Читать книгу Soul Fulfiller - Ар'лан ис'Дрекхэм - Страница 3

And now it was just the two of us. My sister’s house. I knew it like the back of my hand — I could tell you where everything was with my eyes closed. And if she ever found out what Colin and I had done here, she’d kill me. That was how I spent my eighteenth birthday: we trashed the entire house, drank alcohol, and swam in the pool. I was lucky that all my friends had already turned eighteen — no one had to ask their parents for permission, and buying alcohol in stores was finally legal for me too, so I didn’t even have to spend money on that. My sister was already used to the fact that her little sister loved all kinds of parties, especially throwing surprises that were completely not to her taste. I asked Colin to help me clean up after last night’s party — we had both had way too much to drink, and I hadn’t even noticed when the house turned into a pile of trash. Meanwhile, I was trying to scrub a snow-white carpet that had been soaked with cherry punch, pineapple pieces scattered all over it. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, it was hopeless. I could already imagine how much trouble I was going to be in over that ridiculously expensive carpet.

“Aria, save this for later, I have more important work to do,” Colin whispered in my ear. He kissed me on the lips, picked me up, and carried me to the bed.

“Colin, this is my sister’s bed, and I need to clean up,” I tried to get out from under the drunk guy who had started kissing my neck. He kissed it hungrily, moving lower and lower, and I felt the touch of his lips on my body. A cry burst from my lips:

“Colin! Red!”

He looked at me for a second, but continued. He began unbuttoning the top buttons of my plaid shirt. I pushed him away forcefully, trying to get him to calm down and stop acting like a moral monster, but he grabbed my hands, pulled them behind my head, and held them there with his hand, while his other hand touched my bare waist. Colin kissed me passionately on the lips and whispered:

“Baby, don’t tell me when to stop.”

“You’re drunk! Get off me right now! Stop it! This isn’t funny.”

“Why do you keep turning me down? It only makes me want you more,” he said, continuing to kiss me, while one hand fumbled with the button on my jeans.

“I’m not ready. Colin! Stop! I’m going to scream!” I tried to pull away, but I couldn’t. He was much stronger than me.

“We both know you won’t scream, or I’ll have to hit you. I’ve waited too long for this.” He unbuttoned my shirt and pulled my jeans down with one hand, despite my attempts to resist. At that moment, I realized I couldn’t do it alone.

“Help! Help! Aaaah…” Colin covered my mouth with his hand and slapped me across the face. I felt tears streaming down my cheeks. Anger and fear overwhelmed me. I managed to pull one hand free and punched him in the nose. He let go and pressed his hands to his face. Blood flowed from his nose, dripping onto my naked body, and I sobbed and screamed at the same time, seeing his satisfied expression.

I tried with all my might to break free and, thank God, I succeeded. While he tried to stop the bleeding, I rushed to the door, praying I’d make it in time. As I ran, I stepped on something sharp and lost the feeling in my foot. My legs gave way, and I fell. I screamed in pain, but I saw Colin, his face bloodied, heading toward me. I started crawling backwards and somehow managed to get to my feet. Just as I was about to run, I felt his strong hand on my wrist. He squeezed it so hard that I screamed and began flailing at him, trying to free myself. Colin roughly turned me toward him and hit me. I fell, and the white carpet was covered in blood stains. I screamed in pain again.

He squatted down next to me, grabbed my face, and said,

“You forced me to do this, you lying bitch!”

He began to undress me. I was in agony. Everything went black before my eyes and I lost consciousness.

I woke up to a burst of bright light. It was painfully bright. I blinked, and at once I felt the pain — spreading through every part of me. It dawned on me: this wasn’t a dream.

“Good afternoon, Ariel Moore. I’m Dr. Ren Maddox — you can just call me Ren. You’re in the hospital right now. Do you remember what happened?”

A middle-aged man with a pleasant voice was standing in front of me. I noticed his white lab coat, slightly fitted to his strong build. Beneath it, I could see brown trousers and a dark T-shirt.

“I remember there was a party last night. We drank too much, and that’s where it ends,” I replied.

“Is that all you remember?” Ren asked again.

“Yes,” I nodded.

Of course, I remembered everything down to the last detail, including what Colin Kandel did to me. My boyfriend beat and raped me. I tried to erase all traces of that night, but I didn’t tell the doctor anything.

“Okay, Ariel, get some rest. I’ll be back later, and your parents are on their way and will be here soon,” he said.

“Mr. Ren, is there anything you want to tell me?”

“You want me to tell you what happened?” He looked at me seriously. “Ariel, I know perfectly well you remember everything. Your parents already know everything, too. You have to tell the police who did this. That bastard’s facing a pretty penny; judging by your bruises, you resisted.”

My jaw dropped. What was I supposed to say to my parents? The doctor left, and tears streamed down my face. Suddenly, I felt an urge to look at myself in the mirror — to see just how bad it really was.

I carefully pushed myself up, immediately feeling the familiar pain in my right leg — something sharp making itself known. Barely reaching the mirror, I was horrified by what I saw. I hardly recognized myself: dark bruises under my eyes, my face brutally battered, a gash in my eyebrow, and my lip still bleeding.

How could this have happened?

That very day — the day I first met him — suddenly flashed through my mind…