Prologue

Dark clouds sealed the night sky and lightning broke into the horizon. The full moon, which was so proudly fighting the darkness a few minutes ago, now exhausted, decided to rest behind the fluffy dark blanket of heavy clouds. Another stroke of lightning shined behind them and seconds later a thunder boomed aloud, silencing the mischievous nature. The intensity of sound shook the weak hearts underneath, on the solid surface. A few grimaced and jotted the concerning points for their selfish lives and a few felt overjoyed hearing the roar of nature, welcoming a new season. A few in million didn’t pay the changing weather any mind. For them, the occasion was less important than the baggage in their crazy lives. Their plates were too full to peek from behind the curtains of labors and fill their tired eyes with the beauty of a magnificent atmosphere.

As the thundering horde of heavy clouds released the first drop of heavenly essence, the air-cooled and carried a unique fragrance of wet soil. As lightning strikes the horizon again, more drops were spilled but at a blinding rate. The big drops when fell on a solid surface-initiated a clatter, which was soon followed by many and produced a natural rhythm.

Music of nature.

Through the glass windows of a grand mansion, her hungry eyes drank every detail that transpired as a scientific phenomenon. A hiccup escaped her mouth that immediately set pressure on the empty stomach. Her lower lip quivered with silent whimpers as she gawked at the breath-taking view with dull and bloodshot eyes. A single tear dropped on her bruised cheek making her wince. Sniffing could be heard over the hits of rain over a glass panel. Her body shivered under the thick blankets even when a heater was throwing warm air around her.

Oh, she wasn’t shivering due to cold. Her naked body was fidgeting under the rosy blankets in pain. Her bony fingers held the hem of warm solace in a tight grip until the knuckles turned white. Her teeth were constantly chattering as the wild happenings of the day revolved around her mind.

Maybe, she stared at the beauty of a cold night spellbound, but her mind was reminiscing the torture of days. Her dark brown and long hairs were falling like a curtain covering not only half of her face but the bloody bruises too. She hiccups and went rigid when the bathroom door opens and he walks out shirtless, with only a towel wrapped around his hips.

His sun-kissed skin shined under natural flash in skies when the remnants of shower ran across his packed muscles. He resembled Greek gods of early Rome in every sense with his dark wet hair. The muscles of his back rippled and biceps flexed as he rubbed a spare towel against the wet hairs.

Murderous thoughts raced in his mind and his nostrils flared in anger. His hardened jaw started to ache and black spots danced in front of his eyes. The blood pumping in his veins roared once in a while when images of her battered body rushed through his mind. Her agonized wails and cries still echoed in his ears. He recalled the moment when she fell in his arms and complained about the demons that broke her. Her pain has scarred him for life. Her heart-breaking sobs will always remind him of failure and ignorance. He was too late to save her from the onslaught of her past. His one wrong decision will come to bite him for a lifetime.

A hiccup followed by a low whimper caught his attention. The sight in front of him vaporized the raging thoughts bombarding in his skull and moisture covered his dark eyes. And in that mere moment, he felt vulnerable. Tossing the towel in his hand at some corner, he approached her slowly. Her hold on blanket tightened watching him cutting the distance between them. She was scared out of her mind but didn’t let the emotions defeat her blank expression. Her toes curled in mattress and teeth bit the lower lip in anticipation. Nerves hiked in alarm as he sat beside her on the small bed. A squeak left the years old furniture as it carried the weight more than its endurance. The trembles running down her spine hushed in the proximity of his warm body.

Leaning in her, he kissed her forehead. The touch of his soft and warm lips worked as the balm for her suffering soul. He wiped the tears that were shamelessly running down her burning eyes.

“Talk to me.”

The slow whisper touched the strings of her heart and unknowingly her lips parted to let out a sob. Her chest heaved in relief as he engulfed her in a side hug and rocked their bodies gently, back and forth.

“I knew it. I knew you will come to me. I had faith that you will save me from these monsters.” She said between cries and he closed his eyes unable to stop the river of his own emotions. “But why? Why did you come for me? Why didn’t you disappoint my expectations like others? Why? Why my heart feels so light in your presence? Why my mind achieves peace and forgets the darkness surrounding me when you hold me in your arms? Why under your touch this foreign feeling… this feeling of liberation erupts in my heart? I feel… I feel a whole person not just a shadow who follows the unknown willingly. I…I..”

Heaviness clogged her throat as she failed to express more. He kissed her forehead again and pushed her body flat on the bed.

“Sleep, my love. I am here to watch over you.”

He smiled lovingly as for the first time in life he felt so special.

It was all because of her heartfelt words.

In the past, he has lived as a powerful person and destroyed the lives that tried to rebel against his rules. But when he basked under her light, he felt a little more human than before.