THE BILLIONAIRE'S GIRLFRIEND

FORTY

Celeste did release Titan as she promised.

Only that it was two days later.

After she left the mansion that evening, Henry had been waiting for her in the car. His relief had been palpable when she sank into the leather confines of the car.

"How did it go?" He'd asked.

"Fine." She'd replied.

And that was that. She did make him promise to call her if anything changed, though. And when she got to the hotel, Mika had been beside herself with worry. Her friend had hugged her first, slap her arm with tears in her eyes after making Malora promise not to pull something like that again, and then hugged her again.

Then, two days later, a call from Henry came to say that Titan was in his house in Knightsbridge. He'd driven him there after Celeste called him to come and pick him up from her home in Highbury. Apparently, the woman had more than one of that her tasteful, but monstrous house.

Malora and Mika had rushed out of the hotel to grab a cab to Knightsbridge. The fare had cost an arm and a leg, but it was worth it when she finally saw Titan.

The state of him had reduced her into silent tears because she did not want to wake him from the drug-induced slumber the doctor Henry had gotten, administered to him.

As he'd laid there, among dark grey sheets, bare from the waist up, he looked so fragile and nothing like the man she knew. Bruises lined his arms and torso, and a hand shaped mark spanned across his left ribs. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and he had cuts on his lower lip. His nose was also slightly crooked as if it had been broken and shifted back after some minutes. Bruises littered both arms, and his neck. The doctor had to stitch some of his wounds, and held some in place with butterfly bandages.

While she wanted to say that he looked handsome despite all that battering, Malora couldn't lie to herself. He did not look one bit handsome, and strong laying there.

But that was also five days ago, too.

During those five days, Malora had kept vigil beside his bed as the doctor came and left, leaving strict instructions not to disturb his sleep so he could heal properly. She'd helped him to the toilet with the assistance of Mika who shuffled between the hotel and Titan's house. Mika, sweetheart that she was, was currently in charge of processing the discharge of Lorena's body for proper burial. Without her, Malora didn't know what she would have done.

Currently, Malora was seated by the large window which overlooked a wide expanse of land at the back of the house. She'd drawn the heavy curtains aside to let in the weak after noon light, and was nursing a cup of tea and trying—and failing—to read one of the book she'd prolifered from Titan's study bookshelves. Her gaze kept straying to the bed, where Titan laid on his back, sleeping. When Celeste meant 'punishment' Malora had thought maybe that had to solely do with locking him up or something, not real life torture. How she could do that to the son she claimed to love was surprising.

She must have fallen asleep because the next time she woke up, it was already evening as the sky was already dark. As usual, there were no stars in the sky, but a weak moonlight dotted the inky blackness, though.

Malora stretched to alleviate her sore muscles, eyes straying to the bed where Titan lay. Then, promptly froze.

Light gray eyes met her baby blues.

"Titan," Malora said, rising to her feet and making her way to the bed instantly, body on high alert.

His familiar eyes—the one she loved so much—trailed her movement to the place beside him. "Wa...ter." His voice sounded hoarse and so broken.