Disgust, hatred, rage, and anguish. The moment his fingers touched the jagged scar, pure pain seeped through her body. The pain and hatred she had been holding inside, as well as the scar of all the suffering she had been hiding for years, came to the fore. Judith could not look up to meet his gaze as she drew her legs closer to her chest, hugging herself to conceal what was not meant to be seen. Drazhan's warm arms encircled her as she felt the bed dip beside her. He drew her close, her head resting on his chest, and he draped a duvet over her naked body as she clung to him for dear life.
Her body quivered as tears streamed down her face as memories of the years of suffering rushed through her mind. She couldn't feel anything but the agony of the past and his soothing touch. His hand ran reassuringly down her back as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. Her sobs turned into hiccups and she felt him suck in a deep breath.
"Who did this to you?" He asked and her fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt tighter.
"My mother." Her voice came as a faint whisper and his hold tightened around her.
"Do you-" he paused, and she could feel him looking down at her. "Do you want to talk about it?" He inquired, and Judith gulped. A few moments passed and she breathed out.
"I-I have been hiding this hideous scar for about twenty years now. For years, I kept it hidden so no one could see it and ask me how I got it. Because I didn't want to answer back and relive those memories. I just wanted to forget I had it at all."
"It's okay if you don't want to-" he placed a kiss on her head and she shook her head.
"I-I want to tell you." Judith sat up and sniffed. "You've already seen it, and I want you to know how I got it." She looked up to see Drazhan looking down at her with respect and admiration in his eyes. He nodded as he gently grasped her cheek in his hand. Judith sighed and lowered her gaze to her lap.
"She was a model, my biological mother. I mean she wanted to be a model but was struggling when she met my father. She found out she was pregnant with me and wanted to abort me. Her biggest gig was coming up, and I was ruining her body." Judith chuckled bitterly. "But my father didn't let her and from the moment I was born, I was reminded that she didn't want me. I was constantly reminded that it was my fault that her life and career had been ruined. My nanny had told me that she even refused to breastfeed me. And I had to survive on a tiny bottle of formula. They fought over it numerous times as my father demanded that she take better care of me. From there, things went downhill. When I was four, she began coming home late and using drugs. They were constantly fighting, and when my father left the house enraged, she would beat me." She could hear Drazhan's breath hitch but continued with her story.
"The next year, things got really bad, and she began bringing random men home at night. I recall those monsters' disgusting eyes on my tiny frame, and some even laid their filthy hands on me. And that woman only laughed as I screamed and cried." Drazhan's arms drew Judith into his chest as she hissed.
"I'd hide behind doors, cupboards, or bathrooms so they couldn't find me, and that woman would just smirk and laugh at me. My father was away on business for the majority of those years, leaving me alone with that monster of a mother."
"I turned six and she started making do chores. I remember breaking a cup. It was of course brought with my father's money, but she had beaten me to the point I couldn't even cry. Fortunately, my Nona was visiting that day and saved me. She drove me to her house, where she lived with her younger daughter. I stayed there for a few days and had peace for the first time in a long time. Nona took excellent care of me; she fed me, bathed me, played with me, and changed my badges. I was happy. My so-called aunt, on the other hand, was not. She was a carbon copy of her older sister, and the torture began the moment Nona left for some urgent work. Her friends were visiting and she had ordered me to bring water. I had accidentally spilt some water on her friend, and she had dragged me to the bathroom and dunked me in cold water. Later, she threw me out of the house, soaked in water in the dead of winter. I was shivering from the cold and losing feeling in my fingers when my mother pulled over in front of me-"
Flashback:
Little Judith peered up through her slightly frozen eyelashes at the woman who had given birth to her in the driver's seat. Leona says nothing as her hands are firmly gripped on the steering wheel. After a few moments, she turned her head toward Judith. A flash of warning was all it took for little Judith to open the car door with her tiny shaking hands and slip inside. The car was nice and warm. Warmer then outside. Judith buckled her seatbelt, just as her father had taught her, and sat quietly. Judith shivered gradually over time as she looked out the window as her mother began driving.
Judith's tiny eyes had closed due to exhaustion, and she had gradually drifted off to a light slumber. But it didn't take long for her to wake up when the car came into contact with something.
Little Judith's eyes widened in horror when she saw Leona driving down the road like a maniac. Leona began overtaking cars like a crazed lunatic and cruising way above the speed limit through traffic.
"M-mommy?" She was scared and her voice was quivering. But the woman did not even glance back at her or slowed down. When a car honked loudly and barely moved out of the way, Judith's body began to shake with terror. Leona was now driving in the opposite direction. Cars were speeding towards them. The flashing headlights and deafening honks were too much for little Judith to endure.
"Mommy stop!" Little Judith screamed at the woman in the driver's seat, her voice quivering. Tears slowly streamed down her small cheeks as she peered ahead with tormented eyes.
