Chapter 23 Because of you

“Leave me, Ayden.”

She continuously tried to put his hand away from her, but couldn’t as his hold was very tight. He wasn’t even looking at her.

After reaching their room, he hurled her and she fell on the ground. He was fuming with anger. Eve expected the worst to happen to her now. Maybe he knows that she was with the NSF.

“Get up.” He ordered, coming closer to her. Eve gulped hard and stood up.

She was still looking down when Ayden slapped her hard on the face. Tears came out of her eyes. Staring at her with anger filled eyes, he slapped her again. But this time because of the impact, she fell down again and sprained her ankle.

Her cheeks were burning with pain. She still looked down, silent. She heard him open his belt. The next moment, he hit her with the belt. She was hurt, scared and shocked all at the same time.

“Ayden…. stop it!! It hurts!! Please!” She begged but he was in no mood for mercy. She even tried to stop him, but to no avail.

He continued the abuse. She curled up like a ball on the ground but nothing helped in pain. It hurt as hell.

“Because of you, I lost them.” He roared once again, continuously hitting her.

Then, he sat down and pulled her hair to make her look at him. She winced in pain but he didn’t care.

“BECAUSE OF YOU.” He seethed.

“I’m sorry. Pl…please forgive me. I didn’t know…how it happened.” She explained her being drunk the last day.

“YOU DON’T KNOW, WAIT….. LET ME HELP YOU REMIND IT.”

With another blow, he continuously hit her.

“I…I just drank the… tonic Freya gave me.” She felt like fainting anytime.

“Please tru…trust me. I’m…not lying.”

“SHUT THE F**K UP.” His torture didn’t stop.

He again sat next to her and made her sit. She sat by taking support of the bed beside her.

He grabbed the collar of her dress and pulled her closer to him, slapping her again. She almost passed out because of the pain but he kept on slapping her. Blood oozed out from her nose and mouth.

“Aaa…ask her. Stop it….. Ayden.” Her breathing was heavy as she was crying and shouting to stop her.

Someone knocked on the door and he ignored it completely. But the continuous knocking on the door made him irritated. He got up, leaving her and she fell again on the ground.

Bryan was at the door. He came to pass him the phone as he left his phone at the shipyard. Mr. Blacks called him for something urgent. He took the phone from him, glaring at him.

He didn't let him enter and was talking to Mr. Blacks at the door. Suddenly, Bryan heard some cries and looked inside out of curiosity.

After the phone call ended, Ayden gave back his phone to him, asking him to leave. Someone was crying inside. It was as if someone was wailing in pain.

“Is that Eve’s voice?” Bryan asked.

“None of your business.” Ayden replied and was about to shut the door again when Bryan barged in the room. And the scene shocked him.

“Eve!!” He ran towards her and helped her sit. She got up, crying in pain taking his support.

“Have you totally lost it? You’re venting your anger on her, like this? Even if she would have done something wrong, you can’t treat her like this.” Bryan roared at his elder brother. Ayden was in no mood for a lecture by his brother.

“Eve? Eve?” He turned towards Eve and tapped her shoulder. She was continuously blinking her eyes in order to stay intact but her vision was turning blurry.

“Look at her. What we do isn’t our choice, but what we make ourselves is.” Bryan said at last. He was about to pick her up when Ayden came to her, stopping him.

Ayden picked her up while she winced in pain. Then, he put her on the bed.

“I’m calling the doctor.” Bryan said before leaving the room.

Ayden looked at Eve who was crying in pain. The blood on her face, along with her red cheeks made him feel guilty now. He actually vented his anger on her.

Bryan was right about this. He stopped yesterday because he wanted to and not because she chained him or something. Now, looking at her was painful for him.

After some minutes, the doctor arrived. Bryan took her to the room where she was while Laura also followed them. The moment she opened the door, she was shocked beyond imagination.

Eve was on the bed, wailing. Some marks were visible on her exposed arms and legs. Her face was red and slightly swollen while there was blood on her nose and lips.

She walked closer to her and looking at her condition, felt like crying. She couldn’t stop the tears coming out from her eyes. Eve was like a friend to her, a friend she never had.

Eve looked at her with her eyes blinking repeatedly. She called her name and she sat next to her.

