Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

She tried to leave the hospital premises so many times all to no avail. The next day, she was sitting on the bed facing the window side. Her heart was palpitating, ‘what if Max is aware that I am here? That’ll be an easy finish-off, right? What if he is searching for me? When I get discharged, how safe would I be outside there? What if I get the police involved? Would they see me as an accomplice?’ She hadn’t even touched her food. She picked a small mirror on the table and stared at her reflection. There were several cuts on her lips and a part of her lower lip was swollen. She also got a black eye too and it was shut halfway. There were some brown patches here and there on her face. Her once beautiful face had been ruined, ‘all thanks to the so-called love of her life. All she wanted was just to leave but she was scared she might be put under surveillance if she tried to do so again.

“A penny for your thoughts.” A deep masculine voice cut through her thoughts and brought her back to reality. She turned back. 

“You’re here,” she muttered bitterly. 

“Getting a good view? Mind if I join you?” He stretched forth a hand to her. “I figured you’d want some coffee. So, I got you a cup of creamy coffee.”

“Thank you.” She collected the cup of coffee and started having some sips of it. She grew quiet again. The silence made the room quite stuffy.

“Can we take a walk if you don’t mind? At least for some fresh air.” 

“Mr uhh…”

“Noah,” he reminded.

“I don’t feel like it.”

“It’s okay. I just wanted to talk. I don’t like the silence. It’s kinda dreadful.” He scratched his beard. He understood she might not want to talk to a total stranger. He had felt pity for her. ‘Well, such a situation seemed to be a trend', he shrugged. 

“So, tell me, who is this person that didn’t just brutalize you but violated you as well? What kind of beast is he? A man who respects women wouldn’t do such, no matter what.” Noah said. He was trying to get her to talk. It seemed there was something she was hiding and didn’t want to tell. Doctor Sam had tried to get her to talk but she didn’t bulge. “Would you feel safer to talk if the police are involved?”

“Why would you get the police involved just so to get me to talk? Do you think I would talk if I don’t want to, even if the police are involved? That’s a very dumb suggestion. I don’t like talking to strangers.”

“The same stranger that damned all consequences and every risk to get you safe. A stranger helped a stranger out of danger and the stranger turns out to seem ungrateful. I have no intentions of putting you at more risk. But if you think I’m putting you into more risks by wanting to know you and how to help you better. Then, I’m sorry. I don’t have such intentions.” Noah picked up an old magazine, started going through the headlines, and sipping his coffee at intervals. 

“My name is Raquel.” She was fidgeting already, not knowing what information to give and not expose something dangerously delicate. “I used to work in a restaurant downtown but my boyfriend asked me to stop working. So…” she stopped and looked up to know if he was listening at all. He took out his eyeglasses from his face and pretended to be looking closely through them as if it was a microscope.

“Where do you stay?”

“I stayed with my boyfriend until now.”

“Something tells me he is the one who kept you in this situation.” He turned to look at her, her silence sounded like a yes. “Do you want to go back to him?” Raquel wondered why he was asking her such a question. Should she just open up to him? What if he tried using any information she would give him against her? “Feel free to talk to me. I don’t have any intentions of endangering you. I promise you. I just want to help you. But you have to help me so I can help you as well.”

“We stay together. And most times we were always quarreling and fighting. He’s the reason I am here.” She paused to see if he was paying attention to her but he was nodding at everything she was saying. “That day we had a verbal fight and I felt suffocated. I wanted to leave the house but I know he wouldn’t let me. When he left the room, to use the loo, after he had raped me multiple times, I drugged his drink. When I noticed he was asleep already, I left him and went to the club to cool off. Then, he found me there and well, I am here now. I am just scared that he may find me here and finish off what he started. That’s why I need to get out of here before he finds me here.”

“Don’t you have a home, parents, a family to go back to, you know?”

“I have no one. Max picked me from the streets. Like, I’m his toy. We met in a public club anyways. He’s been feeding, clothing, and housing me. I guess he has every right to do to me, whatever he wants.” She exhaled sadly.

“That’s not true. Every human has the right to be treated better, even animals have such rights. And you don’t want me to get the police involved so that he’ll be apprehended, right?” he looked at her again.

“No, that won’t be necessary. He’ll be freed even after being arrested. He doesn’t walk alone. He has people everywhere even in the police department. I wish he’ll just die. That’s the guarantee for my freedom.” She looked around to see whether anyone was watching. Then, she spotted a surveillance camera somewhere afar off. “You see, I told you I’m being watched. I’m not safe here. I don’t want to die. Please, sir, get me out of here.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t panic. Uhm, can you stay with me for a while till we figure out a safer place for you?”

“Huh?” she stared at him wide-eyed. ‘Is he planning to help Max lynch me?’

“It’s not what you are thinking. I understand. Where I stay is very safe. If I let you back into the streets, he’ll find you and that’d be easy.”

“Okay, fine. It’s not like I have an option though.”

“Thank you for understanding. Please, I’m not a bad person.”