Chapter 119 BROKEN SOULS
\[SICILY, VIPOISON ORGANIZATION\]
Nelly had a down expression as she went to give Maddox his food. She couldn't give it to him again, not after Slade reminded her of how he became a monster.
She cried herself to sleep. Besides, she knew Maddox would try to find out why she was crying had it. Equally, she knew he hadn't had anything to eat. He doesn't eat until she's the one who brings the food. She will not be able to handle it if anything happens to him. She will try to make him understand that he should go back.
She got to the doorstep and took a deep breath. She hardened her expression before going in.
Her eyes fell on Maddox, who was lying down. She trailed her gaze to his knuckles only to see that he was bleeding. His eyes were closed.
Quickly, she kept the food and rushed to him.
"Maddox, what happened to you?" She sat on the floor and placed his head on her thigh.
"What's wrong? Open your eyes?" She said, panic rising in her voice.
She took his wrist and began rubbing it. His forehead burned, and she felt the hot sensation in her thigh.
"What do I do?" she mumbled, her voice laced with fear, concern and worry.
She rubbed his wrist, pressed the back of her palm on his forehead and blew air on him.
"Somebody help!" she screamed, calling out the prison guards.
None of them was in sight. They were training at the training ground.
"Please, Maddox, wake up," she sniffled, adding pressure to his wrist.
She dropped his head to the floor and rushed to the tray of food.
She took the glass of water, sat beside him and sprinkled some on his face.
Dropping the cup, she took back his wrist and continued rubbing.
"Don't do this, please," she sobbed.
She felt his body move, and her gaze went to his face.
Slowly, he lifted his lids with a small smile.
"Yes. Nothing will happen to you. I will go and call for help." She stood, ready to run, but he held her hand and pulled her back to him.
"You are the doctor I need," he said, and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"What are you doing? You are burning up," she said, her voice almost like a whisper.
Maddox, instead of replying, hummed in response.
Nelly exhaled softly and hovered her eyes around him.
There was dried blood on his wrist, knuckles and face.
"How did you get injured?" she asked.
"I dealt with a bastard yesterday."
"You fought... with Slade?"
She needed no one to tell her Slade was the one he was referring to as a bastard.
"Hmm."
It's clear to her why Slade had blood on his face when he came to see her yesterday. He was angry and took it out on her.
"Get up and eat your food before it gets cold," she said and helped his head up.
She took the tray closer and arranged the food for Maddox.
Instead of eating, Maddox stared at her.
"What?"
"I injured myself while hitting the bastard," he said.
Nelly sighed and picked up the spoon.
"He's not a bastard." She pushed the spoon to his mouth.
Maddox willfully opened his mouth.
He ate in silence, and she, too, fed him in silence, both lost in their thoughts.
He had barely eaten the fifth spoon when his eyes caught her neck.
"What is that?" he asked, eyes glued to her neck.
Nelly followed his gaze and saw it was on her neck.
She kept the spoon and raised her blouse to hide the mark.
"It's nothing," she mumbled and stood.
Maddox joined her in standing, and his hand found the collar of her blouse.
She tried to hit his hand away, but he was stronger. He pulled down the blouse, and his eyes saw the hickey on her neck.
Sudden anger began brewing in him.
"Did he try to force himself on you?"
"You should learn to mind your business," she said.
"As long as I am here, you are my business. What did he do to you? How did you get yourself involved with him? What past do both of you share?" he asked, locking their gazes together.
Nelly looked away from him. "I-I will get going."
She turned to leave, but Maddox grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to himself.
"Let me go," she said, trying to free herself.
"I won't until you answer my question."
"Someone might come in here," she said, her voice barely in a whisper.
"Let them," he said, walking with her towards the wall. "You have to answer my question today."
Her back hit the wall, and he pressed his weight down on her. His scent wafted into her nostrils, bloody, dangerous and addicting.
She looked up and met his curious eyes; her eyes welled with tears.
"Come on, Nelly. Tell me everything. Who is Slade to you? Why is he so possessive of you? What past is haunting you? Why do you feel bad when you try to love somebody else? W..."
"Slade is my ex-boyfriend." She broke into tears. "He was my first love, and my first in everything. We both had our perfect future sorted out, but I broke him," she sniffled. "Nashira broke him. A part of myself I hate the most. Nashira lied to him. Nashira was part of a gangster. Nashira spilled blood, dealt with guns and knives, and did dangerous things. Nashira was the one who turned Slade into a monster."
"Slade wasn't like this before. I changed Slade," she cried, telling him the rest of the story.
"For four years, I tried to move on from him. I tried to convince myself that what happened to him was an accident, but I couldn't. Each time I try to love somebody else, our past haunts me, and I can't help but convince myself that I am the reason why he almost lost his life," she sobbed.
Maddox's hand fell from her arms, but his eyes remained on her face. He didn't know what to say. He understood everything, the reason why she always cried whenever he asked her about her past and why she always regretted their make-out. She's still living in the past.
"You wanted to know the truth, right? Here, you know the truth," she said, crying.
Maddox took his thumb and wiped her tears.
"Don't cry."
Nelly wiped the remaining tears with her hand. "I-I told you the truth. It's time for you to leave."
"I won't leave without you. I made a deal with Slade that I would leave, but now that I know your truth, I'm taking you with me. Let's leave this place together. You have a bad past, we all do, but you regret it. It's time for you to move on. You can't ruin your life because of that," Maddox spoke in a soft tone.
That tone had to be the softest he had ever spoken as Nelly found herself staring at him.
"I can't leave here," she whispered.
"Yes, you can. You just have to trust me." He ran his thumb across her lower lip, their gaze piercing deeply into each other's.
He began leaning in until his lips pressed hers.
At first, he stayed in that position for some seconds before moving his lips.
Nelly's eyes were glued to his face before her lids hugged each other. Slowly, she wrapped her hands around his neck and began kissing him back.
At first, it was slow, just lips on lips, feeling each other as if they had forgotten the taste of each other's lips. Soon, the kiss increased, teeth grazing against each other, tongue going down the throat, biting and sucking of lips. Rough and feral as if they had been deprived of it for a long time.
None of them had run breathless, or they didn't want to let go of each other. They were fighting and claiming each other's mouths.
A sound tore from Nelly's throat, and that ignited the spark within them. Maddox gripped her waist and lifted her to the wall to match his height. His body held her in place.
Her nails raked his scalp, and her stomach twisted with joy and maybe a lingering fear. They devoured each other's lips, neither minding the consequences of their actions. Actions like Slade coming in and seeing them.
It was going fine until...
"Wow, what an epic movie to watch."
They broke the kiss, their lips swollen as Nelly came out of Maddox's cage.
"S-Slade," she stuttered.
He was sitting on the chair, legs and arms spread apart. J. K also sat on the other chair, mask on his face as usual. Both had a smirk on their lips.
They must have been so engrossed not to notice when they came in.
"So bad the movie has ended." Slade stood, his eyes showing darkness, different from the sarcasm his voice carried.
He walked towards them and grabbed Nelly's hand.
Maddox went and landed a punch on his chin.
"Don't touch her."
Slade wiped the blood and snapped his dark gaze at Maddox without releasing Nelly.
He raised his hand and did the come-in sign twice.
Huge, brutal-looking guards walked in. Their brutal nature filled the prison immediately.
"Slade, what are you doing?" Nelly asked, trying to free herself from his grip.
"Beat him up until he pleads for death," Slade ordered.