The Edge of Light ✔️

Chapter Thirty Six

N I K O L A I

It was late, very late at night when I woke up to nothing in particular. Elena was fast asleep next to me, her lips sitting in a soft pout, brows scrunched. I pulled the duvet over her and gently caressed her hair before slipping out of the bed.

Her house wasn't too big, making it easy to navigate around. I grabbed a cup from her cupboard and filled it with water before walking towards the balcony door. The moon stood high in a crescent, the stars sparkling brightly. When I pushed the door aside, I was met with crisp air. The scent of apples mixing with lemons and rosemary.

Oddly I felt at peace. The thought of Elena sleeping soundly in the room next door, no danger whatsoever. The tranquil idyllic atmosphere made everything feel so right.

Just as I reached for my phone to contact In-su I heard a soft sob, then another one. I pushed my phone back in my pocket and rushed towards the bedroom. Elena was still sleeping but this time she was moving and fidgeting uncontrollably. Tears were running down her cheeks. I froze for a second. But then she started screaming.

My eyes widened as I rushed over to her. Her screams were heart-wrenching and skin-crawling as she trashed around. I grabbed her shoulders.

"Elena." I tried to wake her up but to no avail. She fisted her hands, her face twisted in what seemed like fear.

"Elena, wake up. It's a dream." I tried to shake her awake.

Then finally she gasped, her eyes flying open. Relief washed over me.

"It's okay now. I'm right here." I hushed, pressing her against my chest. Suddenly she was as still as a stick. She said something incoherently. I leaned in to listen closely.

"I killed him."

The words smacked me like a thousand bricks.

. . .

Night after night we woke up to her tremors. Sometimes she'd start screaming and I'd instinctively reach for my gun in alert just to come to the conclusion that it was another nightmare. Some nights I was woken by her rushing to the bathroom to vomit her guts out. I'd sit with her, holding her hair and rubbing her back until she was done throwing up. She'd fall back into my chest and cling to me, asking me to carry her back to bed.

I felt terrible. I didn't know how to help her. For the first time in my life I felt helpless. But that's not where it ended. Not only did I feel helpless but I felt devastated. Devastated about the fact that she probably had been having these tremors before and there was no one there to console her. To wake her up and hug her.

It was another slow morning, Elena was curled up next to me on the couch, her head resting in my lap. My fingers were busy playing with the short strands of her hair while she hummed something simultaneously drawing patterns onto my abdomen.

"What would you like to do today?" I asked her. She rolled onto her back, facing me. The bags under her eyes were very heavy, the usual spark in her eyes dimmed by exhaustion.

"We could go for a walk." she rasped, clearing her throat. I nodded my head, giving her a soft smile. My fingers brushed over the soft skin of her cheek before I leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips.

"Is there...any way I could help you? With getting better sleep at night I mean. Anything I could do?" I asked in a small voice, not trusting my voice. She gave me a weak smile, her hand slipping under my shirt and rubbing my back.