Somewhere Between Love and Revenge

Don't Betray Me, Please

Mia knocked on Anton's bedroom door to remind him to take his medications. It took two attempts before she was told to come in.
She met Anton sitting on his bed looking all gaunt and emotionally drained, his back rested on the headrest.

She fetched his medicine from the drawer and gave it to him. He swallowed them quickly and went back to looking blankly at the wall.

As she made to leave the room, she wished she could be of any help to him but she knew she couldn't, and thought it was also best for him to be alone.

"Nat" Anton called as she was about leaving.

She stopped and turned around to face him.

"Can you stay with me for some minutes? You don't have to do anything, just your presence is enough"

He knew that he sounded desperate and in need of help but he couldn't control himself. It was one of his flaws, whenever he likes someone, he becomes a little dependable on that person. He knew that he knew nothing about her, he knew she might have a dark side, he knew that she might be a dangerous person, but he couldn't unlike her, he had tried to.

She sat on the sofa, facing him directly. Anton looked at her intently, trying to access every feature of her face and trying not to miss any movement she made.

Suddenly, he stood up and walked towards her. He held her shoulders with his hands and she raised her head to look at him, the surprised expression displayed on her face. Anton stared into her eyes directly, both almost not blinking.

"Natasha"

"Hmmm" That was the only sound she could muster out.
She didn't want to admit it, but his close proximity affected her. And he also called her 'name' in full, which was unlike him, that also made her expect the worst.

Still with the eye lock, he said " Don't ever betray me. Please"

Mia was at a huge loss of words because that was the last thing she was expecting. She didn't even know what to reply, she couldn't even bring herself to, so she replied with a nod.
He let out a small smile to her, patted her hair and went back to lie on the bed.

"You can leave once I've fallen asleep"

With that said, he closed his eyes and called for sleep to take him.
All the emotions he felt for Mia were real, he knew that. He genuinely liked her, and he had never felt this emotions genuinely for anyone. He didn't think he'd be able to hold it if she betrayed him. Bono did, he couldn't imagine Mia doing that to him.

Mia sat stiffly at the edge of the sofa. She couldn't get what Anton said out of her head, and guilt wasn't helping matters as it kept popping up in her.

She was able to view his face as he slept from where she sat. She looked at him in pity, he looked and was pitiful. But she couldn't blame him, she knew why.
Circumstantially and also a bit intentionally, she had overheard his conversation with Bono at the hospital.

"I know why you're here Anton. What you think is the truth. I poisoned you" Bono said plainly.

The next action that followed was hard sobs and sniffs from Bono.

"I'm sorry Anton, I'm really sorry. I'm so ashamed of myself, I know that no matter what, it is shameful for me to have done that, but I didn't have a choice" He sobbed.

"I truly didn't have a choice. I didn't want to. Truly"

Anton who was barely managing to hold his emotions in, managed to get a question out of his almost quivering lips.

"What do you mean by that? That you didn't have a choice?"

"I was forced to do it?"

"By who?"

"I can't tell you that now, and not here. Please get me discharged first? I'll tell you everything then" He felt sorry but it was too late for that; he was already in deep. Too deep.

Anton got up and walked away. He did so hurriedly because he was barely managing to keep his composure. He couldn't risk breaking down especially outside his comfort zone, any mistake could be costly to him and he also had a reputation to maintain.

He would have chosen to bury himself in work but he was still prohibited from stressing himself out.
He couldn't cry and also couldn't fake a smile.
His heart was broken that it felt like a miracle that he was still breathing, because the amount of pain he felt was unmeasurable. Mr Bono was someone who he could've vouched for, but he stabbed him in the back, easily and perhaps comfortably.

The guilt flowed freely in Mia as she watched him sleep. She thought of his reaction if he finds out the truth about her, and her real mission.
Wanting to resign quickly and stop this ever flowing guilt, but she couldn't, not when he was this broken.

As she shut the bedroom door, she rested on it with a deep sigh. Things surely turned complicated quickly.

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His heart was failing, he found it hard to breathe but he had to keep running.
Something was chasing after him but it was too dark to see what it was, still he knew that he couldn't let it catch up to him.

He keep running even though he was barely getting anywhere. Oxygen seemed to run away from him and soon he couldn't breathe anymore. As he dropped down on the cold tar, expecting whatever it was to gobble him up from behind, something familiar appeared in front of him.

He crawled and struggled until he saw it clearly; the brutalized corpes of his parents.

"Mom? Dad?"

As he stretched his hand to touch them, he saw himself falling from a cliff. He screamed out his loudest but couldn't even hear himself.
As was about to be pierced by the sword planted in the ground, his eyes flew open and he saw a familiar face.

Mia's hand hung in mid air as his sudden awakening startled her.

As she made to stand up whilst apologizing, "I'm sorry sir, I didn't...."
He caught her hand and sat up before pulling her into a sudden but desperate hug.

Her emotions couldn't be concealed this time, as her eyes stood wide open in utmost shock.

She had come to check up on him since he had been sleeping for a while and also to ask him what he wanted for dinner.
She met him still asleep, but it wasn't a peaceful sleep. His brows were drawn together causing wrinkles on his forehead. His head also kept shaking from side to side.

She knew that he was having a nightmare.
Sitting beside him on the bed, she contemplated a little before stretching her hand to touch his hair, patting it gently. His brows loosened and the wrinkles on his forehead disappeared but she continued touching his hair.
She was enjoying the silkiness of his hair until his eyes suddenly opened.

She didn't know what she expected from him, but being pulled in for a hug was the least expected, it wasn't even part of the list possible reactions.

No doubt this was new to her, but despite her pounding heart, she patted his back softly and felt him relax on her shoulder. His hold around her tightened; the fact that she didn't push him away sparked some positive emotions in him admist the negative ones.

The door opened suddenly and Anton broke the hug immediately. Mia turned around and both were left staring right at a surprised Robert as he stood by the door.

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Another update!!
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Love Grace ♥️