As if the heavy burden was never on my body and I never lost my breath, I jerked up from my sleep with my eyes wide and breathing shallow.
The first thing, my eyes noticed was the photo frame hanging just in front of my eyes on the wall ahead which showed me and my sister laughing at each other while hugging and our hair were made into something funny.
I frowned and looked around to see a huge room, probably the size of my studio apartment and the clear full moon shining outside my window on the other side of my closed curtains.
I heard a knock followed my the click and the door flung open showing a tall figure.
"What is it, Yun?" A sleepy deep voice spoke, while rubbing his eyes. "Another nightmare?" He added.
The horror now was not being at an unknown place, which looked like it belonged to me, but the man's identification.
"You...you..." I shivered to even take his name from my tongue. The land owner, my bully since high school, was standing casually and asking me a question which sounded as if he ever cared for me.
"What? I was in your nightmare?" His tone changed into high pitched and he walked towards me, sitting on the edge of the bed.
I instantly crawled back, hitting my back on the headboard and covered my torso with the blanket. He looked confused.
"What's wrong, babe?" He asked again and slid closer to me, tucking a hair strand behind my ears. My eyes were wide and I was sweating, not to mention my breathing was shallow.
"Just...go...away...." I uttered and pushed his hand away and looked at him with fear. I could never forget the last time he threw hot oil on my legs because I tried to run away when he was punching me in my stomach.
He was inhumane and cruel. He never liked me since childhood but his bullying got extreme when we met as a londlord and renter. Just to save my sister from this devil, I had to endure his torture whenever he wished to do.
"Yuna? Is everything alright?" He asked again. He looked concerned but I shouldn't be fooled.
I quickly threw the blanket on his face and started punching his face and anywhere I could and he helplessly kept squirming. I locked his hands and body between my knees and kept punching him until I felt a pair of hands pulling me away from him.
Only then I noticed the lights of the room flickered on and someone's else's presence in the room. I looked behind me and visibly gasped.
"How..." My eyes were teary and my vision blurred. How in the world did they reach to me together?
"Yuna? Babe, what's wrong?" The girl asked while patting my back slowly and I prepared myself mentally for a punch or a slap. I was done for.
They always showed their faces as if they cared and then suddenly started beating me. It was one of their kinks to take me off guard. But I was prepared now.
I closed my eyes and the tears rolled down but someone quickly wiped them off and I snapped open my eyes to see the man looking at me sadly.
"Whatever your dream was, I assure you, you're safe!" He said and kept wiping my tears.
The girl hugged me from my back and rested her chin on my head. I was still shivering and she hugged tighter.
"Please, whatever I did, I'm sorry. Please, don't hurt me. Please don't do anything to my sister." I begged and sobbed. No matter how strong I showed myself, I was always in their mercy when it came to the bullys.
Not even the police could help me because they preferred money over people's lives.
"What? Why would you say that?" He exclaimed and I flinched and forced myself away from her and stepped away from them.
"Yuna, please calm down." The girl, the one who I hated with all my heart, said softly.
"Why? So you can beat me again? No, I'm not!" I yelled at them and opened the balcony. It was huge balcony with a roof and stepped outside in the cold air. The heavy wind slapped me but I ignored and ran towards the edge and before I could jump, I was abruptly pulled back and got engulfed by two people.
"Yuna!" They yelled my name, still shocked?
"No! Leave me! Let me die and end my misery! Let me fcking go!" I tried to push them but they both had sandwiched me between them so I had no way out.
Finally, giving up, I started sobbing hard, not caring if his shoulders were getting wet or both of them were shaking with me. We stayed like that for a few minutes while they kept stroking my head.
"Please, let me go." I managed to utter above whisper and they slowly let me go.
"Yuna, I promised you that whatever your fight is, you're not alone and I'm always here." He spoke, cupping my cheeks.
Now that the situation, was calm, I noticed the changes. The photo frame on the wall, their behaviour, me sleeping at an unknown place and wearing a silky long robe for just night wear and a chilly weather. The last time I knew, it was beginning of Spring. But now it looked like the month of December.
I looked into his eyes, and all I saw for worry, fear and sadness. The corner of his lip was bleeding. I never dared to punch him before, I never had the guts to. How did I ever had the courage to even do that?
His black locks were messy but he didn't care. I looked behind to find her looking as same as him, scared, sad and worried.
By this time, I knew that something was very badly and annoyingly wrong. And I had to get to the root of this.
"Now will you please tell me what's wrong?" A soft voice from behind me spoke and caught my attention. Mia looked at me with tired eyes that woke up just because of me but lips held a slight smile in assurance that everything was okay now. But what was wrong? Didn't I just get smashed under the heavy bricks and rods? Why is this situation so different from my everyday life? Where's Gabriella? "I...don't understand..." I muttered, biting my lips and trying to recall if my memory was a dream and if I remembered any of this life or this right was a dream. "What is it that you do not understand?" Calvin asked softly and cupped my cheeks. I pushed his hands away slowly and sighed. "Everything!" I answered honestly, ignoring the fact that none of them would understand what I meant. Not that I was gonna explain anything anyway. "What do you mean?" Mia asked, frowning. "Nothing. Can I be alone, please?" I asked, pulling my knees to my chest. "Are you okay, babe?" Calvin asked. "Yeah."
