Sombre

Chapter 27

Alicia

I look at the room that Preston shifted me into. He thought it would be better if I stay on the ground floor so he converted the guest room into mine. It's beautiful . It's the complete opposite from his room which was dark and grim. Here , the windows are huge covering one side of the wall. Another wall has a huge bookshelf lined with all my favourite books which I don't know if it's a coincidence or not. The walls are painted baby blue and there's so many plants everywhere that I instantly feel better.

I know there is a catch somewhere , there is no way he will let me live here peacefully. I don't want to get used to this but it's just so difficult. After being in that dark room for so long , this certainly feels like heaven.

It's been a few days since I came back here. I was sick for the first few days , whatever would go into the stomach would come back up immediately. I was tired , sick and just so dehydrated. Every ounce of my energy was drained. But I felt better as soon as I stepped into this room.

" So do you like it?" Preston says .

I almost forgot he was here, I shut my lips , realising that they have been wide open since I entered.

" I..I love it . Thankyou" I say genuinely .

I am suddenly taken aback when he smiles at me. Suddenly realising that I'm slightly swaying on my feet , he quickly comes to my aid and helps me lay down on the bed.

" You should take a short nap, I'll come shortly with your lunch " Preston says and I gape at him.

For a second I assume that I must have heard it wrong but then he smiles yet again and leaves the room.

I don't get an ounce of sleep. I keep thinking about Preston and the way he has been behaving. I know this is an act , there is no way he will behave kindly to me and forget his revenge.

As promised he arrives with the lunch . He helps me sit up and starts feeding me. I'm quite capable of feeding myself so I try to grab the plate but he moves it away from my reach.

" I..I can eat it myself. You don't have to feed me." I say and he shakes his head.

" You are still unwell , let me feed you "

When he is done , he asks the maid to take all the plates out. I expect him to leave but he doesn't move from my bed. I feel unsure about what to do. My mind starts creating different scenarios and none of them are nice. They all end with me dying with his hands. I gulp and stare down at my hands.

" Do you want to take a walk in the garden? I'm sure you must be tired of being in this room all day long. It will help change your mood. "

I don't know what to say other than yes. I know saying No is not really wise considering that he might simply forcefully drag me out.

I flinch when he grabs my arms and helps me stand up. He pretends not to notice and entangles his finger into mine and starts helping me out.

I don't know how to tell him that I can walk by myself. My palms gets sweaty and I know he must want to pull his hand away from mine but for whatever reason he is refraining himself from doing so.

The walk definitely makes me feel refreshed. I close my eyes and tilt my head upwards so that the sun directly hits my face basking me with it's warmness. I simply want to lay down and let the sun burn me. But when I open my eyes , Preston is looking right at me. I flush red and look down in embarrassment.

We keep walking for a while and when I start feeling drowsy , he takes me back to my room. He helps me lie down and tucks the blanket under my chin. I close my eyes but when I don't hear the click of the door closing , I open them again and find him lying on the sofa looking pretty uncomfortable.

I open my mouth to say something but close it again. He is probably staying in my room to keep an eye on me , making sure that I don't ruin his plan of revenge again.

I remember bits and pieces of that day. He saved me but not for my own well being but just for his own selfishness. He told me he wants to kill me by his own hands and I'm sure I almost ruined his plans by trying to kill myself. He probably is making sure that I don't do it again.

Suddenly his eyes snap open and he directly looks at me. When he sees that I'm awake , he quickly comes to my side .

" Is everything okay? Does anything hurt? Should I call the nurse?"

I gape at him for a moment before replying , " I.. I'm fine. I just couldn't fall asleep ."

He nods and stands there for a moment .

" I won't try to kill myself again" I say and he looks at me questioningly.

" You don't have to sleep here " I say trying to explain myself.

" I.. It's not that. You might have an seizure so the doctor advised that someone should be with you at all times. "

He gets back to the sofa and lies down. I close my eyes and pretend to sleep and when I dream it's all about the sun and the grass tickling my feet.