Chapter 80 - Three roses and a promise

ANNALISE'S P.O.V.

I stirred slowly, my body feeling sore. My brows furrowed as I turned, my mind a little foggy. I turned, the white illuminated ceiling greeting my eyes. I let out a small sigh, my teeth slowly biting down on my lip.

My memory was hazy, and I started the excruciating work of putting it together to understand. I could remember Angel's assertion about me snatching her father. Enrique's little talk. The talk with Sin. And then...

I closed my eyes as the memory hit me hard like a ton of bricks, causing my head to hurt. It felt like torture, like a knife straight to my chest over and over again.

I turned on my side, tears filling my eyes again. I tried my hardest to rationalize it. Maybe if I had been in his place, I would have done the same thing. Maybe I would have wanted to protect my brother, too.

I remembered Sin's face earlier when I had woken up. The way he had left. The despair in his eyes. I felt guilty, strangely. I hated myself for hurting him.

I sighed again, then sniffed a little. The events of six years ago floated in my mind more coherently now, and like a mind trick, I could see the parts that had been shielded from my memory ever since.

'Take me, but leave my father.' Had that been Sin? Had I said that to Sin?

I swallowed. He hadn't done anything to me, and to be fair, he had taken me to the hospital. But if his brother hadn't ruined my life, I wouldn't have needed the help at all. Still. He had been decent enough to take Dad and me to the hospital. He had tried to correct the mistake his brother had made, just in the wrong ways. By thrusting money at me. By...

Wait.

I slowly sat up, my lips parting as my hair fell in front of my eyes. I turned to the closed door, and it seemed to fade away to give way to the memory from six years ago. The dark hospital room. The closed door.

I felt tears fill my eyes as I watched the door open. Not this door. The door of the room I had been in six years ago. I watched as the door opened slowly, and in stepped a man.

I had just received that briefcase full of money, and the grief was eating me up. Enough for me to not even care that a strange man was in my hospital room.

"I brought flowers," he had said, and my lips parted as I remembered that deep, resonant, perfect voice.

How did I forget his voice?

I remember how I had seen those three roses, but at that time, all it reminded me of was the blood. The pain. The red was more of a disaster than love.

He had dropped those flowers next to my bed, and I remember peering, trying to find out who would bring me flowers. His face was shielded, but I could see his dark red cupid's bow lips.

I remember asking who he was, and I could still hear the silence that followed. He probably wondered what to tell me. Should he introduce himself as the brother of the man who had ruined my life, or as the man who had so guiltily covered it up?

"Just someone... who is very sorry."

A tear ran down my eyes now, just as they had filled my eyes back then. I hadn't expected to see a single person. I, in fact, had worried about the hospital bills. About my father's burial. He, Sin, the man I hadn't known back then, had taken care of it all.

I still remember his scent as he leaned to me slowly. I remember feeling safe enough to stay, despite what had just happened, despite how terrified I was of men, including the doctor who was treating me.

But something about him back then had soothed me, keeping me grounded to him, keeping me sitting right there. He never showed me his eyes, but it felt like I knew him. Like he was someone I had met before

"There are some of us," he had responded to my claim of having no one who felt sorry for me. "I hope you live the rest of your life knowing that."

My lips quivered, and like six years ago, I wanted to pull him to me and hug him till I fell asleep. I wanted to find the same solace in him like I had six years ago.

I pulled my knees to myself, my hands wrapping around me, my body shaking hard. He had indeed made bad decisions, but... I don't think I could leave. Maybe my own memories were against me, but at this point, even I was against me.

I closed my eyes, my chest heaving hard, my heart thumping hard.

The door suddenly opened, and I looked up, my heart thumping as I anticipated Sin. To my disappointment, he wasn't the one.

A nurse walked in, followed by Sin's butler.

"I will administer your medications now."

I bit down on my lips as the butler walked in, then started to arrange food, flowers, and a few other things. I didn't want any of these things. I wanted to go home.

"Where is Sin?" I asked, my eyes searching the butler's.

He straightened. "At home, ma'am. He asked me to come look after you."

I blinked hard as the nurse administered the injection, then moved away.

"I want to go home."

"Ma'am," the butler said. "Sin has asked me to watch over you. To make sure you are fine. Besides, it is late and..."

"Call him," I said, my voice shaky. "Call him right now and tell him to come get me. I want to go home. Right now."

The butler sighed, and he turned to the nurse.

"You will have to wait till tomorrow to be discharged, ma'am. Please wait."

"I want to see him," I said, ignoring the nurse. "What do you think he would do if he finds out you are not letting me get to him?"

The butler sighed and pulled out his phone. I watched eagerly as the phone rang, but there was no answer. Sin always answered his phone. He was always close to it.

"Call him again."

The butler sighed and started to call again. I watched the phone with a trembling heart as it rang.

"Hello?"

I sighed, my lips parting in a smile. The butler handed me the phone, and I grabbed it, bringing it to my ear, my chest heaving.

"Sin?"

He was silent for a long minute. "You are awake."

I bit down on my lips. "Come take me home."

He went silent again, and I could almost feel my blood pulsating through me. "On my way, princess."