"Does that hurt?"Vicky nodded. "A little.""Oh. I guess you'll be hurting for a while, then.""..." Vicky realized that she was foolish for expecting him to offer a few words of consolation.However, the atmosphere was no longer as awkward after what he said.Tyler tended to her wounds carefully and seriously without a trace of lust in his eyes, so Vicky slowly began to react.Sometime later, Tyler said, "It's done."He grabbed her jacket and placed it on her. "Don't shower for the time being until the bruises go down."She lowered her gaze. "Okay.""Which hotel did you live in? I'll go and retrieve your belongings."She looked at Tyler and asked, "How did you find me? I don't recall telling you where I went.""I hired a hacker to locate your phone and found where you were when you called me.""You know a hacker?""There's nothing much you can't do with money," Tyler said calmly.Vicky felt like she had asked a foolish question but could not suppress her curiosity. "How
The light chased away the darkness, and a divine-looking man came into her sight."Nightmares?" Tyler asked, his voice husky.Vicky slowly regained her composure. "Nightmares... Yes, it was a nightmare," she mumbled. "I had a horrible nightmare when Jonathan locked me up in a cage, and when I tried to escape, those two men stood in my way..."Everything that had happened was more than what a woman, who was not even 20 years old, could take.He studied the pale look on her face and said, "It's okay. It was just a dream."Though it was only a nightmare, what she had experienced continued to haunt her."I'll leave the lights on." He got up and was about to leave. "It's still hours before sunrise. Get some more sleep."He was about to walk out of the bedroom when Vicky whispered, "Can you...not go?"He stilled and turned to look at her. "What did you just say?"Vicky was as pale as a ghost as her eyes darted around, fearing that something might leap out of the darkness. "Can you s
Tyler knocked on the door, but there was no response.He thought Vicky might be having a nightmare, so he turned the doorknob and walked in to check on her.When he switched on the lamp beside the bed, he noticed that her face was covered in tears.She tensed and was trembling uncontrollably as she panted.Tyler tried to wake her up, but no matter how hard he tried, she just could not wake up as if she was trapped in a nightmare."Vicky. Vicky..." He pushed her gently, but she did not respond.Tyler's pupils contracted, and he realized that something was wrong when he could not wake Vicky up. He picked her up and was about to take her to a hospital when he noticed that she had lost weight.She had always been slim, but it became clear that she had lost even more weight.She was still trembling, and her weightless body felt almost as light as a tiny, helpless kitten.For some reason, his heart sank. All emotions faded, leaving only remorse and guilt behind.He should not have
Tyler's kiss was more skillful and restrained compared to the time before, and Vicky froze in shock.By the time she registered what was happening and tried to dodge, he had deepened the kiss and as oxygen began to run thin, her mind went blank like a person who was drowning.She was not at all appalled by his kiss, but her fear of men left her shaking like a leaf.Vicky did not push his way and thought to herself, 'Let it be, then. Instead of being defiled by those horrible men, I might as well give myself to him. At least I don't hate him. Besides, he has helped me so many times, and it's about time I return the favor.'Sensing her obedience, Tyler's kiss became even more intense.Just as she thought that she would be offering her innocence to Tyler, he stopped and gazed down upon her with lust burning in his eyes. His breath was ragged as he stared at her possessively.Vicky felt butterflies in her stomach and lowered her gaze to avoid his eyes.Sometime later, he finally reg
Despite Vicky's decision, she still felt nervous.Sensing that she was shivering, Tyler assumed that she was terrified of the nightmares and pulled her closer into his arms. "Sleep. I'll stay with you."She opened her mouth to speak but decided against it in the end, and she took a deep breath before laying down.Click! The lights were turned off, and darkness returned to the room.Vicky tensed and breathed heavily.In the dark, Tyler carefully wrapped his arms around her. When she flinched, his movement became more gentle as though she was made of glass.Vicky was amused by that and wanted to tell him that she was not that fragile, but she knew better than to say it out loud.His body was burning, and his heat radiating through his body to hers.She waited for his next move quietly in his arms, but Tyler did not do anything apart from holding her.Even as she drifted off to sleep, he simply held her reassuringly.After some time, Vicky fell into a deep slumber....The nex
Vicky's body stiffened at his action as she was still struggling to be so close to a man. However, since she decided to move back in, she knew she would eventually have to pay the price for it.She nodded. "Okay."...Half an hour later, the doctor Tyler had hired came to the building.It was a Zendonian woman in her forties, and she had a warm smile that made her look pleasantly approachable."Mister Hart. Miss Shaw. Greetings." The woman bowed at them and proceeded to introduce herself, "You can call me Doctor Jenny."Tyler nodded. "Thank you for coming, Doctor Jenny."Doctor Jenny smiled. "You're most welcome. I'm just doing my job." She then turned to look at Vicky and asked gently, "Miss Shaw, can you tell me what you're going through?"Vicky did not want to have any more nightmares and cooperated. "For the past week, I've had nightmares as soon as I fall asleep. Once I jolt awake, I'd either struggle to fall back asleep or continue to have more nightmares...""And that h
"Mister Hart, can I have a moment with you alone?""Doctor Jenny, what is it that you can't discuss in front of me?" Vicky asked.Doctor Jenny smiled. "Of course, I'll talk to you about your condition, but I need to learn more about what Mister Hart sees from his perspective as well. What you can describe is how you subjectively feel, and I want to know what Mister Hart thinks. As for why I'd like to speak with him alone, that's because there might be things that he finds difficult to talk about in front of you or that he might not be able to describe objectively... Do you understand?"Vicky nodded. "Alright, then. I'll head back to my room."Doctor Jenny and Tyler did not talk in the living room and instead did so in his study.As soon as the door closed behind them, Doctor Jenny deadpanned, "Mister Hart, I'm afraid Miss Shaw isn't just having nightmares. She's suffering from depression."He narrowed his eyes darkly. "What?""According to my experience, she's suffering from dep
Vicky almost forgot about how experienced Tyler had become in kissing after staying home for the past few days.She leaned into his arms helplessly and wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her.She used to not understand why people enjoyed kissing, but she finally realized how addictive it was after experiencing it herself.Vicky was not appalled by Tyler's kisses and was even falling in love with the feeling.Occasionally, she would feel confused as she wondered what their relationship was.'Are we a couple?' she thought. 'We never said we're one, and he never said that he loves me or asked me to be his girlfriend. Are we friends with benefits? But we haven't slept together, so what are we?'Sensing her distraction, he nibbled on her lip, and she snapped out of it with the realization that people might see them as they were standing on the balcony.She shoved at him gently. "... Back to the room."Tyler chuckled and lifted her. Instead of carrying her back to her room