It was almost how thunders function but in reverse.
Victoria heard a myriad of noises from the black nothingness. A male voice stood out among all the others—panicking, demanding answers to something, saying indecipherable things.
Stark white and blinding light made her snap her eyes close as soon as she tried opening them.
She felt a soft pressure on her arm—a grip that was neither forceful nor too unnoticeable. The same male voice she had been hearing throughout the nothingness took her name this time, "Victoria—"
There was uncertainty in his tone. It was as if the person did not know what to do or say.
Victoria flickered her eyelids a couple more times before finally adjusting her gaze to the light.
It was Victor—the owner of the voice.
He sat on a stool next to her and looked at her with wide-eyed concern. "You're awake," he said.
"Bingo," she found that her voice had turned raspy.
Moving her head, she looked around the place she was in. White curtains hung around her, creating a tiny, privy place. She was lying on a bed with white sheets. There was another white sheet covering half of her body. A machine was turned on next to her bed's steel headboard. It showed her initials.
"I'm—" Victoria frowned. "In a hospital!"
Victor sighed. "When you fainted, we brought you to the hospital. Apparently, you were deeply exhausted and malnourished because of not eating properly, which is the reason—"
"We?" She cut in confusedly.
He looked irritated because of her interruption, but still, he answered, "my neighbor was bloody eavesdropping and came running to help the moment you collapsed."
Ah, she recalled seeing a woman peeking out the door opposite Victor's place. Then there was also this female face she remembered seeing before waking up on this bed now.
"You didn't have to bring me to a hospital," she said, rubbing her face and eyes and realizing there was a cannula attached to the back of her hand.
By the way, had he been gripping her arm? Not that he was now.
She discreetly looked at his hands. Yep, they were safely wringing one another in front of him.
Victor pressed the button on her headboard, and soon a nurse came to check her vitals and ask her some questions. She left after saying the doctor would come to see her soon.
For some reason, Victor seemed frustrated as he returned to wringing his hands again. She had a feeling she wouldn't have to ask to know the reason from him.
It turned out she was right as he finally threw up his hands and exploded, "I don't understand—Why would you starve? Why would you drive yourself to the point that your body would freaking collapse—"
"Apparently," she faked a laugh. "I feel so happy that I forgot to eat. What is there to not understand about it?"
That stumped him to silence for the next couple of minutes. However, the wringing of his hands didn't stop. His expression screamed that he had more queries. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but struggled to let it out. It irked Victoria to no end.
"What?" she snapped.
With his eyes narrowed, he finally let it out, "The doctor said you had bruises on you—she said they were signs of abuse."
Victoria stilled and looked away.
"Who is the b*stard that hurt you, Victoria?" he indignantly demanded.
She remained quiet. Because revelation, as such, was degrading for her.
As a person who always had a strong front before the world, shame often permeated her because of her never-ending fate of being a victim of violence. It was degrading that she never had the upper hand to save herself in the end or punish the people who hurt her.
She wished for freedom when the truth was she was always caged.
She was forever a strong soul, yet in front of the demons of her life—she was weak.
A looser—that she was.
Besides, Victoria had by now given up on being believed by this certain bull-headed man. At the end of the day, he would always assume the worst of her. Compared to other people's words, hers would always fall wobbly.
Victor's insistent tone brought her out of the inferno, "Would you please answer me—"
Angrily, she cut in, "What is your problem? Isn't it your usual demeanor to not care even if I fall from a six-story-long building and die? And don't you already know what kind of evil liar I am? Maybe, I beat myself and created those bruises to make it seem like the work of another? Maybe, I just want sympathy from the common—"
"You did not share it with anyone, did you—"
"I fell from the stairs. Does that satisfy your uncalled-for curiosity?"
Eyes narrowed and indignance in his stare, Victor submerged into a deadly silence.
The curtains were pulled back, and the doctor, a middle-aged woman with a serious face, came after that. Victor was asked to leave Victoria alone with her for a few minutes.
She examined Victoria's vitals and how she felt after waking up. Then, after rechecking her bruises, the doctor, of course, inquired her for some time about them. "It is typical to assume that the husband has something to do with these," the doctor said, taking a seat on the stool Victor was occupying minutes before.
Ah, now she realized why Victor was suddenly so interested in her injuries. It was because his own throat was in line, that's why.
The savior image of Victor that Elli so bragged about always eclipsed in Victoria's case.
Victoria was that poison in his life he was desperate to discard.
She told the doctor the truth about her bruises and that a police complaint was already present. The doctor left wishing her best, instructing her to eat well, take the supplements, prescribe medicines and painkillers, and give her the clearance to leave the hospital.
After denying Victor's hand when he extended it to help her get off the bed, he didn't try to help her again during their long way out of the hospital.
Nevertheless, she didn't deny him when he opened the door to the passenger seat of his car. Honestly, the long walk down to his car in the driveway felt devastating to her bones.
In her entire photography career, she had never experienced exhaustion similar to this. On the contrary, her stamina during long photo walks and tours had an excellent reputation.
Asthel was beating down her carefully built structure into damnation.
She dozed off at some point.
For some reason, her entire body jerked slightly. It made her moan and turn her head to have something soft yet sturdy connect to her face. She inhaled the fresh scent coming from it, felt good, and snuggled closer, moaning.
A gasp reverberated and made her snuggle even closer.
A feeling of floating lulled her further into sleep for a long while until softness connected to her back. It was like the clouds were taking her away in leisure. Moaning further, she sunk into comfort.
~
word count: 1163
~
Hello, everyone!
I had an insanely busy week. That's why this update is short and delayed by a few days from my update schedule. How, despite all that, isn't it a happening one?
Transforming times have begun, but they will not be without lots of drama and emotional turmoil. I hope you'll stick to this journey.
Let me know about your views. They motivate me and help me so much to write better.
Thanks for your support for the last chapter, everyone! I'm glad to read your comments and see all of your excitement for the story and how everything is shaping up. Seriously, love you all!
See you tomorrow with the next update.
Yes, you heard it right ;)
Lara.