Spiraled ⚪⭐⚪⭐ (A Brollins Novel)✔

EPISODE FOUR

Daniel's House. Orlando, Florida.

Alive, is hardly the word Rebecca used to describe herself when she woke up. Her eyes squints at the light streaming through the room and when she brings her right hand up to shield her eyes from the glare, she is reminded of the wound at her wrist. The pain scorches through her arm and shoulder, stealing her breath away. Subtly, she lowers the hand back down beside her and curses at her misfortune. Within, she feels dead and numb and the burning ache in her head serves as a reminder that despite all her best efforts, she's still alive.

Memories flood through her mind, filling her eyes with unshed tears. She remembers the jingle of wedding bells, the priest in his snow-white gown, the bride and groom dressed in their impeccable wedding attires and the gasps of disbelief of the guests seated at the church as she yelled for the wedding to stop.

She can still feel his hand clamped hard around her arm, dragging her out of the church, shouting to his bride that she's nothing more than his past, the epitome of the worst moments of his life and the gravest mistake he has ever made. All the things which followed afterwards; a piece of a broken mirror she had used to slash her own wrist open, the blurry scenes around her as the car sped away, the smack of the tree as her car smashed into it, are all scattered, hazy images in her head.

But she recalls running in the rain, the memory so vivid and clear. She recalls the man chasing her and in the heat of the moment, she had panicked he was going to hurt her. That was until his strong arms had found its way around her middle, hauling her out of the middle of the road before the truck can end her life, burning her plans of suicide to ashes.

She'd almost died. Almost. The man. . . . what was his name? Colby. Yes, Colby. He had saved her life, brought her to a safe place and looked after her. Her tears comes free at the thought of a mere stranger running after her through the depths of the night to save her. A stranger saved her life while a man she loved and once gave her entire life to, betrayed her and married another woman.

She can't be grateful to Colby—try as she might—for saving her life. She wanted to die, she still do. She desire it. That's why despite seeing the truck nearing closer and closer, she had remained firm and rooted in place. Life is an open door to problems and heartache. She doesn't want to hurt anymore. She wants to sleep forever.

A door closing and the sound of footsteps bring her eyes open once more. Colby, the man who unfortunately saved her life appears at the doorway looking more refreshed and presentable than the first time she had seen him. The first thing that catches her attention isn't the sweet aroma of coffee or toasts. It's his chest, bare and shirtless.

Rebecca can't imagine him jogging at this time of the day with the sun being so high in the sky. But judging by the droplets of sweat beaded on his chest and face, he looks to have been doing something tedious before he had thought of bringing her breakfast. She only hopes he hadn't cooked for her. It will be too much. He has already done more than enough.

"Are you alright," he strides over to her quickly and places the cup of coffee and the plate of toasts on the table beside the bed before turning a worried look her way. Rebecca isn't really in the right state of mind or mood to be touched by his concern. Instead, it annoys her. "Why are you crying?"

She dabs the tears from her cheeks with her healthy hand, looking away from his eyes to stare at the window and the sky stretched a mile away. "I'm fine. Something caught in my eye."

So foolish. The line has been repeated so often in movies that even if they're true, it comes across as a lie. And she isn't exactly telling the truth here. He doesn't seem to buy it but doesn't press either. He just sighs and pulls the curtains from the windows, letting more light flit through the room as if earlier hadn't been enough. "How long have I been asleep?"