Chapter 4: A Fragile Sanctuary

The hospital room was quiet, except for the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. Isabelle stared at the ceiling, her body was too exhausted to move, and her was mind too overwhelmed to process everything that had happened to her.

Her gaze moved to the man seated in the chair beside her bed. Liam Anderson. Thinking about it now, she’d heard that name before, long ago. But she really couldn’t place it. He sat there now, pressing his phone, his expression calm and composed.

“Why are you still here?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

Liam looked up at her, setting his phone aside. “Because you need someone to be here.”

“I don’t even know you,” she muttered, turning her face away.

Liam leaned forward, his voice, firm. “You didn’t know who I was when you asked for help, but I still stopped and brought you to the hospital. I could’ve just kept driving.”

She sighed.  “I didn’t mean it like that. I just… I don’t know why you’re bothering to help someone you don't know. Plus, you look like a very busy man.”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” he said simply. “And because no one deserves to be left on the side of the road, beaten and broken.”

His words cut through her like a knife, the raw honesty of his words, made her heart hurt. She hated how vulnerable she felt, and how exposed she was in front of this stranger. She had lost a lot, including the baby she was carrying, and she didn't want to trust anyone else. Her family members betrayed her, how could she trust someone whofound her on the roadside?

“I don’t want your pity,” she said, her voice trembling.

“It’s not pity,” Liam said softly. “It’s a concern. And if you want to get out of this mess, you’re going to need someone on your side.”

Isabelle swallowed hard, her hands twisting the blanket covering her. “You don’t understand. He won’t stop. Richard always finds a way to drag me back.”

“Then let me stop him,” Liam said, firmly.

She turned to him. “Why would you do that? You don’t even know me.”

Liam hesitated. “ I've said it before, I brought you to the hospital, why would I leave you here? Also, let’s just say I’ve seen what men like him can do. I won’t let it happen to you.”

His words stirred something in her. For the first time in a while, she felt hopeful. But she wasn’t ready to trust him, not yet.

“I can’t stay here,” Isabelle said,  sitting up and slipping into her worn sneakers. “It’s not safe.”

“You’re in no condition to leave,” he said, his tone hardening. “You just escaped from a man who’s clearly dangerous, and now you’re walking right back into harm’s way.”

“I’ll figure it out,” she snapped.

Liam stepped in front of the door, blocking her path. “Where will you go? Huh? You said he'll come back for you, didn't he? If you're alone, he'll catch you faster.”

The words hit her like a slap, but she lifted her chin proudly. “I don’t need your help.”

“Yes, you do,” Liam said, his voice quiet but unyielding. “And whether you like it or not, I’m not letting you leave like this.”

Isabelle clenched her fingers into fists, anger and frustration bubbling inside her. “You’re just like him, aren’t you? Thinking you can control me.”

Liam’s expression softened. “I’m not trying to control you. I’m trying to help you. There’s a difference.”

For a moment, they stood in silence, neither of them willing to back down. Finally, Liam let out a shuddering breath and stepped aside for her to pass.

“Fine,” he muttered. “You can leave, but if I find you in trouble next time and save you, you have to do whatever I say.”

Isabelle nodded, stepping aside. “Fine.” As long as she wasn't near Richard, she wouldn't be in trouble and she wouldn't have to meet the strange man who was hell-bent on helping her.

“Here,” Liam spoke, offering her an ATM card.

“ What...”

“ Accept it. It's the only way I can let you go. The pin is 1203. You can spend as much as you want, then pay me later. If you use your card and he traces it, he'll find you.”

Isabelle thought about it for a while and Liam was right. If she wanted to leave, she'd need money and if she used her own money, Richard would trace it to her location and find her. She took the card from him and smiled slightly.

“Thanks, Liam Anderson. I'll make sure you don't have to save me again and I'll pay you back for your help too.”

Liam smiled in response and watched as she left the room. He had to let her experience being in danger before she realized that he was the only one who could protect her. He brought out his phone from his pocket and made a call.

“A lady left Meadow Hospital now. Keep an eye on her and report to me if anything goes wrong.”

---

By the end of the day, Isabelle found herself in a small, quiet village on the outskirts of the city. The air was crisp and clean, the streets lined with quaint houses and shops. It was a world away from the chaos she had left behind.

She stood still, looking around like a lost puppy. “ This place feels safe. He won't find me here,” she reassured herself.

“ Are you lost, child?” A voice belonging to a woman in her late fifties snapped Isabelle out of her thoughts.

Isabelle took that opportunity to ask the woman questions. “ Hello,ma'am. Uhm. Is there a quiet place I can stay for a while?”

The woman looked at her from head to toe. “ I would have asked if you're a criminal avoiding the law, but you look a mess like you escaped a hospital.”

Isabelle, feeling conscious of the woman's words, adjusted her rough hair and smiled. “ Well, you're right. There's someone I need to run away from and staying in a hospital won't help that. Compared to how my heart is feeling, I'm not hurt and I don't have a transmittable disease, so you don't have to worry.”

The old woman laughed at her unintentional sense of humor. “Men... People like him should be thrown in prison for how they treat women. My husband eloped with a younger woman when I just had my third child, because my body was no longer beautiful to him. I survived, raising my kids alone. So this one too, shall pass. Just forget the idiot. Have you got any kids?”

Isabelle shook her head, the pain of her miscarriage dawning on her. A part of her was sad and another, was happy, that she wouldn't bring a child into this world to suffer abuse like her. “ Gone, before I could get the gender” she replied.

For a split second, the woman looked at her with empathy in her eyes. “ You've come to the right place then. My name is Mrs Aldric. I own a small restaurant and guesthouse here. You can stay and help me with the restaurant. My third child just got married, so I'm alone. Is that fine?”

Isabelle nodded without hesitation. She felt a bond between her and the woman, and she felt safe.

“ It's for the best. Nothing can happen now.” Isabelle said to herself as she followed the woman.

But little did she know that they were people watching her from the shadows. The one, Liam Anderson sent to keep an eye on her and the person, her husband; Richard Carter, sent.