Mark On Her Soul

“His name is Kieran Sinclaiz,” Ariella heard her father telling her and her mother. After whatever happened at her school yesterday, the school authority announced a one week off from their classes. 

Ariella was sitting on her bed while her mother was sitting beside her who was looking at her with an extremely worried look on her face because since the second her parents had taken her back to their home from school, she had barely talked to anyone and had not even properly eaten or drank something. She had not even stepped out of her room. Her parents even called a doctor to check her and the doctor told them that this incident had badly affected Ariella 's mental health. She had been emotionally traumatised because of all of this and they needed to take extra care of her.

Ariella’s mother saw her daughter staring at the floor blankly which made her trail her gaze towards her husband. Both the parents exchanged an extremely worried glance with each other as they knew how much all of this had hurt and was still hurting their daughter emotionally. It had affected her so much that their cheerful and always looking happy daughter had gotten completely quiet.

Exhaling a heavy breath, her father, Eliseo, walked closer towards her. He sat beside Ariella on the bed on her other side and then placed his palm over his daughter's head.

“We are really very sorry, my child, that you had to go through all of this all alone,” her father uttered to her, feeling guilty.

“Yes, your dad is right, Arie. We are really very sorry that we were not there for you when you needed us the most, my baby,” her mother also apologised to her which made Ariella slowly blink. 

“It was not your fault, mum…dad because it's just my fault,” she spoke out, fixing her eyes still on the floor.

“I should have told you both about all of this in the very beginning then nothing of this would have ever happened,” Ariella said as she had started believing that the only person who should be blamed here was herself. She should have talked to her parents the very day she received his letter in her school’s locker. She should have never taken it so leniently in the very first place.

“If I would have been careful with this then nothing of this would have ever gotten this far. Professor Jace might have been …..” she could not even complete her words as she felt that painful lump in her throat because of those heavy and warm tears brimming in her eyes again, turning her vision blurry.

Her state glossed up her mother's eyes. Verena looked at her husband and found him also gazing at Ariella with his gloomy gaze. Both of her parents were feeling extremely hurt after seeing their child in a state like this. 

“Arie, don't blame yourself for anything, my princess. It's not your fault,” Ariella heard her father telling her.

“Because the only person who is responsible and should be held responsible for all of this is that filthy rascal,” her father seethed out. More tears filled into her eyes, hearing her father.

“And don't worry. I will make sure he would get severely punished for his irrational and brutal actions,” her father assured her, without being aware if that was exactly what his daughter wanted or not.

“I promise, he will never trouble you again, so you have no need to get worried regarding this,” 

Ariella didn't utter a single word and continued to listen to every single thing her father was telling her in complete silence.

“Dad….” Ariella’s brother, Seth, stepped inside her room who was five years older than her. Everyone looked towards him.

“Dad, you forgot your phone in the hall and it has been ringing there,” Seth informed his father, earning a nod from him. Eliseo took his phone from his son and then looked towards it. He stood up on his feet, seeing who had been calling him.

“It’s the senior police officer, Mr Gerald,” Eliseo told everyone while dialling back the officer’s number. 

“Hello, officer?” Ariella heard her father speaking to the police officer.

“Right now?” her father’s face twisted in worry again which didn’t go unseen by anyone.

“Okay, I will try to take her there. Thank you,” Eliseo hung up the call. 

“What happened?” Ariella heard her mother asking her father which made her father sigh heavily.

“The police need Ariella’s statement against that boy, so that’s why I need to take her to the police station right now,” her father revealed, visibly tensing up Ariella again. Just at the thought of seeing him again, her heart had started getting squeezed inside her chest. Everyone caught that terror on her face.

“Ariella, don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you, princess,” he father said to her, holding her hand.

“In fact, I will do my best so that he would never get in front of you ever again and for that, I need your little help, princess. Just give your statement to them and they will make sure he wouldn’t get unpunished for his sins,” she keenly heard her father.

“You already did that bravery of taking out the truth from him and we are proud of you for that, my child. So now don’t be afraid to give your statement to the police against him as it is needed to make him pay for what he has done to you and your professor Jace,” her father gripped her hand more firmly.

“And I know my daughter will always stand by the right,” a tear escaped from her eyes at her father’s words. Exhaling a soft sigh, she slowly nodded at him, making her father beam at her a bit.

