Chapter 170 Collapsing
William stumbled into the apartment after a hectic day, his tie undone and hanging loose around his neck, barely in his senses due to the alcohol.
The guards at the elevator had tried to steady him, but he had pushed them off with a snarled command.
Now, seeing the wreckage of his home, the splintered wood he hadn't yet cleared, the faint scratches on the floor, his knees buckled.
In the center of the living room, Arabella was on her knees, carefully picking up the last shards of the glass she had dropped the night before.
She looked up, her face pale in the moonlight.
"William?"
Quickly rising, she rushed to hold him. He didn’t answer with words. His hands extended to engulf her in his arms, with a desperate, crushing hunger for her presence.
“Will-” Before she could complete her words, he embraced her firmly, fingers trembling, burying his face in her neck, letting out a weak whimper.
“I am so glad you are safe, Bella…”
Without a warning, he pulled her up from the floor, leading to their room and placed her down on the bed, his hands roaming over her back, her hair, her shoulders.
No less than a blind man trying to memorize a statue. his hands roughly moving across mindlessly, causing her to wince at the unexpected harsh stroke.
"William, you're hurting me-" she whispered, though she didn't pull away, only trying to hold his wrist.
"I have to be sure," he whispered back, shifting to his knees, gripping onto her dress with the same hopelessness he used to feel in her absence.
"I have to be sure you're still solid. That you didn't break. That you… still exist."
His movements are heavy and uncoordinate. He had knelt between her knees, looking up at her with bloodshot eyes, brimming with a terrifying intensity that made her breaths hitched.
"I.. fought with Liyah. I took down her assets. I am making her pay for… hurting you.” His voice broke, staggering her that he fought with the woman he never raised his voice again for her.
“Did you.. Really do that for me?”
“Uh-huh. Are you happy now, Bella?" he asked innocently, his hands clutching her waist, breaths uneven while looking at her with his uttermost devotion.
"Because I will obliterate anything that tries to take that from you. I’ll burn it all. The company, the name... even my Auntie. I'll perish anything that dares to touch you."
"I thought you weren't ready to fight her.” Arabella’s gaze softened, she reached down, cupping his face. “You said your sins were tied to hers."
"You have no idea," he choked out, a single tear escaping and tracing a path on his cheek. His body trembled, incapable of handling further heftiness.
"You have no idea how it felt to watch my life slip away during that phone call. Hearing those screams…” He gulped to not cry yet a helpless cry escaped, exposing his weakness.
The wall he built to protect himself from heartbreak shattered and he was absolutely vulnerable before her.
“I was terrified. If anything had happened to you because of me, I would have ended myself. I mean it, Bella."
He leaned his forehead against her stomach, his voice dropping to a broken whimper, freeing the tears he held back.
"I’ll fight the world. I’ll abandon my own blood. I'll choose you every single time.”
His fingers clutched her desperately, liberating a broken sobbing, tears blurring his sight, “But please... I beg of you. Stay close. Don’t let the darkness pull you away from me again."
"I am here, William," she whispered, her fingers tangling in his hair for assurance, "I am not going anywhere."
"Without you, Bella," He breathed, his eyes closing, declining the darkness consuming him, "There is nothing left of me..."
The adrenaline and the alcohol finally took their toll. William’s grip loosened, and he let out a long, shuddering sigh, eventually falling into a deep, fitful sleep with his head resting in her lap.
Two hours later, William’s eyes snapped open, back to reality from the haze.
The room was dark, and the weight of Arabella’s hand on his head was the only thing keeping the nausea at bay. He glanced at her and back to his reflection in the mirror.
He felt the cold clarity that only comes after a moment of total collapse.
He realized he couldn't do this alone.
He had spent his life being the protector, the shield, the one who bore the weight.
But, Liyah was playing a game that required more than one set of hands.
Moving carefully so as not to wake Arabella, he slid his phone from his pocket. He stared at the name in his contacts for a long time and went to the lounge.
Luke.
The one person who looked at William like a hero, yet the one person who carried the most awkward scar between them: Arabella.
William hit 'call' before he could talk himself out of it.
The phone rang three times before a groggy, surprised voice picked up. "William? It's three in the morning. Is everything okay?"
"No, it’s not." William swallowed hard, feeling the powerlessness rushing in his body.
"I.. uh.. I did something, Luke. Something I shouldn't have but there is no going back now.” He said hesitantly.
Luke sat up quickly, distressed by the strain in his unbreakable brother’s voice, “What happened, William? What did you do? Do you need any help?”
“I fought Liyah. I… cut off her funds. I threw her out of my house.”
Luke paused, contemplating the depth of his words. The moment he wished for had arrived. Relaxing slowly, Luke ended up speaking softly.
“.... I am happy that you finally took a stand against that monster. Is there anything I can-”
He blurted out, “I need you, Luke. She sent men to scare Bella. I need a place where she’s safe. Somewhere Liyah can't reach."
“I am glad you finally think you can rely on me too, my brother.” Luke smiled.
In that moment, he didn’t see the hatred or anger. All he saw was a chance to show his worth, to reassure he could rely on him.
“Come over. I will arrange a room for you two. Just... get her here safely, William."
William closed his eyes, leaning back against the bedframe. "Thank you, Luke."