Chapter 63 THE MORNING AFTER

Chapter 63 THE MORNING AFTER
CHAPTER 63

GRACE'S POV
THE MORNING AFTER

Lily panicked when she saw me, naked, bruised and crying on the floor. She freezes and asks me something that I couldn't answer.

“Who did this to you?” she asks.

I couldn't say anything to her, I'm trembling, crying and unable to look at her.

She ran her fingers through her hair, exhaled and looked at me again. “Grace, I'm going to ask you this once.” she exhales again. “Grace…. Who did this to you?”

“Ryan.” I whispered sobbing the more.

“Ryan, did this to you?” she said enraged. “Ryan, did this to you.” she says again.

She stood up and I looked at her face. “I'm going to kill that bastard. He's barely out of prison, and he does this!” she yells.

“I'm going to kill him, I'll really kill him.” she says and her fist clenched.

“Lily, no please,” I cry, reaching out with shaky fingers. “Don't. Please don't tell anyone.”

He faced a twist of anger. “Grace, you can't be serious. He hurt you. He hurt you.” she repeated.

“It's all my fault. My fault.” I whispered.

Her eyes snap sharply to mine. “No, no. Don't say that. Don't you ever say that. None of this is your fault okay.”

But I couldn't stop talking. “I should've been more careful. Should've been more precise.”

“I'm not going to blame you for what that monster did.” her voice breaks. “You hear me? Not even the slightest of this, is your fault.”

I buried my face in my palm, and cried so much it shook my body.

Lily crunched down, just trying to help me stand up. “Grace, that's enough. We're going to the hospital.”

“No!” The word came out of my mouth fast, too loud, and I sat back on the floor. Panic fills my chest, sharp and suffocating. “No. I can't, I can't, I can't.”

“Grace…….”

“I don't want anyone touching me!” my voice cracks, the memory of the assault playing all over again. “I don't want anyone looking at me. People will judge me. Asking me questions that I can't answer. I can't breathe……”

Lily freezes when she sees me freaking out of control.

She hugged me tight and her warm tears fell on my shoulder. “Okay. Okay. No hospital, not right now. Just breath, Grace, breath.”

I nod even though my mind was all over the place. I can't relive this again, I can't let him make me feel dirty again. I can't look Jeremy in the eye again.

“Lily,” someone knocks and calls her name. The voice was deep, probably a man's own.

Lily stiffen and whispers to me. “Stay here. I'll tell whoever it is, to just come back tomorrow.”

But she doesn't make it in time, because the person comes right into the house. Why did we leave the door unlocked.

Richard pushes the door open, before Lily could block his entry. His eyes cut through the room, to see the mess, the struggle and my naked shaking body on the floor. The expression on his face changed so fast, it's like watching a storm hit.

“Oh my God,” he whispers, grabbing a cloth to cover me.

Then he processed everything immediately, his face was stiff like steel. “Who the fuck, did this?”

Lily gets in front of him. “Richard… Not now please. She can't really….”

He looks over at me with kind eyes. It softened for a few minutes, but underneath it there's something dark, lethal and dangerous.

He straightens slowly, his fists trembling by his sides. His jaw was tight and it could cut.

“Grace,” he said quietly, his voice shaking with rage. “Mark my words, whoever did this to you, I'll make him pay. He won't touch a woman ever.”

I thought he was obnoxious and annoying, the first time we met. I'm surprised that he's showing this much interest in my predicament.

The room felt cold when he said those words. He left immediately, an acquaintance saw me naked, bruised and dejected.

I barely slept after Lily helped me shower. Every time I close my eyes, I'm back on the floor again. I felt his weight, his breath and his hands on my skin. I was almost tempted to wash all over again.

When dawn finally came, Lily forced me to sit up, bringing water to my mouth. I drank because she won't stop until I drink something. I ached everywhere, bruises that weren't there last night bloomed into ugly marks on my body.

“Try to eat something.”

I took down a few bites. That's all I could keep down.

When I showered, the moment the water hit my skin. I just fell to the floor and cried uncontrollably.

I'm still on the floor in my bedroom, still tying my towel sobbing. When I heard the knock on the door.

Then I heard his voice. “Grace?” it was Jeremy's voice.

Lily rushed to the door before I could stand up. “Don't,” I begged her. “Lily, please don't let him see me like this.”

“But he loves you, Grace.” she whispered.

“Exactly,” I choked out. “I can't, I can't let him touch me. I can't let him look at me.”

Lily walks to the door, but briefly looks at me. I could hear Jeremy's footsteps. “Lily, is she okay?”

“She's….resting.” she says.

I'm not resting, I hated that lie. But it was necessary. Jeremy doesn't believe that lie. I could hear him shift, getting closer to my door. “Grace?”

His voice is so calm, so gentle that it hurts me.

“Please,” he whispered. “Let me see her even for one minute.”

I covered my mouth to stop my sobbing, but I'm sure he heard it anyway. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it. Grace, are you okay?”

I want to tell him calmly, let him hug me tight. But I can't anymore, I'm ruined, dirty and disgusting. I don't deserve him or his love, he should be with Lana.

“Jeremy, please go away. I don't wanna talk.” I said weakly.

Lily's voice is low. “Jeremy, please not today.”

There was a long silence and a footstep. “Grace,” he says softly. “I'm not giving up on you.”

There was another pause, before he began again. “And I'm going to find out what happened.”

My breath cut abruptly, he means it. I heard the door open and close, and Lily's footsteps on the stairs.

Lily looks at me horrified, because we both realised that he'll find out what happened.

The house is quiet for a while, but the silence is interrupted. Someone knocks on the door.