing to fall asleep without sleeping pills. So what could have been the trigger? Why now, after so long? And, goddamn it, why did she keep seeing grey eyes in the mirror?! Her own were crystal green, and yet... And yet, those grey eyes seemed as familiar to her as her own...

"Cess? Cess, you ok?" Cole frowned at her in concern from the doorway. "Are the nightmares back?"

"Yeah," she sighed, slipping out of bed and putting a dressing gown on. She turned around to face her brother. "Cole, do you know why I get these nightmares? It's the same thing over and over again. The same dark, damp walls, the same small enclosed room, the same smell of sweat and blood... But no matter how much I think and think and think, I just can't seem to remember!"

"Remember what?" Cole laughed uneasily, watching her as she paced. "You know dreams are just nonsense. Something your subconscious mind makes up that has nothing to do with reality."

"I know that too," she said, frustrated. "And yet, I can't help but feel as if though it's real. You know the doctor said that the dreams are formed from memories we retrieve and store in our subconscious, mixed together with some of our personal fears or desires to form dreams." She ran a hand through her curls. "But I know that I've never been anywhere like that, or seen any scenes from a movie that it could have come from. So why do I keep having the exact same nightmare over and over?!" She bunched her hair tightly in her fists as she crouched on the floor. "What does it all mean?" She whispered.

"Cess?! CESS!!" His voice seemed to be coming from somewhere far away. So very very far...

***

"But, nothing. For God's sake, when will you accept that you care for her? That you care for Cecilia?"

Nic froze mid step. He slowly turned back around to face Sophia, face hardening into a granite mask.

"If someone else had said that to me, I might have understood." He said, voice rough with anger. "But you? You, Soph, who has known me since childhood? Do you really think I'm still capable of finer emotions like love?"

Sophia's face fell at the sight of the raw pain in his eyes. "Oh, Nic..."

"You know what that b*stard did to our family, and her..." He closed his eyes for a moment to control himself. "That b*tch was just the cherry on top of the f*cking disaster that was my family. I don't have time for things like love or affection, or," he spat, "stupid redheads who can't do anything right. The only thing I want or need is money and power." He glared at her. "NOTHING else." He strode off silently.

"You didn't say NOBODY else! That means you still want and need SOMEONE!" Soph shouted after him jokingly. She shook her head, shoulders slumping. "Oh Nic... Can't you see?" She stared at his lonely profile sadly. "It doesn't matter what you think you want, or what you think you're capable of. The truth is... you've already begun." She smiled softly. "You've already started falling."

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A/N: Hey guys. So, again, a lot of you have been requesting updates - so here you go!! I know it's not a long one, but honestly this is the best I can do for now.

I just want to say something briefly. I am really grateful that you all love my work so much and continuously want updates, but please be understanding. I have said this many times, but I'm a medical student. This comes with a lot of responsibilities and obligations. I honestly don't get a lot of free time.

However, I am trying to make time for this book for you guys who have been waiting so patiently. Hopefully next time when you comment, it will be to tell me your thoughts on this book, and your expectations for Nic and Cess' future! I really do like hearing from you guys, and to be honest, these comments encourage me to write more than comments that just demand me to update.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!! Have a great day, y'all!!!

xoxo