CAN I ESCAPE?

PART 15

"Welcome home, baby."

I shot open my eyes. I refused to accept this. This could not happen. No, no no no! It was our bedroom. But it seemed changed. And there by the couch stood that man, my once beloved husband Edwin Roberts.

"NO, NO Nooo", I screamed as I started losing it. I don't want to be with you Edwin. Please leave me alone. But then, I closed my mouth. There was complete silence. And then I thought, what if this is a dream? I pinched myself. Nothing happened. I did not wake up. Maybe this is not a dream. I pinched myself again. No success. I started getting restless. I could not think straight. I started slapping myself hard, trying to wake myself up from this nightmare.

"God, please wake me up. This is just a dream, a bad dream. God, I am dying. Please help me", I kept mumbling while hitting myself constantly.

I did not realize his presence until he pinned my hands up. He was standing beside me, crouching down and holding my wrists together.

"Get yourself together", he said coldly. But I could see worry in his eyes. How could I not read those pretty eyes, for I had known those eyes for so long? I stared into those beautiful orbs. And those memories flashed again. No matter how much I hated him, I loved him. I had always wanted to see him again. And somewhere in my heart, I felt calm and happy to be near him. And I hate myself for this, I hate myself for loving him.

END OF HELENA's POV

Unknowingly, a tear fell from her eye. It softly rolled down her cheek. Her cheeks got red and swollen because of the slaps. Edwin caressed her swollen cheeks gently with his long index finger. His touch made her come back to reality.

"So, how do you feel", he asked.

But she did not utter a word.

"You are speechless, I understand. Well, I must say that you executed it perfectly. I would have never found you. But destiny had its plans. My team unknowingly searched your flight's passenger list and here we are today", he said as he turned around and walked slowly to the curtains.

Turning again, he faced Helena, as he played with the curtain.

"You know what, I can punish you in the worst way right now", he said casually.

Helena looked down in fear. She dreaded this side of him. She started trembling in fear. She could not speak anything. She started wheezing.

Edwin hurriedly went to her and filled a glass of water from the jug that was kept on the nightstand.

"Drink it", he said as he handed her the glass.

"I c-cannot b-b-breathe", she whispered as she wheezed again.

He picked her up in his arms in an instant. Drawing circles on her back, he started to calm her down.

"Everything is all right. Breathe my darling. Shh, it's okay. You are here with me. I love you bub", he said to calm her down. He could feel her fast pulse rate and her hands clasping her t-shirt tightly.

"Ed", she said in a weak voice.

"Yes, love?"

"P-please let me go", she said. And that was it. It was the end of his patience.

"YOU ARE NEVER LEAVING ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK THIS SHIT AGAIN", he yelled out at her.

At the back of her mind, she had already expected this reaction. Yet, she started sobbing. She was never yelled at by anybody. Seeing her cry, he felt weak too but was very angry.

"You knew how it felt when your love dies. You knew that pain. Yet, you didn't think about me. You just jumped to the conclusions and decided to run away. Do you even know what my condition was when I was told that you might have died due to drowning? I could not get out of the house. I was crying day and night for you. I never thought that you would do something like this to me. When I was told that you might be alive, my eyes got back their shine. I had a reason to live again. But what did I get? I got to know that my dear wife, my love and my best friend, escaped and faked her death! You would never know how my heart shattered into pieces when I got to know about this. You could have talked to me about this. We could be together and happy. But you chose to go far away from me and start a new life! You never loved me, did you", he asked as angry tears fell from his red eyes.

"Ed, I was scared", she said as she looked down, feeling sad and guilty.

"For the past four months, I was planning to make you mine again. I wanted to torture you badly. And now that I have captured you and there's nothing to stop me from doing whatever I want to do with you, I am not able to see you even a bit hurt. Do you know why? Because I love you so much. That love for you is stopping me from damaging you in any way", he shouted while hitting his chest. He fell to his knees while crying hard.

"I-I am sorry", Helena said. She could not find words to say. Daxton told her the same thing. She should have talked to him. But she was scared after she confronted him that night. She was scared of getting caged with V forever.

"Can your single 'sorry' fix up that one whole f*cking month", he screamed angrily as he got up and left the room. The door closed with a loud thud.

"Edwin, wait", Helena said but he had already left. She went to the door, and it opened again. It was Edwin again.

"Don't you dare escape again", he warned her with his deadly gaze and bolted the door from outside.

Helena fell to her knees as she cried harder. She was feeling guilty. She was sad. She never thought about Edwin's feelings all this time. She kept crying while shoving her face into her knees. And then, she recalled something.

'Where is Daxton? Did Edwin hurt him?'