"Please, Mommy, stop! Why aren't you listening to me!" She screamed, hugging herself in the back seat. "Mommy!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as the automobile's brakes screeched and bright headlights and car horns filled the car, blinding her little eyes and filling her mind with buzz. Her eyes widened in terror as a bright large pair of headlights appeared in front of her in an instant. The next thing she knew, she was being crushed by a bone shattering impact on her side. As loud ringing consumed her hearing, shattered glasses rained down. Her head collided with the seat as the car flipped over. Her blurry eyes barely caught the image of Leona groaning and falling with a thump on the surface as she hung upside down. Little Judith blinked a few times, barely seeing her mother crawl out of the car before darkness enshrouded her.
Little Judith's blurry eyes opened and blinked a few times as she heard noises from a distance that were barely reaching her ears. When she looked up, she saw a white ceiling with lights staring at her, and she was moving. She could not turn her head to look at her sides no matter what, and she felt as if she were lying on a cloud. She couldn't move her hands or feel her body. The last thing she saw was a man's face looking back at her with concern in his eyes.
"Where is the mother?" The doctor inquired as he walked to the Emergency Room's reception area. The nurse raised her head and flipped through the records she was holding.
"She was transferred to the Chambers."
"Is she conscious?" The doctor inquired.
"Yes, but not sober." He frowned as the nurse informed him. "Not sober?"
"She's high on drugs. But still managed to crawl out of the car and save herself." The doctor's jaw clenched, "Anything about the father? Or other legal guardians?"
"We were unable to contact the father."
In frustration, the doctor groaned and ran his finger through his hair.
"Dr Norven!" When one of the residents came rushing up to him, he turned around.
"What?"
"The X-ray report has arrived, and it is bad."
"How bad is it?"
"The knee has been completely dislocated, and the femur has broken into three pieces. She had a few broken ribs, internal bleeding and injuries, and a skull fracture."
"Call the cops and try to reach the father or get her to talk so you can get in touch with a legal guardian. The child needs emergency surgery!" Dr Norven barked out orders and dashed towards little Judith.
Judith was hooked up to oxygen and had a slew of machines attached to her. The doctors were able to stop the bleeding on her leg, and she was stabilised for the time being. Dr Norven's jaw twitched in rage as he saw the little girl on the huge hospital bed. How could a mother be so lackadaisical as to drive her daughter like that high on drugs!
"Doctor Norven?" When the hospital's in-house attorney called his name, he turned around.
"We were unable to contact the father or any other legal guardian. The mother is refusing to talk and fainted." She informed.
"What are the cops doing? I need legal consent to perform surgery on her. And that woman is not in a position to consent!"
"We can wait for the drug's effect to wear off."
"There isn't enough time for that! This child could die, Sharon!" Sharon sighed as Dr Norven exclaimed.
"You have the legal authority to make decisions on behalf of your patient. But you know what happens if something goes wrong-"
"Nothing is going to happen. Prepare the OR." Dr Norven yelled and prepared for emergency surgery.
Sharon stood there for a moment, watching as they took the child and began walking towards the chamber where the mother was being held. When she discovered the door was wide open and the cops had left, she frowned.
"Where is she?" Sharon exclaimed as she stared at Leona's empty bed.
"She left." The attending nurse informed with terrified eyes and Sharon stared back at her dumbfounded.
Present time:
"She just left?" Drazhan growled and Judith nodded.
"She didn't say anything, not even a word of concern or regret. She just abandoned me there. Dr Norven ensured that my surgery went smoothly, and he looked after me from the moment I awoke from anaesthesia. I was terrified; my body felt heavy, and everything hurt. And the first thing that came to mind and came out of my mouth when I awoke was 'Mommy.' Dr Norven told me she was sick as well and would see me when she felt better. But after a week, I realised it was a lie. I knew she wasn't coming back." Judith chuckled bitterly sniffing and sweeping the tears away with the back of her hand. "Consider the anguish and surprise that shattered my little heart as I tried to convince myself that the woman who had given birth to me had left me in the hospital. She abused me, tortured me, and even caused my accident, but the little me still wanted to be loved by her mother. But she just abandoned me!" Judith's voice cracked in the end and Drazhan knew how deep the scar ran.
Drazhan sat up straight, engulfing her in his warmth.
"All I wanted was to be loved. All I wanted was for her to look at me with warm eyes. I always did my best at everything she told me to do, hoping that she would acknowledge me. But all she did was abuse, hurt, and scar me. And slowly, the sadness gave way to hatred." Judith finished her sentence and snuggled into his warmth, attempting to calm the storm that was raging in her heart. Drazhan's hand ran down her spine, trying to console and comfort her.
"So, what happened next? How did your father find you?" Drazhan inquired, lovingly stroking her head.
"He never did." Drazhan frowned as Judith exhaled.
"What do you mean? Fabian-"
"He found me in the rehabilitation centre. He took me in as his child."
YOU ARE READING
Temptation Of The Knight ✔
Romance"You had a lot of fun on the flight, Captain!" He said coaxing his voice to sound huskier. Judith's lips parted slightly as her breathing became laboured. "If I recall properly, you were sceptical of my stamina!" He stated this while dipping his hea...
