Chapter 20: Gifts
The corridor on the upper floor was silent and dark.
The guards stood outside the master bedroom, stepping aside the moment Kian approached. The boxes and the white lilies were neatly arranged on a side table beside the heavy wooden door.
Kian pulled the brass key from his pocket. He fitted it into the lock, turning it slowly.
’Click.’
He pushed the door open and stepped inside, shutting it behind him.
"Bella?" he called out softly.
The room was completely pitch black. The thick blackout curtains were still drawn tightly over the tall windows, blocking out the moonlight and the rain outside.
The air inside felt heavy and still, smelling faintly of old dust and iron.
He reached out and flicked the light switch on the wall.
Warm yellow light flooded the room, illuminating the dark hardwood floors.
Kian stopped dead in his tracks. His heart dropped right into his boots.
The small side table near the vanity was overturned. Shards of clear crystal glass were scattered across the floor, glistening under the light.
And right in the middle of the mess, broad streaks of dark, dried blood were smeared across the pale rug and the wood.
"Bella!" Kian’s voice cracked.
Panic surged through his chest like a sudden wave of ice water. He took three quick steps into the room, his eyes scanning the dark corners, his breath catching in his throat. "Isabella!"
"Get away..."
A small, broken voice came from the far corner of the room, hidden between the heavy mahogany wardrobe and the edge of the bed.
Kian rushed over, rounding the corner of the bed.
Isabella was curled up into a tiny ball on the bare floor, her knees pulled tight against her chest, her arms wrapped around her head.
Her dress was bunched up and torn, wrinkled and dirty. But what made Kian freeze was her feet.
Her left foot was caked in dark, dried blood. A sharp piece of glass had sliced deep into the soft side of her heel, and the blood had tracked everywhere as she had tried to move around the dark room in her panic.
"Oh God, Bella..." Kian breathed out, dropping to his knees beside her. He reached out to touch her shoulder. "What did you do? What happened?"
The moment his fingers brushed her skin, Isabella flinched violently, screaming out as she tried to scramble backward against the wall.
"Don’t touch me!" she sobbed, her hands wildly slapping at his arms, her short nails catching the fabric of his suit sleeves. "Get away from me! Get off!"
"Bella, stop! It’s me, it’s Kian!" He caught her thin wrists in one hand, holding them firm so she wouldn’t hurt herself further, while his other arm wrapped securely around her waist. "Stop moving, you’re bleeding!"
"You locked me in!" she cried out, her blind eyes wide and terrified, tears streaming down her pale, dirty cheeks.
She hit her forehead against his chest as she struggled, her voice small and hysterical. "You left me in the dark! I can’t see... I couldn’t find anything! I was scared, Kian! I was so scared!"
The sound of her crying ripped right through him.
Kian didn’t fight her. He pulled her flush against his chest, lifting her entire light frame off the cold floor, cradling her like a child.
He buried his face in her hair, inhaling the faint scent of her beneath the smell of iron and dust.
"I know, I know," he murmured over and over, his voice tight with a strange, heavy knot in his throat. He pressed his lips repeatedly against her hair, her forehead, her cold cheeks.
"I’m sorry, Bella. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone for so long. But you left me no choice. You were saying crazy things. I had to keep you safe."
"Let me go..." she gasped, her body trembling so hard her teeth chattered.
"Please, just let me go..."
"Shh, no more talking," Kian whispered gently, smoothing her messy hair back from her wet face. "I’ve got you now. You’re fine."
He carried her straight into the bathroom, setting her down carefully on the edge of the large porcelain bathtub. He turned on the golden taps, letting warm water fill the basin.
Isabella tried to pull her legs away when he reached for her injured foot, but Kian held her ankle firmly.
He called out over his shoulder, his voice loud and commanding through the closed door. "Luke! Get the maids in here to clean the bedroom! Bring the medical kit and a clean nightgown right now!"
"Yes, Mr. Carter!" Luke’s voice called back from the hall.
Kian lowered his head, gently dipping Isabella’s bloody foot into the warm water.
Isabella hissed through her teeth, her entire body tensing up from the sting, but she didn’t hit him again.
