❥𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆

Chapter 87

Valerie

The evening sun painted the village in hues of orange and pink as I made my way back to the hotel, each step heavy with the weight of our argument. His words echoed in my mind, making my limbs sore and barely able to carry my weight through the hotel entrance.

Whilst I walked, my thoughts drifted back to Raphael and how I still hadn't called him. I have cut him out recently way too much.
I've been over it more than I could've counted.
He was charming, in his own way, showering me with affection and attention. Yet, there were moments when his affections blended with obsession, his possessiveness leaving me suffocating.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, his name flashing white on the screen.
I hesitated, my finger hovering over the screen, before ultimately silencing the call. I couldn't bring myself to answer, not tonight. Not when an unsolved problem was still tangled deep in my bones.

The hotel built up in front of me, its imposing facade reminding me of what awaited me within.
With a heavy sigh, I pushed open the door and stepped inside, the familiar scent of the lobby washing over me.

When I arrived in our room, I noticed Charles already being asleep. Without producing too much noise, I shed my coat and sank onto the bed, exhaustion washing over me like a heavy wave.

The events of the day played out in my mind like a broken record, a disc with a scratch.
Each moment was etched with pain and regret.

This stupid ring flashed before my eyes, over and over again.
He wanted to marry me.

I could've ached my head with thinking about it for too long again, or I could've simple closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
And I went for the latter.

As the night deepenend, and I had been asleep restlessly for a few hours, a sound shattered the unbothered silence, pulling me from the depths of my thoughts.

Charles moved around anxiously, whimpering in his sleep.
I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes.

His cries echoed in the darkness, a mixture of fear and despair.

"Charles?" I murmured, my voice trembling as I reached out to him.

He startled up, his body covered in cold sweat. His head snapped around, trying to figure out where he was. The air left his lungs rapidly, his eyes drawn with terror.

My fingers brushed against his shoulder gentle yet urgent, seeking to bring him back to here and now.

But he was lost in the grip of his own nightmare, mumbling phrases in French underneath his breath, over and over again.
The only thing I understood was a name, Arthur.

I gently shook him, my heart pounding fast inside my chest.
"Charles, it's okay. You're safe." My voice was serene, soothing.

But his face stayed in a constant evidence of horror.

"Arthur, he- where is he?" he muttered, his voice barely audible above the beating of his own heart.
"I can't... I can't-"

My heart clenched at the desperation in his voice, the raw fear that radiated from him in waves.

"Charlie," I said softly, my hands shaking, "Arthur is safe, he's okay. You're okay."

He gasped for air, his chest heaving as if the weight of the world laid upon him.
"I... I shouldn't be here," he whispered, his words slurred and disoriented, as his blurry gaze cut to me in an instant. "He- he will kill him."

His words sent a shiver down my spine, the terror filling the silence.
"What are you talking about?" My grip tightened on his shoulder, trying to get to him. But his eyes were suddenly focused somewhere I couldn't follow.