Chapter 29

Frederick POV

I woke up to find Kharis sleeping close to me. She was calm and looked so peaceful. I arranged the strands of hair lying on her face. She was beautiful. I noticed a scar on her arm, and then, another on the side of her back.


Confusion was written all over my face. I then realized I knew nothing about her. I didn't know where she came from or whose daughter she was. Why all the scars? Was she in the military? Was she an ex-convict? Was she beaten up while in prison? Who did I just share such a beautiful moment with?


I lay thinking about Kharis. She woke up and caught me staring at her. After a few stretches, she turned to look at me but it was so hard for her to maintain eye contact with me.


"What's wrong?", I asked her.


"Good morning". I noticed the way you look at me! Is everything okay? Are you regretting it now?", She said so many words in a few seconds.


I was perplexed and worried. I didn't know how to ask about the scars. An awkward situation was one thing I was trying to avoid.


"How was your night?"I asked her, looking away from her face.


"Frederick, what is wrong?"Why are you being cold all of a sudden", she asked.


I didn't want her to get a wrong impression about my attitude. I didn't have any regrets in regards to the sex we had. If I have an opportunity I would still consent to let myself be vulnerable. I would share my bed with her over and over again. "Are you okay?"I asked her.


"You seem confused or worried about something. I can tell from your facial expression", She said.


I held her hand and took my finger to where the scar on her arm was. I could see the fright in her eyes and then I took the same finger to the side of her back, pointing to the scar I saw earlier.


"Who are you?", I asked her, my eyes pleading for answers. She looked at me and I could see tears form at the corner of her eyes. The room was silent, dark and it felt like we were the only humans in our world.


"No one is listening. I promise not to judge you", I said.

She adjusted her body and rotated to one side revealing a back with some slightly fresh wounds and scars. I became furious at the sight.


"Who hurt you like this? Who the hell did this to you? Were you involved with bad people?", I said in a calm voice without even giving her room to speak. She sat properly on the bed and covered her body with the duvet.


"You were not meant to see my scars. No one should see anything as disgusting as this".

She turned to look at me, and yes, she was crying silently.


I felt bad for opening old wounds and taking her back to her past.


"It is okay if you do not want to talk about it. I'd understand", I said and held her body. Her forehead was resting on my chest and I'm sure she heard my heartbeat.


"My name is Kharis Carter. All my life, I have dreamt of finding peace and love. When my mother passed away, my dad remarried and that was the beginning of my torture. I was only 21 years old and still in college. The first terrible moment of my life was when I quit school because my dad or step-mother wouldn't pay the tuition fee. I stayed home while my friends went to school and studied their dream courses. I wanted to build my career", she started talking.


"Frederick, There was no single day that my dad or stepmother did not hit me. My back is a work of terrible art. From irons to wires, to shoes, anything that was easily accessible to them was used on my back".


" I sleep in an uncomfortable room. No lighting. No duvet. Just a small sofa with no piece of bed spray on it".


"I ran two jobs at the same time. One as a waitress, and the other, as a babysitter. And I kept these jobs away from my parents. If they ever found out, I was in trouble. I woke up every morning by either 4:00 am or 5:00 am, to clean the house, do the laundry, and prepare breakfast".


"My life was a living hell. I lived without parental love and care. Everybody needs somebody. One to rely on. I had nobody to talk to or express my feelings to. I was alone and scared of every minute."


"I had a piggy bank and I saved a lot of money there. The money was meant to cater to my needs after I ran away. I was going to get a small apartment in the ghetto, still, babysit and work at the restaurant, and go to college".


"I had and I still have so many plans for my life. My parents have broken me and killed most of my dreams".


I listened to her attentively without even uttering a word. I didn't even think of preparing for the office. I just wanted to lay in bed with her all day and let her know I cared about her so much. It wasn't pity I felt for her, it was love and care.


I wanted to give her the world and more if she would let me. I wanted to fix her, make her whole, support her dreams and be her best friend.


"On the day of my escape from the house (she continued talking), I sustained lots of injuries. This was because they locked me inside. It seemed like they knew I was running away that day. I jumped out of the window . "


"Yesterday, I received a threat message from my stepmom".

She picked up her phone and showed the message to me.


"I'm sure by now you must know what I am capable of doing. With no hesitation, I want you back in this house before dawn. Do not dare me Kharis. Try to ignore this message and incur my wrath".


I hugged her so tightly.

"No one can hurt you now".

"You are safe with me".


She held me tightly and buried her face in the crook of my neck.


"They deprived me of so much", she said crying.


"We'll bounce back together, I promise. I promise to fix you. To be everything you want, if you let me", I said to her.


She turned to look at me and muttered a soft thank you. I touched her hair soothingly. Did I just promise everything she wants? How about my marriage with Ivy!!!