She sat completely still on the edge of the tub, her hands resting uselessly in her lap, her head bowed low.
The fight had completely drained out of her.
She stared down at the cloudy, pink-tinted water in the tub with empty, sightless eyes.
She knew it was useless. Struggling against him in this state would only end with her getting hurt more.
He was stronger, he controlled the house, and he held all the keys. If she wanted to survive long enough for Aaron to find a way to get her out, she had to stop screaming. She had to play along.
Kian watched her grow quiet. His heart settled a little as he took a soft white sponge and gently wiped the dark blood off her pale skin.
He carefully pulled out the tiny sliver of glass still lodged near her heel, tossing it aside before washing the wound clean and bathed her afterwards.
’She’s coming back to her senses,’ he thought to himself, feeling a wave of relief wash over his chest. ’She’s relaxing. She knows I’m taking care of her.’
He dried her feet with a fresh, plush towel, then helped her stand up to change into her nightgown.
Whenever he tried to lean in to kiss her cheek or brush his lips against her temple, Isabella slightly turned her face away or stiffened beneath his touch.
Kian felt a quiet spike of annoyance every time she flinched, but he kept his temper down. She was still shock-ridden. He needed to be patient.
He wrapped a clean white bandage firmly around her foot, then lifted her back up into his arms and carried her back into the bedroom.
The room had already been cleared. The broken glass was gone, the blood scrubbed from the floor, and a fresh white rug laid down.
On the small table near the bed, the maids had set out all the things Kian had brought home. The white lilies filled the air with a heavy, sweet perfume. The boxes of chocolates and the fresh pastries sat open, alongside the soft plush bear resting against the pillows.
Kian laid Isabella gently onto the soft mattress, propping her back up against the headboard. He pulled the silk duvet over her legs.
"Look what I brought you," Kian said, his voice soft and full of warm affection as he sat on the edge of the bed beside her.
He reached over and picked up the plush bear, setting it lightly in her lap. "I went to the old shop on Third Street. The one your father used to take you to."
Isabella’s hand brushed against the soft fabric of the bear’s ear. Her fingers didn’t tighten around it. She just let her hand rest there, completely still.
Kian picked up a small vanilla tartlet from the open box, holding it close to her face so she could smell the warm cream. "You haven’t eaten all day, Bella. Take a bite. It’s your favorite."
Isabella kept her lips pressed tightly together. She turned her head slightly to the side. "I’m not hungry."
Kian’s smile faded just a fraction. He held the pastry out for another second before setting it back down on the plate. "You need to eat something. You’ve lost blood, and you look pale. Just one bite, Bella."
"I don’t want it, Kian," she said quietly, her voice flat and empty.
Whenever he leaned closer to adjust her blanket or touch her face, Isabella quietly shifted her weight, pulling back an inch or two to put distance between them on the bed.
The quiet rejection hit him like a needle prick, over and over again. Kian’s jaw tightened. He reached out, his big hand closing over her knee through the blanket, holding her in place so she couldn’t slide away any further.
"Bella," he said, his tone dropping its sweet edge, turning low and warning. "I went out of my way to get these for you. I spent hours finding the lilies you like. The least you can do is talk to me properly."
Isabella didn’t look at him. She couldn’t see the dark frustration gathering in his eyes, but she could feel the heavy pressure of his hand on her leg.
"Why won’t you let me go?" she whispered suddenly.
Kian blinked, caught off guard by the quiet question. "What?"
"Why won’t you just sign the papers?" Isabella asked, her head turning slowly toward the direction of his voice. Her face was completely expressionless.
"I embarrassed you in front of the whole country. I told everyone I slept with Aaron Kazarov. You should hate me. You should want to throw me out on the street."
Kian let out a short, faint smile, leaning forward to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. "I already told you, Bella. It doesn’t matter what you said last night. I know you were confused. I forgive you."
Isabella let out a soft, dry chuckle.
The sound was small, but it surprised Kian so much his hand froze against her cheek.
"Is that so?" she murmured.
"Yes," Kian said softly, his thumb resting against her cheekbone. "It’s already forgotten."
"Is it because you love me?" she asked.