The Royal Series 02: The Royal Wooing

Chapter 47

Warning:  Description of violence and death.

***

LAURICE

"Honestly," I told Chris as I sighed and looked away into a void. "I don't remember much from that night. Just enough for others to get the gist of it," I told him about the night that Dominique and I escaped.

I remember crying to my therapist at how useless I felt because I couldn't help with the investigation. Whenever the lawyers, police, and Interpol agents would visit me to ask me questions I ended up crying. Because all I could remember was how Dom and I were pulled into a car when we were just about to return to our accommodation at that summer camp. How they would wake Dom and I, with a gunshot. They would sometimes visit where they were keeping us and play a sick joke of joking that maybe they should try to see if any of us were willing to take a bullet to the head to save the other.

How I would sometimes wake up to feeling someone caressing parts of my body. And all I could do was bite my tongue, try not to make a sound because if I did, they would shoot Dominique who was sleeping next to me. They would sometimes play a sick joke of making cuts wherever they please, making a deal about who would make a sound when we get cut.

I had so much of those cuts and I begged my parents and Kuya to have those scars be removed as if it was never there at all. Back when I just got back, I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror. My own reflection reminded me of what went on that abduction. I would find myself staring into nothing just so I would not look at my hands, arms, or anywhere where there's a cut.

"Chris," I called him while swallowing. I thought he wasn't looking at me but when I looked up, he was just looking at me. His eyes held worry instead of pity which made me smile bitterly. "After hearing that, do you think I'm dirty?" My voice cracked and I felt warm tears slide down my cheeks while looking at him.

I could barely see him but I felt him pull me into a hug.

"No. Never," he said and I leaned onto him as my shoulders kept shaking as I cried.

This...Chris holding me like this, it was similar to how Dom would hold me whenever those bastards would enter the dark and dirty room where they kept us. Holding me enough to cover my frame, even knowing that his seventeen year old body will be easily overpowered by the adult men in the room. Which just made me cry harder.

That was what I could recall during our abduction years ago, I was gone for months but it felt like forever because it was the same cycle of being threatened and them telling us their dislike for royals.

But something I can never forget was when Shana and Dominique's butler found us immediately the day we were abducted but they never got us out. Shana who was my attendant since my pre-adolescent years. Those sick bastards made a show out of killing them in front of us. How can someone kill another person? As if slicing their heads off their body was the same as cutting pork?

"It's okay baby, cry it out. I'm here to listen," Chris said in a hushed voice and I hugged him tighter. "I'll never let those fuckers near you ever again."

"You're not mad that I'm only telling you about this now?" I asked him while my face was buried on the curve where his neck and shoulder met.

"No. I am more mad at that idiot that forced you to tell me this," Chris said and held my face with both of his hands. "I can never know how much pain you went through when that happened. But I saw how hard it was for you, I was there. Logan wasn't listening to anyone but me because he was so worried about you so I saw how hard it was for the two of you."

"You were there?" I asked him.

"Yes, and if you don't remember it's okay." He smiled and I smiled, calming down a bit when I felt him lean his forehead on mine. "I'm just happy you're better now. If you ever feel like crying about it, cry and lean on me. I'll listen to you talk for as long as you want or if you want me to just hold you, then I'll hold you. I would never hold it against you for still hurting about it."