I opened my eyes to the surroundings of white ceiling and walls and four people looking at me with concern. I was laying on the hospital bed with white sheets covering my body and dim lights accompanied by the sunrays lightening the room.I took a deep breath in the silence andWhere was my sister? Mia walked closer. She touched my forehead and smiled."Fever's gone." She turned around and said to others. My eyes wandered at each of the faces. Mia, who's eyes looked red and puffy — she had cried. Calvin looked equally scared as her, hair still a mess. Alice, who had sadness in her brown orbs, was standing across the wall with her hands folded before her. The man who I didn't know was rather looking differently at me.Though he was concerned but he seemed to have a doubt in me. He was suspiciously eyeing me as if wanting me to answer his questions which were unasked."Yuna...babe." Mia called softly and I looked at her. I was confused and my mind felt foggy with all questions and surrou
I looked up at the man sitting on a red velvet chair placed upon the stairs and I heard murmurs among the people sitting around me. I tried to stand up and I had frown."Excuse me?!" I exclaimed trying my best to sound tough. The murmurs increased."Are you sure you want to use that tone to talk to me, my lovely Luna?" He asked in a rather dark tone and my knees started shivering."What tone do you think I should use?" I said as my voice came out shaky.I looked up at him and he was fuming. His eyes turned golden and his fist were clenched tight on his knees."Dismiss." He ordered in a heavy tone and everyone rushed out of the hall as if scared of the man and just wanted to save their lives. The huge door behind me closed and the man stood up from his throne, making his way to me.My legs, as if having their own mind, took several steps back as he kept getting close to me. He reached to me before I could break the eye contact and run and grabbed a fist of my hair pulling my face close
It hadn't been long that I was about to doze off in that cozy luxurious room, I heard the door click open and I hastily took a defensive stance. In a hurry I took anything as a form of weapon I could and managed to grab a beside table lamp.I stood up on the bed when my eyes landed on a man who wore a navy blue suit enter with a mad face and messy hair walk in. I frowned at his appearance while he was fuming with anger."What are you doing here?" He whispered-yelled before walking inside and did not forget to close the door behind him and securing it with a lock."What do you mean?" I carefully questioned reminding myself not to ask him who he was assuming that he already knew me. "Don't play dumb! Why did you return?" He gritted his teeth while keeping his ground."I don't understand! What did I ever promise to you?" I repeated. If I had to have a conversation with this I needed to know what this body's owner did before I took her place. "You promised to leave lord Astrid alone and
I looked at my mate into the eyes and answered with a question, "Are you, perhaps, making fun of me?" He chuckled making it sound like bells in my ears and stretched his hand. I looked at his palm and held him before he helped me stand up."Sorry, I'm just tired right now." I said. I was honestly tired and clueless. I didn't know what to do than going with the flow. "It's okay." He replied and took me to bed. I couldn't imagine my first encounter, which was probably few hours ago, was with this same man. "Luna, is there something you wanna tell me?" He asked.I looked at his sharp eyes wondering if he saw anyone leaving since it wasn't much long until that man was gone and he arrived. Should I tell him? I wondered.He face held no expression at one point when I stayed quiet."Who came here?" He asked again, this time his voice was cold. I thanked any almighty blessing me that I was sitting on the bed or I'd have fallen down by now."N...no... no one..." I stuttered badly under his ga
I was laying quietly on my bed, my eyes fixed outside the window on the pretty snowfall. I couldn't help but think about my sister at all times.Where is she? Is she doing okay? The frame that I saw was not what she looked like. She looked older for an 18-year-old. It wasn't normal.That man from earlier seemed to have something against me. Did the owner of this body make any kind of deal with him? And he called me a traitor. What did I do Astrid or him? "Ugh." I threw my head back on the headboard and looked at the front where I saw a white curtain in front of a wall....Which was wierd.What does that curtain even hiding on a plain wall? Curiousity getting the best of me, made me stand from my place and made my way to the curtain and slowly tried to slide it when I heard a knock."Luna, may I come in?" A lady spoke from the other side. I close the curtain properly and turned towards her."Yes." I replied and the door was clicked open and a lady in a long ball gown and long apron up
In the chirping nightAstrid's POVMy eyes stayed on the ceiling as I laid on the bed in my room, but today the person I held in my embrace was holding me back while the soft snores that came from her assured me that she was sound asleep.I smiled pulling her closer and closed my eyes. I knew I couldn't sleep for long when I heard a knock on the door which snapped my eyes open. I gently pulled out of the entrance and tucked Yuna properly who snuggled with the pillows and I wore my long robe before opening the door."Sorry, My Lord, but your father has called upon a meeting." My Butler Bose said while bowing a little bit."Now?" I asked."Yes, My Lord." He answered in a low tone. I looked back at my sleeping mate and sighed. She had a smile which was alluring and calling me near her to snuggle into her embrace and kiss her lips and cuddle her until the time resumes but sadly, I had to leave.I looked at Bose and nodded."Let's go."I followed Butler Bose after closing the door behind
The next morningAstrid's POVToday could become an important day for the kingdom. We may or may not be able to hunt down the killer of the town who kidnapped Yuna's sisters four months ago when she, allegedly, came here to something regarding Yuna. Gabriella had talked to one of the old ladies who lived in a small house in the kingdom about meeting my father, Lauren Kessler when she mentioned the whereabouts of Yuna and even her reason for leaving the kingdom and me.But before she could even approach the Palace, she was abducted and the old lady was killed in her house. The granddaughter, being helpless, only said that she knew Gabriella knew about Yuna.Since then, our doubts have been stuck on the killer of the town we could not trace and hence we formed a secret committee for such discussions and we would meet once a month to hear about any progress regarding this case. The committee groups held a few of my trusted men and my father's brothers. Nobody knew that Yuna had been fo