Mistaken by the Billionaire Marquess

CHAPTER 33: Childhood

– LIA –

MY HANDS are cold and sweaty at the same time while I am waiting for the hospital staff to call my name. I asked Kelleon the other day if I could see a therapist for the reason that I wanted to get over my fear of guns.

He was more than willing to accompany me to the therapist. He put much effort into this. Kelleon even looked for the best therapist he could find and booked an appointment for me.

“Mi amor,” he called me.

I turned my head to him. “Hmm?”

“Mama called me earlier,” he said. “She asked me about when I’m going back to Spain.”

I felt sad. His mother is already looking for him. If he goes back to Spain, I will be left here, alone.

“What did you tell your Mama?” I asked with a sad tone.

“I told her that I will ask you first.”

I blinked a lot of times before asking. “Why? Why do you still need to ask me?”

He smiled. “I want to take you to Spain with me, mi amor.”

Hearing that, I was pleased. My mood is already lifted.

“Of course! I will go with you, cariño!” I exclaimed. “When is our flight?”

He chuckled because of my excitement. “I planned us to fly on Saturday, next week,” he replied. “Is that fine with you?”

I nodded. “Yes! Yes!” I answered. “I will tell my friends and senior about it. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

He kissed my forehead before silence covered us. We can hear the footsteps of the people walking in the hospital, as well as the sounds that the vehicles make.

“I’ll be just near you in case you pass out again, mi amor,” he said while holding my cold hands.

Somehow, his scent and presence helped calm me down. I haven’t seen a therapist before. Although I have an idea of the process, I don’t have the full picture of it. My degree is not focused on clinical psychology since I focused on forensics and industry.

“Thank you for helping me, cariño,” I responded and gave him a sweet smile. I leaned on his shoulder, and he caressed my arms.

“No need to thank me, mi amor. I have to keep you safe and strong, not just physically, but also mentally,” he replied.

I furrowed my eyebrows at him while looking at his face. “How did it become your responsibility? You’re not my guardian,” I said, trying to tease him.

He grinned at me. “It’s my responsibility because I’m your boyfriend,” he said with so much confidence.

I wanted to spit a laugh on his face, but I decided to just pursed my lips. “What? You? My boyfriend? Since when?”

He pouted at me, and it looked like he didn’t like my answer. “Since you lived in my house,” he answered.

I moved my body away from him and looked at him with an ‘unbelievingly look’.

“Wait,” I said, holding back my laughter. “I agreed on living in your house because you said that I would be safe there and Alejandro can’t find me there. You didn’t tell me anything about you being my boyfriend once I started living in your house!”

He closed the distance between the two of us, but I moved away until my back hit the cold concrete wall.

“We have our own endearment. We sleep in the same room. We’re doing intimate things. We’re kissing. I even ate your sweet pussy and you sucked my cock, yet we’re still not in a relationship?” he firmly said while looking into my eyes. The look he has is like how a predator looks at his prey. He looked like he was going to devour me anytime.

I pushed his chest a little bit to make some space between us, but he wouldn’t even move an inch.

“There are a lot of people there who do intimate things without having a label on their relationship. Like, friends with benefits?” I asked him unsurely.

The thing is, I have already considered him as my boyfriend from the moment he kissed me. I kept that to myself because I don’t know if he also looks at our relationship in the same way I do.

It’s just fun teasing him.

“Well, mi amor. I’m now telling you that I won’t settle for a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship,” he said touching my chin and pushing it up to meet his eyes. “You’re my girlfriend, and I’m your boyfriend. Do you understand?”

I pursed my lips, holding back the huge smile that I wanted to show. I was about to reply, but Kelleon still wanted to say more.

“We’ll go on different dates. Minimum of four dates per week,” he said.

Wow. I think he’s shy enough not to make us date once a day.

“We’ll celebrate our monthsarries and anniversaries,” he added.

Kelleon cupped my face and leaned closer. Just a few centimeters and our lips will touch. If that happens, I don’t think I can hold myself back.

“I have a long plan ahead of us, mi amor. However,” he stopped and caressed it. “It won’t happen until we capture Denisse.”

I touched his hand and kissed it. “I know, cariño. That’s why I’m here. I will help and support you.”

Our moment together was cut short when someone called my name.

“Miss Maria Mahalia Mendoza?” the staff called me. “You can enter now, ma’am.”

She opened the door towards the therapy area. Kelleon grabbed me by the waist and kissed my neck.

“I’m here, mi amor. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need help, okay?”

