“Don’t worry, honey. Everything will be all right,” one of the paramedics said, gently squeezing my hand reassuringly as I gazed numbly at the ceiling of the ambulance. My lips were dry and hurt. The last thing I could remember before the oblivion consumed me was his kisses and how I would never have him again.
Over.
Everything was finally over.
In that moment, I allowed myself to weep and let the grief overtake me.
Sapphire
My eyes snapped open, but then closed again when the sunlight pouring into the hospital room blinded me. I put my hand over my eyes and tentatively glanced around. The last thing I remembered was being in the ambulance as people tried to reassure me everything was fine. Their words almost made me laugh again.
Nothing about all this was fine.
My headache was killing me, my wrists and feet hurt, and my lips were dry. I needed some water. Noticing a button beside the bed, my fingers pressed it with my good hand, and in a second, a young nurse came in.
“You’re awake.” Her face brightened like we were friends and she was happy for me to be alive. “How do you feel?”
“Like shit.”
She nodded. “Understandable.” She put some ice to my lips and it felt heavenly, and then she gave me a cup with a straw. “Take a few sips, no more, okay?” I listened to her, and although my body demanded more water, I followed her instructions.
Suddenly, when my mind caught up with everything going on around me, I let out a small cry and I placed my hand protectively over my belly. “My baby?”
A look of understanding came over her face. “The baby is fine.” She patted my hand. “The doctor will be here shortly.”
I lay my head back down on the bed as relief washed over me. My baby was okay. I had protected my baby. Our baby. Tears formed in my eyes, and I did nothing to stop them from sliding down my cheeks.
Damian.
He was dead. He wouldn't be here to discover the joys of parenthood with me. To make sure we had the future he planned for. I had dreamed of giving him love and a family, something that was stolen from him, but I would never get the chance. The knowledge killed me, but at the same time, he did the right thing. The image of him sliding over the edge of the cliff as his shirt soaked in blood was still fresh in my mind, and I screamed in agony as a doctor rushed into the room. He grabbed my hand and checked my pulse as he adjusted an IV drip.
“It’s okay, sweetheart.”
“He is dead,” I cried, and the nurse who rushed in right after the doctor sat on the bed and ran her hand over my head.
“Yes, honey, he is dead. He will never hurt you again. Sociopath is dead.” My head shook in denial; no, he wasn't bad. He was my salvation. My father was the evil in this world. But before I could open my mouth and explain, my eyes closed and darkness claimed me.
“Miss Blake?” Melissa, the FBI agent, repeated, and I was snapped from my thoughts. I turned my head to her and raised my brow.
“Yes?”
She exchanged a look with her colleague, Agent Connor, and repeated her question. “Were you violated during your imprisonment with Sociopath?”
I shook my head and she nodded, although her face had a pitiful expression on her face. She probably thought I was lying or something. They came after a psychologist, who wanted to know how damaged I was after my time with the evil man.
He was the love of my life.
He was dead.
This devastated me.
“Okay, do you know his real name?” My head shook again and she huffed in frustration. No matter what, I’d protect him. No one needed to know who Damian and Dominic Scott were. “Did he tell you why he kidnapped you?” Finally, a question with an easy answer.
“Yes.” My hands played with the edge of the blanket. “He wanted me.” Melissa’s eyes widened as she made yet another entry in her notebook.
“Could you tell us what happened on the cliff? You called 911 and claimed your father was guilty. You had shot him by the time we arrived on the scene.” She and her partner both leaned forward, eagerly waiting for my reply. The case would win them a promotion; it wasn’t every day international criminals were caught. Her words confused me though, because I never made the call. How did they even know about Damian and me? And why were they so focused on him, when my father was the one who did all the evil things? However, I was too exhausted to care or argue with them.
I studied the huge-ass window in my room, the clear blue sky, and the images of my time in Damian’s house flashed through me.
Our first kiss.
Dance.
Meeting at the club.
Kidnapping.
Lovemaking.
Learning the truth.
Love.
Always love.
No one outside of Damian and me would ever understand our relationship, and he had left me alone in the world with just memories. I hated him for making me live with this pain alone.