Is this destiny?

3:21 PM

Before opening his eyes, Aiden was aware that he is thirsty. So thirsty… His lips are dry, and he tried licking them to ease the discomfort, but it seems that his tongue is dry as well. How unpleasant.

He slowly opened his eyes and his sight landed on a glass of water on the bedside table. Convenient.

Aiden gulped the water in one breath and tried to remember, how on Earth did he end up in the bed? Did he get drunk last night?

That water was not enough to quench his thirst, but it helped a bit.

What's with the pain…? Did he get into a fight? Even if he did… who can hurt him like this? Aiden can think of few people, Stella comes to his mind first, but she would probably knock him unconscious and not fight him when he is drunk.

Last night… He remembers that he watched on the phone how Sarah went with Aaron… Sarah!

He turned to his right and exhaled in relief. She is sleeping next to him. She is safe.

Some images flashed in his mind, but those must be fragments from a nightmare, because Sarah is sleeping peacefully next to him… bedsheets are fresh and barely wrinkled, and those dreams were horrible. He would never treat Sarah like that.

The sight of his left arm confused him. Why is it bandaged?

How much did he drink last night?

He closed his eyes but no matter how much he tried to remember, there was not a single image of him drinking alcohol. But there are images of twisted faces… colors… cries… and sound of Sarah telling him that it's OK and that she is next to him… and… why is he smelling that mysterious medicinal cream that Sarah carries with her wherever she goes? Other than his bandaged left arm, is any of them hurt?

His breath hitched at the mental image of Sarah grimacing in pain while suppressing cries… her eyes full of tears… Did he really hit her while she was holding onto him? Did he…?

Aiden slowly moved the cover, exposing Sarah's hands and his eyes widened in horror when he saw the bruises. She is wearing short sleeved loose fitting t-shirt and sweatpants so he can't see more than that, but… Aiden reached toward Sarah's waist and carefully lifted her t-shirt. His heart stopped at the sight of two dark bruises on her lower abdomen.

Images of him acting like a savage were coming at the front of his mind and his whole body trembled.

There was a sudden shortage of oxygen in the room and his insides painfully convulsed.

4:49 PM

Sarah groaned softly while trying to move. Every cell in her body still hurts like hell… the only spec of relief compared to that morning is that she showered and now she is clean.

Her drowsy eyes sprang open when she realized that Aiden is not in the bed next to her.

Seeing that he didn't fall off the bed in his sleep, and that the glass of water she kept there that morning is empty, Sarah concluded that he is awake… somewhere in the suite. Hopefully.

It didn't take long to find him standing on the balcony. Aiden is facing the ocean, so she can take her time to look at him, unnoticed. Sarah can't see his features clearly because descending sun is on the opposite side of him, but Aiden's shape is as handsome as ever.

He was completely still for some time, and Sarah exhaled in relief when she saw him move to drink from a water bottle.

He was in such a bad state that morning, that he didn't react when she wiped his body with a wet towel, or when she cleaned and bandaged the cut on his left arm, or when she rolled him over in order to change the bedsheets.

And now he is standing, bending slightly so that his elbows rest on the rail and… drinking water. She can't help but smile at the thought that he is awake and… better.

Aiden's movements paused. As if he felt some presence behind him, he slowly turned toward Sarah. When he saw her loving gaze and a gentle smile, the only thing he felt was a heartache. After everything he did… she can still look at him like that.

Aiden didn't want to go inside, because he didn't know how to face her. Not after previous night. He spent more than an hour on that balcony trying to come up with something, anything that he can say to Sarah and convey how sorry he is. He came up with nothing.

His legs moved on their own, toward her. Probably because that is the only place his legs are willing to carry him: close to Sarah. And suddenly he was half a step away from her… and then his legs trembled for a moment before he collapsed and fell on his knees.

Aiden's arms were around Sarah's waist, and he was not sure how tightly he can hold her without hurting her… without hurting her more than he already did.

His shoulders shook for a second… and then tears started rolling down his cheeks uncontrollably.  

Sarah was about to hug him around his neck, but then she realized that he is crying and her hands stopped midair. He is crying… She never saw him cry before. She saw him sad, distressed, raging, but never like this… broken.

She can tell that he remembers, at least some of it… and that there is no bigger pain for him than the knowledge that he hurt her.

Sarah wanted to tell him that it's not his fault, and that she is not angry… but she would be lying. Because she is angry. She is angry that all this happened and both of them ended up hurt because of one greedy woman who can't take 'no' for an answer. It is his fault for being careless, for taking all the dangers lightly, for not taking care of himself… and it's her fault as well. Because she is reckless just as he is, if not more.

That morning, before Sarah went back to sleep, Eve showed her the video when Liam and Thomas held Aiden so that Madison can scratch him. It was just for a split second, but with Eve's help, Sarah could pinpoint that moment… and she saw how both Liam and Thomas took advantage of Aiden's shock due to the drugs to take their jabs at him… and she saw how Aiden was dragged to Madison's room… and that Liam punched Aiden when he resisted to get inside...

What if they had some weapon? Or if they knew where and how to hit? Or if Aiden didn't have the presence of mind to resist the drugs until she arrived?

Since she found out that Aiden was drugged last night, her whole being is tense. An invisible rope tightened around her heart, not allowing her to dive into the abyss of rage, or cry and fall apart... making sure that she stays strong for him, for them. And now that she confirmed that he is out of danger, that rope which held her together ripped… but instead of feeling a relief she feels… anguish.

Sarah was so close to losing him that she felt her world cracking… and something did crack deep inside her because she fell on her knees right in front of him. Her head rested on his chest, and she cried.

All the tears that didn't fall previous night were falling now, and all the wails which she suppressed were released for everyone to hear. Everyone… and it was just the two of them… holding each other and sobbing.

Both of them needed this… to break down completely in order to collect their broken pieces and rise back up… together.

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