The doctor asked Ayden and Bryan to go outside. The doctor’s expression was stern. She examined Eve fully.

When they looked at her back, abdomen and thighs, Laura couldn’t take it and stepped backward. Her full body has red-brownish colored marks on it.

“No, don’t….” Eve cried when the doctor held her hand to give her an injection. It was to alleviate the pain.

Laura came forward, controlling her tears and held her hand while the doctor proceeded.

After screaming in pain for some time, finally she passed out because of the medicines. The doctor gave some medicines to Laura and told her the instructions to use it.

Firstly, Laura wiped the blood on her face with the help of a cloth. Wrapping the ice pack in a towel, she applied it on the marks, very gently as the doctor prescribed. Then, she left the room to let her rest.

No one said a word about this. When mom asked where Eve was, she was told that she wasn’t feeling well, hence was resting in her room.

Even Freya looked for Eve but she got the same response.

“What is happening to her these days? She keeps on getting sick all the time. And this little brat is still crying. Take her with you.” Freya said to Bryan.

Bryan didn’t respond to her and took Grace with him.

Ayden was in the forbidden room talking with his men but his mind was occupied with the thoughts of Eve. The way she was crying and asking him to stop was playing non-stop in his mind.

It was evening when finally Eve got up. Her whole body was hurting and moving even a bit was a problem. She looked at the clock in front of her and it was the time to talk with the NSF.

She got up from the bed with difficulty and took the mirror out of her dressing table’s drawer. Then, again limping slightly because of her sprained ankle, she sat on the bed.

Every time she moved her body, it ached. She had no strength left. After the call was connected, Stefan asked her how she was. She felt like laughing at him, but had no strength for that either.

“Thanks to you, we succeeded in the mission. You’ve saved many lives, Evelyn.” He said to which he just hummed.

“Today, someone else will talk to you.” Stefan said. Eve wasn’t listening to him at all.

“Eevee…” And with that, the girl on the other side started crying. Suddenly, Eve looked at the mirror as if she would see her.

“Chrissy… how are you?” She tried to say it out loud so that Chrissy couldn’t guess what condition she was in. Tears came out of her eyes after hearing her voice after so long.

“Don’t act when you know you can’t. Are you hurt somewhere? Did he do something to you? Answer me, Eve.” Chrissy shouted at her while crying. She guessed it all correctly. How naïve of her to think that she could hide something from Chrissy.

“Now, I’m…fine. Take care of yourself too. I know you’re not eating properly.” Eve said with great difficulty.

“What have you gotten yourself into? Please come back. I miss you.” Chrissy said, still crying.

“Don’t worry, Chrissy. I.. I’ll be back.” Suddenly she heard some footsteps.

“I love you Chrissy and don’t worry so much. Now please, pass this to Stefan.” Chrissy, still crying, passed it to Stefan.

“End this call.” And with this, she put the mirror in her drawer. She doesn’t want Chrissy to hear anyone talking about her injuries, that’s why she asked her to pass the phone to Stefan. She expected Laura or mom to enter the room but it was Ayden.

Looking at him, she felt so scared that she started shivering. Her breathing became heavy and she bit her lower lip in nervousness.

Ayden continuously stared at her and observed her actions. She was looking down, totally avoiding eye contact with him.

While on the other side, Chrissy fell down on the floor. Stefan was still listening to the call as it cuts on the set time but no one spoke. After that, the call disconnected on its own.

“I love you, Eevee. Come back and please be safe.” Chrissy cried loudly. Phoebe came into the room and held Chrissy.

Out of the blue, Chrissy got up and walked towards Stefan. She held him by his collar and looked at him with angry eyes.

“You said, she’d be fine there. I talked to her and she doesn’t seem like it. That bastard has done something to her. She was in pain! What are you guys making her do?? Have you no shame!” She shouted in between her loud cries.

“Let me tell you one thing very clearly…if anything happens to my Eevee, I will ruin you all!! Bring her back…I said bring her back.” She roared while Phoebe came and she took her away from Stefan who was quite surprised with this little girl’s behaviour.

Chrissy passed out after that and was taken to the nearby hospital. The thought that something has happened to Eve, made her scared. But she could only guess. Little did she know what exactly Eve was going through.