I nodded at him. When I took a glance at the inside of the room, I saw the therapist sitting in a chair near a tall table.

“Good morning, Lia,” the therapist greeted me. “How are you feeling?”

I smiled at her. “I feel fine, Doc.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” she answered after giving back a smile. “Lay down here and we’ll start.”

Kelleon might have told the therapist about my situation. She didn’t ask me about my fear or what my problem was.

I followed her. I lay down and made myself comfortable. I turned my head towards Kelleon’s direction and I saw him staring at me. He made a thumbs-up sign with both of his hands while smiling.

“You can do this,” he mouthed. I smiled at him before mouthing a thank you.

“Close your eyes, Lia.”

I did what the therapist said. I took a deep breath before closing my eyes.

“Just listen to my voice, Lia. Focus on my voice and take deep breaths.”

And I did. The more deep breaths I did, the lesser the sound I could hear. After a while, everything became quiet. I even thought that I had become deaf, but the therapist’s voice emerged.

“Lia, what can you see?”

As if on a cue, the surroundings changed. My eyes were still closed, so I thought that it might be my imagination acting up.

“Walls,” I said. “There are walls here.”

“Try to look around and tell me if you can see more,” she said. I followed it. Without moving my body, my sight shifted in another direction.

“Still walls. I can’t see anything. Just walls,” I said. My breathing became uneven as I felt uncomfortable with the view.

“Lia, take deep breaths slowly. Just listen to my voice.”

I followed her, but it didn’t work. I don’t know why, but just looking at those walls made me very uncomfortable that I wanted to throw up.

I tried to make my breaths even, but every inhale I had was being blocked as if the air capacity of my lungs became smaller. Every exhale I did could not go through my nose so I had to do it using my mouth.

BANG!

My body shook because of the sudden sound. I turned around to see where that came from, but the only thing I could see were walls.

BANG!

I covered my ears. That loud sound made my ears hurt and they’re going to bleed.

I could hear someone’s voice calling me, but it was so faint that I couldn’t recognize where it came from.

“Aah!” I exclaimed when someone grabbed my hair and dragged me. My back hit the floor. It was so painful, and I felt some of my bones broke.

“Stop! Let me go!”

Those words came out of my mouth automatically. I said it as if I had already said it before as if I had experienced this before.

My voice… this is not my voice. It’s high and pitchy… like how a child sounds.

“It hurts! Let me go! Please!”

The person holding my hair dragged me to the ground. The floor gave wounds to my back I felt some stones poking my skin.

I grabbed the hand of the person grabbing my hair and scratched the skin. I even tried to punch and slap that hand, thinking that it would leave me alone.

All of a sudden, I was already outside. There are several palm trees surrounding us.

In the middle, there was a child. A girl. She’s all beaten up. One of her eyes is swollen while the other one is bleeding. Her body is full of wounds and an old man, with a blurred face, is standing beside her.

The man had one of his feet stomping the back of the little girl.

“This is what will happen if any of you try to escape!” the roaring voice of a man shouted before pointing a gun at the girl’s head.

I tried to run. I tried to save her from being shot. I can feel myself shouting, but no voice is coming out.

The little girl stared at me before mouthing something that I didn’t understand.

BANG!

As the sound of a firing bullet rang in my ears, the little girl’s head exploded in my sight.

“Lia!”

My body trembled as I felt someone pull me. When I opened my eyes, Kelleon’s face greeted me.

I reached for him and cried on his chest. He keeps on asking me questions, but my brain can’t process them. I don’t have the strength to speak.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Is that a memory I have forgotten? What happened to me? Is that the reason for my fear of guns?

I want to remember my childhood so badly, but it always leads to something like this. I will lose control, break down, and tremble.

I hate this.

– KELLEON –

It gives me so much pain, seeing Lia like that. She was screaming and punching in the air. She can’t even breathe properly.

The therapist can’t calm her down so I have to interfere. I tried to touch her face and shake her shoulders, but she would just push me away.

Thankfully, I was able to wake her up and calm her down.

The therapist gave some reminders and medicines that can make Lia’s situation better. We drove back home but she’s still not speaking.

When we arrived, she walked up to our room. I followed her and I saw her laying on the bed.

“Mi amor,” I called her as I sat on the bed.

She blinked a lot of times before speaking.

“A little girl,” she started talking as tears fell from her eyes. I hurriedly wipe them away. I can’t let her cry again.

“A man shot her… in front of me,” Lia started crying loudly.

I comforted her. I don’t know who made her like this, but I will find that person and make his life a living hell.