Guardian ✓

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HER DOOR WAS OPEN.

Soft light emitted from the lamp in the corner of her room as she listened to someone aptly.

"Sleeping?" She murmured to the person sitting in the sofa chair placed on the side of her bed.

Matthias shifted in his chair and Noah could tell how uncomfortable that question made him. He wondered what she meant by that.

"Mr Crawford? Yes, he's sleeping." Matthias finally answered, his voice the lowest it had been.

When Emma squeezed his hand, that's when Noah allowed himself to finally acknowledge the condition she was in. Bruises marred every inch of her body that was exposed. The bastard hadn't even left her fingertips alone.

He must have made noise because the next thing he knew, Matthias was calmly standing up from his position and Emma's eyes were on him.

"I'll bring you a blanket," he said before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

Noah stared at her for a moment. In the years to come, he would still find it difficult to describe what he was feeling in that moment. How could he possibly feel happiness and yet... profound sadness at the same time as he gazed at the person whom he loved more than anyone in the world? Should he really be here? He'd done nothing but hurt her. He'd made her feel insecure. He'd made her so scared that she was more comfortable with his bodyguard than him. Instead of telling him her problems, she told Matthias – a man everyone was scared of.

Perhaps coming here was a mistake.

"I missed you, Noah."

He moved forward without a moment's hesitation – selfish desire taking over as he took her in his arms. Noah expected himself to break down, finally acknowledge the hell he had faced over the past couple of days but feeling her arms enclose around him, her soft body flush against his chest – it made everything okay. His resolve strengthened – the weak man in him turned into the old him. The person who got everything he wanted.

And he wanted the blood of the people who hurt what was his.

Noah laid her down gently when she started to slump against his chest after a while, cupping her flushed cheek and pressing a tender kiss to her forehead which brought the faintest of smiles across her lips.

"Emma..." he murmured her name, testing it on his tongue after what felt like a millennium.

He allowed himself to close his eyes when he felt her fingers weave themselves into the hair at the nape of his neck before she let herself relax.

"Were you upset with me? Is that why you didn't visit?" She whispered, looking up at him with big, glassy eyes.

He cupped her face, pressing their foreheads together as he stared at her. "I can never be upset with you, Emma. For the rest of our lives, whenever you see me get upset, know that I am always angry at myself. You have done nothing wrong. You won't ever do anything to make me mad. And I know I am very unfair to you – it's the insecurity and possessiveness inside me that makes me do things to you that I always regret – it kids my mind into momentarily believing that my actions will make you stay." He shook his head with a humorless smile. "But Matthias has full reign to punch me whenever I go out of line. He will answer to you, Emma."

"I'll never make Matthias hurt you," she uttered innocently, kissing his cheek.

"You should."

She shook her head. "Never."

They lapsed into silence, Noah enraptured by the sight in front of him to let anything else take charge of his thoughts and Emma? Well, she was plagued with nothing but memories – images of the past few days to let herself feel relief.

Noah had to have known about what Kevin did. What he let others do. That's  why Noah didn't bother visiting her. It all made sense. She wouldn't want to visit herself as well. She bet she cut a miserable sight and that's why her mother, who'd been hovering over her, attending to her every need, probably called her son so Emma could recover sooner.

"I cut my hair, Noah." She picked up a lock, showing it to him.

He had protested when his mother had taken her to the beauty salon for to cut off the ends of her hair, she wanted to see his reaction now. Make sure just one more time that he really did not care anymore.

"Everything suits you," he told her softly, linking their hands together. "And I know what you're thinking. But I won't let you. I won't let you morph into Emmalynn. You're going to be Emma. Emma who is finally coming out of her shell. Emma who can use her words to leave me speechless. Emma who is more intelligent than anyone I have ever met. You can only be that Emma." He wiped away her tears. "I'll be damned if I let you spend one more moment thinking that you're not permanent. I won't – I can't – you're too precious to me. I am not going anywhere."

Emma searched his face for insincerity – her own insecurities making it difficult for her to believe that her Noah was not going anywhere. How could she be permanent? Did he not see what she looked like? She'd be of no use–

"I'll work harder," she uttered finally. "I'll work so hard that you and mamma won't ever associate me with with Hawthorne or Canalis."

Noah shook his head, letting a sad smile grace his lips.

"I never associated you with them, Emma." He replied after a moment of silence. "I associate you as someone whom I love unconditionally since I first saw. You can – I know you will work hard. You've been here for a few months and Mom has a room dedicated to your trophies – I know what you're capable of. But you can forget that I'll ever associate you with something negative."

"You promise?" Emma asked finally, feeling relief coarse through her.

Noah held out his pinky.

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