Chapter 22 - BUSTED

Luna Morris Present day. I screamed my lungs out when I was touched in my sleep. I opened my eyes and saw Clyde holding onto my shoulder. "It's me. It's just me." He said as he helped me to sit up straight. I leaned my body to the headboard and started to cry. Clyde hugged me, and I cried so hard in his arms. I had a nightmare about Mara and Clement. It happens every month, sometimes twice a month. Even though it's been a decade but I will never get over it. It still traumatized me until this day. I think Anastasia's look triggered me. It reminded me how desperate I am for someone to help me. Clyde caressed my head, calming me down. "Did you have a nightmare, Butterfly?" He asked softly as he pulled away. He smiled as he wiped my tears from my cheek. This is why I kept him around, even though I hate him. Clyde has always been my safe place since I was little. Even though his demeanor is cold, he always ensures I'm safe. He's the only man that I trust and the only man that I allow to touch me. Something about it made me feel secure. It's like he's assuring me that no one can hurt me. Ten years might feel long, but ten years for me felt like a month when your past is haunting you. Every memory that I had was crystal clear. Even though now I could get out of the house and make friends, correction, one friend but still my brain sometimes got triggered by little things. "What time is it?" I asked. "It's 3 in the morning." He answered, and I looked at him. He was still wearing his suit. "I came here an hour ago to check on you." I nodded as I closed my eyes. I could feel Clyde holding my hands. "I remember when you got this scar..." I opened my eyes slowly and saw Clyde tracing his finger on a long fading scar on my left forearm. "You were busy chasing Quincy and tripping on a big piece of wood." Quincy was my neighbor's dog, and I did remember it. "You were crying so loud and blamed Quincy for running too fast." Clyde chuckled. "And you were laughing at me." I hissed, and he nodded. "Why wouldn't I? You blamed Quincy when you're the one who tripped yourself." Clyde was busy looking at my scar when I took my time to observe him. He looked up, and our eyes met. He looked stressed but also tired. I put my hand on his cheek, caressing him. "Did something happen today?" I asked, and he shook his head. "Just some work. I had to finish it because I'm taking a few days off." "Where are you going?" I put my hand down, waiting for him to answer. "I want to spend it with you, giving you a free tour of Seattle. I want to take you to see everything you like." I shook my head and looked down. He said the same thing 15 years ago. He told me he would take me to an art gallery and spend the whole day with me. He even promised to take me to other places the next day, but he left me. "Why? You don't like sightseeing?" I let out a sigh and looked up at him. "What exactly happened 15 years ago?" I dropped the question that I've been dying to know the answer. Clyde looked away. "You said the same thing back then. You said you'll spend the day with me and told me we'll do everything I like." "Luna." He doesn't want to talk about it. "Why did you decide to appear in my life again? Is it to remind me of the old wounds and to fix them?" "Luna, you don't understand. I was—" "Are you going to leave me again?" I asked, and it came out in a whisper. "No." He answered it right away. "I will never leave you this time. You're mine, to begin with, and you'll always be mine till the end." "But I still can't forgive you," I said, and he nodded. "I know, and I will never forgive myself for what I did." Tears came out of my eyes. He hugged me again and kissed the top of my head. "Can I ask you something?" I pulled away, and he raised his eyebrows. "You're already asking, Butterfly." He smiled, teasing me. "Ask away." He quickly said. "Why did you never come to London?" My question was simple, but it took Clyde some time to answer. "I want to know. You had someone to check on me, but why did you never come?" "I was banned. My family banned me from entering Europe." His statement shocked me. "Enough with the questions. Go to sleep." "But..." "It's either going to sleep or I'm going to fu—" I pushed him away and tucked myself into bed. "Lucky you that I'm good at waiting patiently, Butterfly. Next time, I'm done waiting." He whispered in my ear, and I could hear him chuckling before getting up from bed. He went out and closed the door. Suddenly the room temperature went up, I was sweating, and my heart was beating so fast. I could feel the wetness between my legs. I can't believe I'm feeling so horny right now when I thought I wouldn't be able to feel it after what happened a decade ago. I slipped into my pants and put my free hand on my mouth, preventing myself from making a sound. I closed my eyes and imagined Clyde's fingers touching me. It sent me back to the memories of when he fingered me in the shower. "Luna." My eyes snapped open, and found Clyde leaning on the doorframe with his legs crossed. I froze, and I could feel my cheek heat up. How long has he been standing there? Shit. Fucking shit. "You're so fucked."