Invisible (C.T.H)

{Chapter Thirty}

Maddie's POV

I wake up due to the vexatious blaring of my phone going off; an indication that someone is trying to contact me. I groan and reach for the device, my eyes wide once they finally focus on the time. Who the hell is calling at 4 o'clock in the damn morning? My eyes widen more at the caller, the pain in my heart not yet diminished.

Luke. Every memory from the previous night swarms around my head, too reluctant to leave, and trap me in a cavernous state of mental and emotional distress. I bite my lip in an attempt to restrain myself from releasing any modicum of melancholy.

I expeditiously and dubiously disregard the call. The tears that I unsuccessfully tried to hold back assertively break through the barricade of my tear ducts. A solitary droplet emanates from my dark brown orbs.

That single droplet is then accompanied by numerous. There is no way to cease the desecration that has been done. I do not impede my actions as I feel a strong pair of arms wrap around me. Plain-speaking, even that does not alleviate the situation.

Conventionally, I experience a sense of stability when Calum envelops me in his habitual embrace. This time is no different. "Maddie, babe, are you okay?" Calum sympathetically interrogates as he studies my demeanor.

"Y-yeah, I just had a nightmare," I murmur, my voice tremulous. I look down and pick at my fingers absent-mindedly. He nods, not believing me.

"Who called you?" I glance up at Calum with an ambivalent expression. My heart belabors out of my chest Please, let it go.

"Just an unknown number," I lie. He nods once more, but I can tell he still does not believe me.

"All right, then." He wipes my tears away and pulls me into his chest. His warm hands, covered with callouses from the strings of his bass, move up and down my tense body. He knows this action calms me down, which is why he always does it after I have a bad dream.

"We should attempt to go back to sleep," I suggest.

"Are you sure, baby girl? If you are upset, I want to make you feel better before anything else."

"C-could we watch Supernatural?" I ask, a hopeful hint in my tone.

"Of course." He grabs the remote off of the mahogany bedside table and powers the television on. After loading up Netflix and finding the episode we left off on, he presses play and I stare blank mindedly at the screen in front of us.

The crisp, white sheets that cover our bodies do not feel as welcoming or soft as normal, probably due to the fact that I am numb. Emotionally, mentally, physically numb.

A loud knock on the front door interrupts our show, something that people know not to do with me. Calum pauses it and looks at me. "Is someone knocking, or am I hearing things?"

"No, that was a knock." I start to get out of the bed to answer, but Calum stops me.

"Stay here. I've got it," he gives me a small smile and gets up. He slips his shirt on and I hear his footsteps fade out as he goes downstairs. Who could be here this late at night? I wonder.

Suddenly, I start hearing noises. The noises of furniture hitting walls, and bodies being tossed around. I quickly get out of bed and walk toward the bedroom door, but am then met with silence. I then hear the sound of glass breaking and groan. The front door slams shut and I wait a few minutes to see if Calum comes back upstairs, and when he does not, I know something is wrong.

With my heart beating out of my chest, I hesitantly descend the mahogany staircase, the wood cold on my bare feet. The sight that meets my eyes once I finally reach the living room leaves me speechless. There is debris everywhere.