“I will take out the car. Get ready,” her father said, patting Ariella’ head and then he left from there which made Arielle turn her head to look at mother who was already staring at her daughter with her glossy eyes and it made Ariella tear up more. She hugged her mother tightly and broke down into tears which caused a tear to slip down from her mother’s eyes as in that moment, her mother could clearly feel that inner turmoil of her daughter.

…………..

“Thank you very much for coming here and giving your statement, Ms. Kayzon. It will help us a lot,” Ariella heard the police officer saying to her after she told them everything that she knew about him and that situation. She slowly wagged her head at the officer.

“Okay, we will take our leave now. Make sure he would pay for everything, officer,” her father uttered while getting up from his chair. Ariella and the officer followed his action.

“Don’t worry. We will make him pay for everything now as we have all the proof against him,” the officer said and shook his hand with Ariella’s father. 

“Let’s go,” her father said to her, earning a nod from her. Both the father daughter duo stepped out of that police officer’s cabin and were about to head towards the exit to leave but Ariella’s feet froze the second she saw him in front of her again but this time, his state numbed her heart. He was looking completely lifeless. Some officers were dragging him somewhere but the second, his bloodshot turquoise gaze met with hers, Ariella felt something painfully breaking inside her. Her entire body got deprived of every kind of sensation by staring at him, especially when she witnessed still no hate and anger in his eyes for her. He was still staring at her with nothing but calmness.

“He has still not opened his mouth even for once,” the officer who had been dragging him informed Ariella’s father which made Eliseo grit his teeth. It was his order as well as request to the police to do everything possible to teach him a lesson as hard as possible so that even the thought of his daughter would get out of his head and Eliseo, being a powerful entity of their country, had that dominating influence on that situation.

“We did everything possible to make him speak but he didn’t utter a single word till now,” the officer said, making Eliseo clench his jaw more vigorously whereas Ariella continued to stare at him again.

“He didn’t even need to speak anymore as his actions are enough to make him suffer throughout his life,” Eliseo spat at him and then grabbed Ariella’s hand. He started dragging her with him but before stepping out from that exit, Ariella turned her head only to find him still gazing at her with his bloodshot eyes which caused a tear to roll down from her eyes until he didn’t completely fade, but just from her eyes.

After returning back to her home, Ariella straight went to her room, telling everyone that she needed to freshen up. 

She stepped inside her bathroom and slowly dragged herself to the basin. She opened the tap and collected some water in between her palm. 

Ariella splashed the water all over her face and then she took her eyes towards the mirror but her heart shuddered when she got that glimpse of those turquoise eyes in that mirror’s reflection. She immediately backed away and turned her head but there was no one behind her. 

Twirling her head around, she looked at the mirror which was showing just her reflection this time. Her breathing had already deepened to a terrifying extent.

‘I love you, Ella….’ his voice and those words of his started echoing inside her head on repetition.

‘I love you, Ella….’

‘I love you, Ella…..I love you….’ 

Ariella squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her palms to stop his voice from entering inside her head, unaware that this voice was not prevailing outside her but it was coming from inside of her very being.

‘I love you, Ella…’

‘I love you, Ella….’

‘I love you, Ella…..’

“No, go away. Leave me…Go away from here,” she started panting heavily but neither his voice nor his eyes faded from her subconscious. Instead his essence started overpowering her more terribly with every passing second.

‘I love you, Ella…’

‘I love you, Ella….’

‘No…go away…..’ chanting, she dropped herself on the floor and clutched her heart, feeling like it had turned impossible for her to even breathe now.

The basin overflowed with water and fell down on the floor which started wetting her skin who was now writhing in that floor.

‘I love you, Ella…’

‘I love you, Ella…’

“No…no…..leave me….no…..”  

“LEAVE ME……” Ariella shot her eyes open and found that white ceiling above her. She hurriedly looked around which made her get up and sat on the bed. Her eyes were glossy. Her body was sweating, indicating she was having that nightmare again. It had been 8 years. 8 years she had last seen and heard him but his voice, his eyes, his very presence still haunted her like he had always been around her. Everything had changed in her life in these eight years except for that twisted mark he had left on her soul.

Sighing heavily, she cleaned her watery eyes and then looked towards the wall clock which widened her eyes. It was already 9 in the morning. Terror engulfed her. She hurriedly tried to step down from the bed but badly hissed, feeling that painful soreness striking in her lower region. Tears immediately invaded her eyes again as she recalled how brutally she had been used last night again by her own husband whom she had been married to for the last two years.

She was about to step down from the bed when she saw that person entering inside the door whose glowering gaze was already on her which ran her blood cold in terror. Her husband, Eldric Kohler…..