The Dark Ghosts

66. Burning Anger

Nathan's POV

Fuming, enraged, blood-thirsty, heartbroken, shattered.

Those were words to describe how I felt as I held my little genius in my arms after she told me her story. There was not an inch of me that didn't feel disheartened while listening to her, while watching how she broke down in front of me.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I, fortunately for me, had never seen her cry, so when she started sobbing, I didn't know what to do other than hug her tightly and try to bring some kind of comfort. I'm not good with this kind of emotional stuff, but for her, I would do anything. All I wanted was for her to be ok, not giving a fuck about the new wet spot on my shirt.

I had now discovered that I despise seeing tears in her eyes. I hate the sight alone, it pains me and makes me want to burn the whole world down if that brings a smile to her face.

I would have never, not in a millions years, imagined that she would have gone through all of that. It explains so many things. I now understand why she hates her birthday, why she doesn't usually speak about her childhood or family, the reason behind her insecurities and trust issues, why she was so affected after the club's incident, why she sometimes has nightmares at night.

I wish I could do something to take her pain away, to erase all of those bad memories from her brain, but I can't. She did not deserve any of what happened to her, nobody does. But I guess she was unfortunate enough to go through it.

Though, in the middle of all those emotions of anger and sadness, I felt a hint of pride. Even if life kept throwing problems and hardships at her forcing her to witness the cruel world earlier than she should've had to, she managed to surpass all challenges and become even stronger. Because I for sure know that she is one of the strongest people I know.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her softly once we separated from the hug, much to my dismay.

"Better," she replied, her voice still hoarse from crying.

She flashed me a tiny smile when our eyes met, a smile that instantly made my heart flutter. My lips twitched upwards unconsciously as our eyes locked with one another, my thumbs caressing both of her red cheeks and wiping the rest of her tears.

"I actually needed that, thank you," she thanked me and leaned forward until our foreheads were touching.

With one hand on her neck, I snaked my other arm around her waist, trying to bring her as close as possible to my body, loving the warmth she transmitted.

"No need to thank, little genius." I planted a light peck on her lips. "I'm here for whatever you need, anytime, you hear me?"

She nodded and gave me an appreciative smile. I stared into her brown eyes, losing myself in them. They were, for the first time since I came here, vulnerable and full of emotions. It was an unexplainable, intimate moment. It was as if I could read her for the first time, as if I had the chance to take a peek inside her mind.

"I—."

I cut myself off before I could finish that sentence, my brain quickly rethinking my words and my eyes widening for a millisecond. What the fuck just came over me? Was it the moment itself, the intensity of our stares or simply the girl I had in front of me? Or was it because I actually felt what I was about to say?

Sadie gave me a questioning and curious look, wondering what I was about to say and why I had such an abrupt stop. But I couldn't tell her, not yet. I wasn't ready nor did I quite figured myself out to express it out loud. So, instead, I forced my mind to be consumed with other type of thoughts, the ones that brought all that anger and fury back to my body, fueling it with a dangerous kind of adrenaline.