Ego's Trap | ✔

26 | Picasso's Ane

☆☆☆ Chapter 26 ☆☆☆

Picasso's Ane

Daniel's entire body grimaced when I pressed the plump bag of ice he'd fetched for me against the entire right side of my face, and it intensified after my iffy wince. He'd been scurrying about the residence like a mouse just moments before, looking for anything that could help me with the painful throbs coming from my messed-up face. Though I appreciated his efforts, I couldn't help but worry 'bout what the heck must be going through his mind after tearing his sister apart with words I was blessed to not be able to process.

Sitting beside me on the bed, Daniel held onto my free hand and squeezed it, refusing to make eye contact with me. "I'm so glad I wanted to spend some time with you tonight," Daniel muttered. "If I had decided not to, I don't know what would have happened to you." Biting his lips, Daniel forced out some air from his lungs. "I know I'm the one to blame for this. You were hurt because of me, I brought you into this. I made you wear that... that thing, that necklace... and now look at what happened."

It definitely wasn't his fault. She was somehow able to tell that we were lying 'bout our marriage, and aside from that how can he blame himself for something that he couldn't control? His sister's just a crazy maniac, is all. Who goes around beating people up like this for such a reason? "It's not your fault," I managed to say, squeezing back his hand and tasting the stray bits of blood in my mouth (how the heck did I not lose a single tooth?!).

I was going to expand on what I meant, but once Daniel's eyes fell onto my lips, all of his attention shifted towards the first aid kit he'd brought from somewhere 'round the residence. Out of it, he pulled out a cotton swab. After dipping it in a bottle of rubbing alcohol, he said: "This might sting a bit, brace yourself."

I had a brief trip of nostalgia immediately after he said that, but I couldn't tell exactly what I was nostalgic 'bout. Somehow, quite some time ago, I'd heard that same exact phrase, with the same exact tone Daniel had with it── even the focused look he had while rubbing the cotton swab on my upper lip was all too familiar, but why? Was this just one of those strange déjà vu moments that people keep talkin' 'bout, or do I not understand what's going on right now?

"Ouch!" I heard myself yelp.

Daniel chuckled, but it wasn't as lighthearted as usual. It actually felt kinda heavy, kinda tense. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Letting go of the bag full of ice, I placed my hands on his cheeks and made sure our eyes met no matter how many times he tried looking away. "Daniel, it's not your fault, I'm serious."

Daniel shook his head. "It was an understatement, really, when I said she needed a little guidance in life. She's a whole lot worse than what I described to you. She's... she's a terrible, terrible person. You're── you're not the only one she has hurt like this, and, and she's done much worse, too, and, and I... I failed to warn you about that. I didn't expect her to go this far with someone involved with our family. At worst, I thought that she would just make you uncomfortable, but... that doesn't excuse me. It's my fault, I'm so sorry... no matter what, it's essentially my faul── "

"No, don't you dare say that! Nothing would've made a difference, nobody would've been able to stop her here. You can't blame yourself for that."

Jade's crazier than I expected, and my expectations were already low. It had nothing to do with Daniel.

Daniel looked away again, letting out the darkest, driest laugh I've ever heard as of yet from his insides. "About that, um... " After a minute or two of me just waiting on whatever he wanted to say, I gave up on waiting. It was obvious that he was at a loss for words and I didn't know if I should push him.