Indulgent (EN)

Chapter 2

Leo

2021

Amanda. That was my angel's name. I had been searching for her for five years, but without success. Her name was unknown to me, and the memory of that night was gradually fading and becoming distorted. The only thing I remembered was that she was my angel, and the only clear image left in my mind was a vague impression of her face. That night changed me, and although I lost a lot, in the end, everything turned out better than I could have imagined.

Aside from the internal changes, I was left with a limp. The break in my leg hadn't healed properly, and since then, I'd lost my former strength and stamina. The memory of that day was etched into my limp. Sometimes the pain was so unbearable that I had to take painkillers. I even had a cane in my apartment, but I stubbornly refused to use it, no matter how hard it was to walk.

Today, fate brought me face to face with Amanda again, right here in this hospital. After the accident, I really did try to find her. I dug through tons of information, and later, when I had money, I hired private detectives. But the search was unsuccessful, and I had to resign myself to the fact that she would remain only in my memories. I even forgot about her for a while... And then, just like that, she reappeared in my life.

Now I knew where she worked, I knew her name, and I had no intention of letting her out of my sight. I didn't yet know what I would do with this information, but I knew for sure: I wouldn't be able to let her go.

When I saw her at the presentation, my gaze locked onto her, no matter how hard I tried to distract myself. This was an important event, meaningful for both me and my friends, as was everything happening in this hospital. We spent a million dollars, bought equipment, and I should have been focused on that. But all my thoughts were only about her. Memories of that night played over and over in my mind.

She seemed so small and uncertain, which surprised me. In my memory, she had been like a wolf, guarding the wounded and fending off darkness. I thought that in real life, she would turn out to be feisty and cold-blooded, but I was wrong. Her words about wanting to relieve people of pain... That was when I realized I'd been wrong about her. She wasn't a wolf; she was a healer. Quiet, yet determined, full of knowledge and skill. And when I found out she had indeed become a doctor, as I had once told her she would... it meant something. The person I was five years ago had left a mark on her life too. Her choice of profession inflated my ego to an unprecedented level. I had made her this way.

I told Amanda that she turned out just as I'd imagined, but that was a lie. She was better. Better than in my wildest fantasies.

As I exited the hospital, my bodyguards were waiting for me at the entrance. I nodded to them and got into my SUV. My friends, Yegor and Daniil, were already settled in the back seat.

"Did you find your chick?" Yegor smirked.

"Never call her a chick again," I snapped. "Her name is Amanda."

Yegor raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh, man, sorry, I didn't think she'd gotten to you that much," he said, holding his hands up in an apologetic gesture.

"You remember I told you that when I got into an accident, a girl, whose father had hit me, bandaged my leg? Amanda is that girl."

Daniil whistled.

"Wow, you actually found her."

"Yes, I did. Finally."

My friends had known me since the accident. We met during those tough times when I was broke and struggling with depression. They knew my whole story and how I had been searching for her.