"The patient is awake now. You can go and see him if you want to" A nurse said to a worried Noelle. She nodded, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Sighing, she pushed open the door to the ward and walked in. Val's dull eyes met hers and tears filled her eyes. What would have happened if she hadn't come to the bathroom when she had?
He looked so weak and drained, her heart broke for him.
"I'm sorry" he croaked.
"I-I didn't know you were suicidal" she said, trying to hold back the tears.
He lowered his gaze, his fingers fumbling with the bed sheets.
"How many times have you thought about it?" Noelle asked.
"A couple of times" he replied.
"How many times have you attempted it?" She asked.
He swallowed hard, staring at her with a blank look in his eyes. "Three times"
"H-how? W-Why?"
"When I was thirteen, I was beaten and starved for a month. I wanted to die. I swallowed pills that I wasn't supposed to take, but I was saved. The second was when I was nineteen. I was tortured, starved, forced to do things I didn't want to do. I got so low and I was starting to hear voices. I put a knife in my guts hoping that I wouldn't be saved again, but I was wrong. Noelle, I am not worth it. You shouldn't even be around me. You shouldn't have saved me. You should have let me die" he said, bitter tears filling his eyes.
Noelle felt the cold hand of grief squeeze her heart.
"What happened to you, Val? I want to know" she whispered, holding his free hand in hers.
He stared at her, confusion in his eyes. "Why?"
"I want to help you. Someone has to help you. You can't keep going on like this" she said.
He sighed.
"I don't get it. Why are you trying to help me? Why won't you just hate me too? Why are you doing this?" He asked. She squeezed his hand gently.
"I don't really know, Val. To be honest, I think there's a reason I met you when I did. I care about you. I want to know you. I want to help you get better because I know it's the right thing to do. Please, Val. Let me help you. Please" she said.
He closed his eyes briefly, conflicted.
Could he really let her in?
Even after everything he'd done?
Noelle moved closer to him, her gaze meeting his.
"You'll be okay, I promise. Just let me in. Don't shut me out. I want to be there for you" she whispered.
"I-"
"Please, don't reject me" she rasped, squeezing his hand gently. "Okay" he breathed.
"You are depressed and I think you've gone through a lot of trauma. You need to see a therapist" she said.
He sighed.
"I don't know, Noelle. I can't stand therapists"
"I will be there for you, you won't be alone" she said.
He silently stared at her for a moment.
"I'll try" he breathed.
"I'm glad to hear that, Val. I know you'll be okay. Now, get some rest" she said, shooting him a reassuring smile. He closed his eyes and shortly after, he fell asleep.
Noelle watched him sleep with a satisfied smile on her face. He had made a good choice and she was certainly proud of him.
....
"I'll be your best man" Dmitri said and Xandre rubbed his temples.
"I'm not going to be left out too" Dominic said, folding his hands.
"Okay, guys. You're both giving me a headache right now" Xandre sighed.
"Who are those people giving me sweetheart a headache?" Ellie said as she walked in.
"Ellie, forgive us. We didn't..."
Ellise laughed at Dmitri's apology and moved on to embrace Dre.
"I guess we should take our leave now" Dominic said, clearing his throat.
"Wait" Ellise said and Dom raised a brow.
"Let's have a triple date tomorrow. Tell Amelia and Jade, okay?" She said.
"Oh yeah? it's going to be one helluva date" Dmitri said and left with Dom.
"How do you feel about our upcoming wedding?" Dre asked Ellise, stroking her hair.
"I'm nervous, Dre" she responded, hiding her face against his chest.
"Nervous? I guess that makes us two" he said.
Dre chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. He lovingly pressed a kiss to the exposed skin of her neck. They both stood, staring at the afternoon sky.
"Cobi is dead" Dre said suddenly and Ellise narrowed her eyes.
"You don't say"
"I'm not kidding. He was murdered" Dre said and she frowned. "Who would murder him and why?"
"I don't know, but there's a lingering thought in my mind"
"What exactly do you think?" She asked.
"I think emperor X is still out there. I'm not talking about my brother this time. I just have a gut feeling that it isn't over yet" Dre said.
Ellise hugged him.
"We're going to be okay. We're fighters. We won't let anything defeat us, okay?" She said.
He smiled and kissed her forehead.
"I love you, Ellie"
"I love you too, Dre"
...
Yawning, Anne opened the door to her apartment. It had been such a long day and she had worked a lengthy shift today. She was so exhausted. She inhaled the homely scent in her apartment, closing her eyes.
'Home, sweet home', she thought, letting out a sigh.
Suddenly, a handkerchief was pressed to her nose and mouth. She gasped, trying to breathe, but it was getting more difficult to do so. She struggled against her assailant's grip, but not for long. She found herself sinking into oblivion.
...
Pain was the first thing that registered itself into Anne's brain once she started to gain consciousness. Black dots swam across her vision and she could feel the sticky liquid which was definitely blood, running down the side of her face. Groaning, she tried to gather her thoughts and figure out where she was. She started to panic when she felt the restraints on her hands and legs. She immediately began to struggle. She let out a cry when someone hit her on the head with a bunch of ropes. "W-who are you?" She whimpered.
"Your worst nightmare, Anne" said the man in a mask. "What do you want from me?!"
"I know that you're friends with Ellise Summers. I want you to hurt her indirectly"
"What? No. I'm not going to hurt her directly or indirectly. You can't make me" Anne hissed
She let out a scream as she was beaten by the masked man standing in front of her.
"Now, tell me. Will you join me in my quest?" he asked, yanking her hair backwards.
"Please, I can't. I can't hurt my best friend!" She cried.
"You're not exactly hurting her. I'm after her fiance, not her".
"If it's going to hurt her fiance, it hurts her too. Please, I can't do this" she cried.
"Well, deal with it! I don't care!"
Anne sobbed as he punched her on the face, blood pouring out of her nose and mouth. He squatted in front of her, yanking her hair backwards.
"Will you or will you not join me?" He growled, pressing the cold metal of a knife to her neck. "Answer me!" He yelled, applying pressure to it. Anne didn't want to die. So, she did the only thing she could do out of desperation.
"I will!" She cried.
"I am Emperor X and whatever I ask you to do must be done, do you understand?"
"Yes" she sobbed .
He laughed and slammed her head against the wall. Inwardly, Anne lamented.
'What have I done?' she thought, her heart aching.