Aretta & Secrets

Finals

I felt very dizzy as I opened my eyes, but Aidan insisted on making me aware. I've been looking down ever since I woke up. I looked at our hands holding each other.

"Aretta," called out to him while looking into my eyes. She has tears and it seems that it's because she sees me which is very sad right now.

"If I don't talk about this now maybe in the future I won't dare to make a sound." He said that in a voice that almost felt like a whisper. Aidan seemed to take a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He looked at me, too close.

"I love you."

I was a bit surprised by this sudden confession of his love. I could also feel my heartbeat racing fast. The beep from the machine that was affixed to my finger sounded very wild and I instantly blocked it by removing the tool from my finger. The only one who knows how I feel now is me.

I released the link of our hands and I could see the look in Aidan's eyes that looked shattered. Before she thought I would leave her, I immediately grabbed her using my free hand and pressed my lips against hers.

The beep from my monitor was forgotten and I started kissing Aidan inside. After successfully venting my feelings through a kiss, I released myself.

"I love you too" I murmured softly.

The sound of coughing from behind made me jump. I lowered my head because the doctor and a nurse were already standing in the doorway.

"I'm happy because you're sober. During the handling of your boyfriend is like a puppy who lost his mother. Pacing the corridor," explained the guard doctor who slowly walked in to check on me. The doctor also fiddled with the machine and checked my infusion before leaving. He gave us some more privacy after being caught.

"I won't let you go again" I said. He smiled as he kissed our hands that were back in contact with each other.

Aidan's presence really sidetracked me. The pain that should have struck me was normal because I was now overwhelmed with happiness. And when mealtime came, she insisted on getting some food despite knowing that there would be a nurse delivering my share here.

"I'll be back here again" he said. I could only sigh softly as I did not want to let go.

When he left, the pain began to strike me slowly and now I can only feel the real pain. I moved slowly from the right and left sides to test the pain I was suffering from. And when I looked down, at my wrist I realized that it was now wrapped in a thick white cast. Starting from the base of the elbow to the wrist. I also wear hospital clothes. Slowly but surely I started to lift the top and I could see my whole stomach was covered in bandages. The little red spots that were spitting blood were also visible and I knew it was due to the blow from the belt that I got from the Gods. I again felt my eyes tear up and I found it hard to hold back the tears that were spilling because I recalled that horrible incident again. I also saw a large scar that ran from the neck to the chest. At that moment my tears really seeped down my cheeks.

I felt disgusted with myself as the last memory of the God who almost fucked me began to fill my mind. My thoughts started to swirl and flashbacks of my memories started haunting me. I grabbed my head and pulled my hair, hoping that if I pulled it hard enough, the shadow would leave my head.

When I was in an unstable condition, a warm hand rubbed my back gently. It turned out that I had started shouting so much luckily Aidan came faster and managed to calm me down.

"Everything's fine." He tried to calm me down using his hands with a gentle swipe on my shoulder. I also began to realize that my breathing was stabilizing and the images were slowly fading.

The shadow of blood seeping out of my body, the mattress soaked in my blood and the blood of the previous victim, the sight of the wrathful God as he raised his belt-covered fist, slowly began to disappear. They began to appear faded until I could hear the sound of my heart rate monitor slowly stabilizing. I rubbed my hair that covered my face, even I refused to open my eyes because I was afraid I was back in the basemant again.

I found my hand trembling badly while that person was still gently rubbing my shoulder.

"It's okay Aretta. I was right here. I won't let you go again." I opened my eyes when I heard Aidan's voice. I turned and found the man looking at me with a loving look. I wiped the tears off my cheek even though I still couldn't stop shaking.

Aidan approached me and helped me to sit down. He did it slowly because he didn't want me to feel pain that he didn't know that I didn't feel pain around him.

Aidan hugged my weak and still loyal body rubbing my shoulders slowly. He calmed me down until calmness slowly took over my body, "Everything will be fine" he said convincingly.

After my existence was discovered, I was immediately bombarded with many visitors at once. There was Gio, Ana, Rafa, Rendi, and Aidan who always faithfully accompanied me. They were all gathered in my small hospital room awkwardly while staring at my battered body. Which even I myself cannot see, so it must be difficult for them to see my situation like this as well. I was given many gifts, but no one mentioned how about God and where he went.

I became very angry at all of them as they just kept joking and thinking as if nothing had happened. It was as if I was unharmed that maybe even the incident almost drove me crazy. Even on that day, there was nothing I told them. I chose to be quiet because it seemed that they were also more comfortable like that. I'm the only victim here and they don't know what effect the case will have on me.

That day I had another panic attack. This is the third time since I was hospitalized for the first time. Every time I experienced that incident, Aidan would automatically hug me and tell me that everything would be fine.

