Just for Tonight

54.

When she awoke, she blinked in the bright light of the room she was in. Her head was buzzing and aching. She closed her eyes and opened them again immediately. Migé's face appeared in close-up, his eyes wild with worry.

"Darling?", he asked.

"Where ...", she tried to say.

"Shhh, shhh, stay calm. Just listen to me," he whispered. "We're at the hospital. Sweetie, you've been attacked at home. When you didn't arrive, I went to your place and found you, on the floor and unconscious. The doctor is on his way to examine you. But you're going to be fine, I promise. I'm staying right here with you".

"Headache," she sighed, 'Ville...".

"I'll ring him as soon as you've seen the doctor".

"No, please don't...", she murmured.

The doctor arrived and examined her and her many wounds. She had X-rays taken for the blows to her head and ribs. The results came back within the hour: she had a concussion, two broken ribs and a nurse sewed up her eyebrow.

"I'll let Ville know", Migé declared.

"Migé, he is on tour and I'm fine," she replied, keeping her eyes closed. "Don't worry him with nonsense".

Migé turned the light down as low as it would go, and she was able to open her eyes.

"It's not nonsense, Chlo. You've literally been beaten up. In your own home! You can't go back there. The police are busy trying to pick up clues, evidence... but I doubt they'll find anything. They'll come to you later. You and I both know who's behind this, don't we?"

"Of course...It wasn't him directly, he sent his henchmen. I imagine he has people in Finland. But no proof, no accusation. One of the men ... I' m sure there were two men ... he said something like 'he is finished with you'."

"Anyway, you're moving in with me. There's no arguing about it".

The doctor gave his instructions before discharging her from the hospital: a trusted person at her side, rest in the dark, painkillers if necessary, and an appointment ten days later to remove the stitches from her eyebrow. Migé let her have his room. Discreetly, he disobeyed Chloe's desire to protect Ville and updated him on the situation.

"I'm on my way, Migé. I'll take the first flight I can find", Ville replied immediately, worried sick.

A policewoman came to see her the next morning and asked her a few questions, which she answered as best she could. Yes, there were two men in her apartment. She had first felt a heavy blow to the back of the head, which had made her dizzy. She remembered the furious kicks. She spoke of Rafael, of her suspicions about his involvement in the attack. The policewoman confirmed what she already knew: no evidence, no traces, no accusation. Chloe followed her advice and filed a complaint against X.

She slept a lot that day, feeling empty and exhausted, both physically and emotionally. In her sleep, she heard the bedroom door open and felt someone crawl into bed beside her. Two arms cautiously encircled her. She rolled over and winced at the stabbing pain in her ribs.

"Easy, honey. If I'm hurting you, tell me". 

"Beautiful...". Emotion overwhelmed her. In front of Migé, she had shown her bravery and held back her tears of pain and rage. But in Ville's arms, she suddenly felt emotional and frail.

"Sweetie ... I came as soon as I could. My Chlo ...". Ville was also on the verge of tears. He turned on the nightlight. A gleam of fright danced in his eyes as he discovered her swollen face. A wide black circle started from her eyebrow, traced the outline of her eye and descended to the wing of her nose.

"I'm going to kill him. I swear, I'll kill him with my own hands", he declared.

"I got his message ... It's over, Beautiful, he won't hurt us anymore".

"Migé explained...". His voice broke and he took a deep breath. "Chlo... don't run away because of what happened. Promise me, honey".

"Oh Ville ... I won't let him win. I won't. I'm ... sorry". She burst into tears against his chest. "Whether I'm on tour with you or staying here, I always find a way to ruin everything. You deserve so much better...".

"The tour is going well, and you're safe and sound. Now I want you to stay at Migé until I get back. When you go back to work - because, stubborn as you are, you'll go back to work - he'll go with you and pick you up at the restaurant. This is not up for discussion, Chloe", he said in a firm voice.

"I promise", she replied in a sleepy voice.

He wrapped her in his arms and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. "Sleep, honey, I'll stay right here and watch over you".

For two days, Ville didn't dare take his eyes off her. He took advantage of a moment when she was asleep to question Migé. An unanswered question was eating him up inside. "Was she... Was she dressed when you found her? ".

"Yes, rest assured, apart from the apparent wounds, there was nothing else. She's brave, you know, she didn't want me to call you".

"I believe you, I know her by heart. Oh Migé, I don't know what I would have done if...". Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"She's fine and I'm not going to let her out of my sight".

"I'm leaving tomorrow...". Ville sighed deeply. "But my place is by her side. It's my place, not yours, at the risk of sounding ungrateful ...".

"If you don't go back on tour, she's going to blame herself for it even more than she already does. She's going to have some visitors in the next few days: the guys and Matti. We'll surround her with our affection. As for you, do your best at the concerts, that's what she wants and you know it".

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Hello dear reader,

Two chapters a bit difficult to write... I tried to keep a bit of lightness in the writing 💜