Crystal Hearts

Chapter 8. An unexpected truth

Ashter carefully carried Crystal into his apartment, her body limp from the wine and the exhaustion of the day. As he entered his bedroom, he gently laid her down on the bed. She stirred slightly, mumbling something as she curled into the soft sheets.

He started to remove her jacket, hoping to make her more comfortable. But as he did, he noticed something that made him pause. His eyes widened in shock as he pulled the jacket off her arms, revealing several wounds on her delicate skin. Some were old, faded scars, but others were fresh, angry red marks that hadn't even healed yet.

His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the marks, his mind racing. How could this have happened? What had she been through?

"Crystal," he whispered, his voice trembling with concern. "What happened?"

"Hmm?" Crystal mumbled, still half-asleep, her words slurred from the wine.

"What happened to your hands?" Ashter asked again, his voice breaking slightly. "These wounds... where did they come from?"

She stirred slightly, her brows furrowing as if the question was dragging her out of her sleep. "My dad... hit me," she muttered in her sleep, her voice barely audible as she instinctively curled closer to him, seeking comfort.

Ashter felt his entire world tilt off its axis. His heart pounded in his chest as anger, disbelief, and sorrow swirled within him. He rose slightly, as if to go—his first instinct to confront, to protect—but he stopped himself when Crystal whimpered softly, clutching at him. "Ashter... don't go. Don't leave me," she pleaded, her voice trembling.

He froze, torn between his need to do something, anything, and the immediate, pressing need to be there for her. Slowly, he lowered himself back onto the bed, gathering her gently into his arms. He held her close, his grip firm yet tender, trying to convey that she was safe here, with him. He didn’t say anything more, just held her, letting the silence between them offer the comfort that words couldn’t.

The night passed slowly, the weight of her words lingering in the air like a heavy cloud. Ashter barely slept, his mind consumed with thoughts of what she had endured and how he had been unknown to it.

---

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. Crystal stirred, waking up to find herself still wrapped in Ashter's embrace. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she realized she had been sleeping in his arms all night. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, trying to wake him up gently.

Ashter’s eyes fluttered open, but there was no trace of the usual warmth in them. Instead, they were clouded with concern, and something else—something darker.

Crystal noticed the change in his expression and felt a pang of anxiety. "He doesn’t seem happy at all," she thought, her heart sinking. "I hope I didn’t do anything silly while I was drunk."

Ashter turned to her, his eyes searching her face. "What happened to your hands, Crystal?" he asked quietly, his voice tense with emotion. It was as if he wanted her to say something, anything, that would make the truth less painful.

"Huh?" Crystal’s smile faded as she looked at herself, her heart skipping a beat. That’s when she noticed she wasn’t wearing her jacket. Her eyes widened in alarm, and she quickly started searching for it, her hands shaking slightly as she tried to avoid his gaze.

"Crystal," Ashter said firmly, reaching out to cup her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Look at me."

She hesitated, her eyes darting around the room as she tried to come up with an excuse. "I... fell... fell down the stairs" she stammered, the lie sounding weak even to her own ears.

Ashter sighed, his expression filled with a mix of sorrow and frustration. "Crystal, I beg you, please tell me the truth..." His voice cracked slightly, and Crystal could see the pain in his eyes, a pain that mirrored her own.

"I... I don’t know what you’re talking about," she mumbled, her voice shaky as she tried to maintain her composure. But deep down, she knew she couldn’t keep up the facade much longer.

"Your dad hit you," Ashter said softly, his voice full of a quiet rage that was more terrifying than if he had shouted.

Crystal’s eyes widened in shock, her breath hitching in her throat. "Who said... that’s nonsense," she stammered, trying to backtrack, but she could see in his eyes that he knew the truth.

"You said it last night," Ashter said, his voice barely above a whisper as he pulled her into a hug, gently patting her head in an attempt to comfort her.

"What else did I say?" Crystal asked, her voice trembling as she clung to him, desperate for some kind of reassurance.

"Nothing more than that," he replied, his voice steady but laced with concern.

Crystal pulled back slightly, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Ashter, I don’t want to talk about it... please," she pleaded, her voice cracking as she tried to hold back the flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.

Ashter could feel the anger boiling inside him, a deep, burning rage that made him want to tear down anything and anyone that had hurt her. But he swallowed it down, forcing himself to remain calm for her sake.

"Since when?" he asked, his voice a low growl, betraying the fury he was trying to suppress.

Crystal hesitated, her lips trembling as she tried to form the words. "Last week," she lied, her voice barely a whisper.

"Crystal," Ashter said, his voice hardening as he stared directly into her eyes, his gaze intense and unyielding. "Since fuckin’ when?"

She looked at him, her resolve crumbling under the weight of his stare. "Since the day I was born," she finally admitted, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Ashter’s heart shattered as he watched her fall apart in front of him. Without thinking, he pulled her back into his arms, holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her.

"It’s okay, Crystal," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You’re safe now. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you ever again."

Crystal buried her face in his chest, her tears soaking his shirt as she clung to him, the pain of years of suffering finally spilling out. "Ashter, I don’t want to talk about it, please," she sobbed, her body shaking with the force of her emotions.

Ashter pressed his lips to the top of her head, his heart aching for her. "Okay," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Okay, Crystal. I won’t ask again. But I promise you, you’ll never have to face this alone anymore."

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, holding onto each other as the morning light filled the room. Ashter knew that the road ahead would be difficult, that there were wounds that couldn’t be healed with just words. But he also knew that he wasn’t going to let her go through it alone.

And in that moment, as they held each other in the quiet of the morning, Ashter made a silent vow to himself: he would do whatever it took to protect her, to help her heal, and to show her that she was worth more than the pain she had endured.

And for the first time in a long while, Crystal felt a small spark of hope flicker within her, a tiny light in the darkness that had consumed her life for so long. Because now, she wasn’t alone.

She had Ashter, and with him by her side, maybe—just maybe—she could start to believe in the possibility of a future that was brighter than her past.

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