Bastian - Chapter 144 - Map Of Scars - WoopRead
9-12 Minutes
✧Map Of Scars✧
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
The light in Odette's bedroom never went out. Dr. Kramer came through constantly to check up on Bastian and the maids helped to cool his fever. Odette sat in a chair by the fireplace and watched everything.
Her mind did not register the people moving around her though, her mind was entirely on what Doctor Kramer had told. The tragic story of a woman, betrayed by her cherished love, and her abandoned son. So ghastly it verged on unbelievable, yet it was an undeniable truth. The doctor didn't seem like the person to make up such a story.
Why, why did you do this!
Bastian's angered shouts rang through her head, images of his intense eyes at the moment he had discovered her betrayal.
She could finally understand the state of his mind on that day. Why he had been so furious, why he decided to be so cruel in his revenge, why he couldn't let go of the relationship that was destroying the pair of them.
She understood it all.
"His fever seems to have finally cooled," said Dora, as she patted Bastian's forehead.
Odette rose from her seat and approached the bedside as Dr. Kramer remove the intravenous needle from Bastian's arm. Bastian was still unconscious and his scarred body was exposed as the sheets had all been pulled back to help with the cooling.
"Would you like for me to set you up a bed in another room, so that you may get some rest?" Dora said. Odette only answered with a shake of her head as she sat on the edge of the bed.
She looked down at Bastian lost and helpless. There was a deep and ragged looking scar on his chest that crinkled and flexed as he breathed. His shoulders, arms, stomach and waist, everywhere she looked there was only pain, but Odette couldn't look away.
His body was like a map of scars. The hidden truth, unknown to her, swept in like a tender yet mighty tidal wave, enveloping her heart.
She had never really looked at him before, never seen him properly. She thought that unnecessary attention was only going to make things complicated, in a relationship that was entirely fake.
Amidst her life's desert, she sought not to be an aimless wanderer, lured by the mirage of an oasis. She shielded herself, closing her eyes and covering her ears. Yet the very sanctuary she pursued was but the heart of the barren wasteland, where her beautiful illusion vanished within the tempestuous sands.
She regretted the past, when she was in a hurry to avoid reality. She only felt resentment toward him for hiding himself. She hated herself for making such rash decisions that only served to make things worse, and she was saddened by the truth she had only just learned that nothing can be undone.
As she grappled with the tumultuous tempest within, emotions aflame with rage or perhaps something deeper, the maids started to cleanse Bastian. A subtle crack appeared in her gaze as she silently watched the scene.
He was a man that strived for perfection in everything. He didn't tolerate the tiniest bit of imperfection, which made him appear stern. This had the effect of strengthening his body, but his mind was still frail and left him in a condition where others had to take care of him. It felt as though she had beheld the collapse of a once-mighty fortress.
"Please step aside, I will take it from here," Odette said impulsively and rose from her seat.
"But madam... his condition is still..."