But when Aidan left, a TV report aired about my case. The man was charged with kidnapping, attempted rape, and assault with intent to harm. But the worst of all these cases is murder. It turned out that the blood on the mattress in the basemant of his house matched the DNA of a girl he had picked up. The victim was found at the bottom of a cliff on suspicion of suicide, but blood from a mattress in the basemant showed different things.

Knowing this news even made me have another panic attack. What if it happens to me? What if what happened to the news happened to me? A terrible death fell at the bottom of a cliff without knowing how and where I actually died. I'm still thinking a lot of ugliness if I'm still kidnapped when Aidan comes back and calms me down.

The doctors were also concerned about my mental health and I was eventually referred for psychiatric treatment. I did, but it turned out to be of no use at all. I was told to recall the most painful memories, the ones I hated the most. I finally decided to just focus on getting out of the hospital.

The counselor I went to has also suggested various treatment solutions. With yoga even up to group methods such as story telling, and the most recommended is to move to another city if possible. But unfortunately I still have to finish school and again I don't want to leave Gio let alone Aidan.

I was eventually discharged with many medicines to cure the infection, but I was not taken home but to Aidan's house. I even went to the point of asking Gio and the man only asked that we never part again.

"Gue knows you'll take care of my sister." My heart warmed for a moment seeing how attentive Gio was. I also felt reluctant to leave him.

"Let's go home" Aidan said as if my departure from this place to go to his house was one thing. The man took me out to where his car was parked as soon as the farewell between me and Gio was done. He let me in and he started driving his car in silence.

I who do not feel at home in silence say something quite aggressive, "I love you" I said again. He who had heard me say that sentence only smiled broadly while glancing at me.

"You want to tell me when to say it's like it continues" he said, grabbing my hand to catch it.

"Until death do us part."

"Why do you say that?" Ever since I was discovered that man has been the most anti with words related to death. He said it should not be a topic of conversation. I just shrugged my shoulders because I had no explanation. I just wanted to tell you the truth because now I've fallen too far into her charms.

He led me into his house. My healing process must take a long time, I hope this man is at home and has great patience in facing me later. Moreover, I was already in a stage of severe trauma, it must have taken quite a lot of time and energy to heal me.

- Epilog

I woke up covered in sweat at midnight. My heart was beating very fast and tears had also adorned my face as I wiped my face. I relapsed.

Many things can trigger my anxiety attack. It can be by just looking at lovers or just by reading the news about the crime of rape.

I began to shiver, even in the very warm hot air. I couldn't take the thought out of it because everything seemed to be flowing through my head and making my heart race faster. A scream almost came out of my lips, but the figure arrived there just in time.

I felt that strong and warm arm pull me towards him. When he turned my body around for us to face each other. I looked into those brown eyes as I looked back to the day of the first meeting after the kidnapping.

As we lay together, he did not say a word. He just gave me a deep look of understanding. Through that gaze I was able to gain strength, I also began to be able to forget about my relapse and focus on her gaze looking at me full of adoring love. The man always loved me as he promised. His feelings and treatment were still the same every day even though two years had passed.

Every time he helped me with my anxiety and always helped me to realize that I was a valuable person. He had experienced bad things as well, so he seemed very experienced when helping me. Even after two years, my heart still beats when it's around me. When he came home from work, or met me for lunch, Aidan managed to make me feel like I was the most special person in the world. Every day he never forgets to say that he loves me. Every morning when we woke up he made sure I was still there, not going anywhere. It seemed that he was also having the same nightmare and was always recurring, but fortunately it was only a dream.

It may sound too much, but we are in such a wonderful state because we are not a normal couple. I am the one who suffered the cruelty and he who witnessed the cruelty.

No matter how much we love each other, but the gaze that others throw is always full of pity or sometimes a look filled with disgust as if we should not be together. At first it felt hard, after finishing school Aidan took me to move to another city because it turned out my condition was very bad when I had to walk in the shops or meet with strangers.

Aidan sold his share in Breeze to Gio. He insisted that he did not want it or need it anymore, and now the shop was already his when Oma also died. I didn't attend Oma's funeral because I was still recovering and had to be locked up upstairs. It tested our feelings again, but I tried to stay by Aidan's side to strengthen him. It also makes Aidan steady to move.

The obstacles we faced instead made our relationship stronger. We also managed to deal with all the problems together. At first we were not sure about our move either, even then we did not have time to think about whether I managed to graduate from university or whether he would get a job here and also about where we both live. All we did was we wanted to find a new place.

And here we are. Living as a married couple at home with a large yard. I didn't think we'd be happy and we turned out to be happy. Aidan had a steady job and I managed to get into a state university and had a small flower shop in front of the house. It feels so perfect.