Until Forever (Complete)

Chapter Twenty One

Bailey laid awake all night, unable to get his mind off of Elizabeth long enough to fall asleep. When the day finally broke, he went about his business in the mansion with Elizabeth still on his mind.

He worried about her. He knew it wasn't his place to worry about her welfare, but he couldn't help himself. A part of him blamed himself for her marriage to Frederick. Perhaps if he hadn't replied to her letter. If only he hadn't given Frederick so much information about their conversations in those letters, she wouldn't be stuck in a marriage to a man such as Frederick.

But whether Bailey approved of Elizabeth's marriage or not, there was nothing he could do about it.

Bailey spent hours tending to Gary's needs with hopes of catching a glimpse of Elizabeth. When the evening finally came with still no sign of Elizabeth, he found himself wondering if she had chosen to run off. What sane woman would remain in a house run by a man who had stripped her naked and thrown her out of the room in the middle of the night? For her own sake, Bailey hoped she ran off. But for his sake, he hoped for another chance to catch a glimpse of her.

A shrill sound reverberated through the walls of the building, dragging him out of his thoughts and pulling him to the present.

Glancing around, he stood still for a second and listened for the sound again. It didn't take long for him to recognize whose voice he was hearing.

Turning around, he raced through the halls and up the stairs. He heard the scream yet again, this time, it's intensity filling his heart and pumping his muscles with so much energy, it felt as if he was flying.

Elizabeth was in trouble, his heart pounded loudly in his chest.

He threw the bedroom door wide open, his eyes immediately coming to rest on Frederick physically assaulting Elizabeth.

For what felt like only a second, Bailey exploded into mad fury. His fingers immediately curled into a fist, the veins on his neck bulged, his teeth clenched and his vision turned red.

Lurching forward, he gathered a fist full of Frederick's hair, dragging him backwards, away from Elizabeth. He threw a punch, his fist landing squarely on Frederick's jaw.

The overwhelming urge to kill Frederick pumped through his veins until his entire fist was covered in blood. Frederick's body felt limp in Bailey's hands and his eyes stood close.

Satisfied, he threw Frederick to the side and heard a loud crashing sound.

Turning his attention to Elizabeth who sat whimpering by the foot of the bed with her back pressed against the bed, he covered the distance that stood between them and fell to his knees beside her. Seeing the bruise on her face, all Bailey wanted to do was pull her against himself and keep her safe.

He loved her. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he wanted to ignore that fact, no matter how many nights he stayed awake trying to talk himself out of loving her, he loved her. He loved her and he would kill for her if he had to.

Tears filled his eyes as he watched her weep before him. It felt like his heart was being shred to many pieces. A cold shiver ran down his spine, causing his entire body to tremble. Reaching forward, he touched her face.

“Ellie.” His heart cried out within him. “Ellie, are you okay?” He heard his own broken whisper.

Her eyelids parted, revealing silver eyes.

For a few seconds, she sat staring at him, her eyes observing him. Her gaze searched his eyes in confusion and in that second, Bailey saw it.

He saw revelation settle in Elizabeth's eyes, and he knew.

She knew who he was.

Rising to his feet slowly, he stumbled out of the room, completely terrified.

~ ~

The room stood deathly still.

Broken furniture littered the floors, blood stains were splattered everywhere and the deathly still body of Frederick laid in the center of the room.

Elizabeth sat with her back pressed against the wooden frame of the bed. Her hands laid limp by her sides, pain racked her entire body, her eyelids fought to pull close, her ears rang and tears blurred her vision.

Yet, all of those things felt small compared to the pain she felt in her heart. There was no physical pain, no physical torture could compare with the mental torment she had to endure as she sat on the floor, barely able to breathe.

It was Bailey.

Her mind had barely grasped the full meaning of it as she watched Bailey rise to his feet and storm out of the room, leaving her seated there all alone, confused.

The butler wrote those letters! Fresh tears came to the surface and flowed unrestrained down her cheeks.

All of these while, it had been the butler! Frederick had deceived her into a false marriage, had cheated with her best friend, had physically abused her and everything she had been through, had been because she honestly believed that the letters that had been written by the butler, had been written by Frederick.

She was such a fool! Her mind screamed, blaming her for the consequences of her marriage to Frederick.

Her eyes shifted back to Frederick's unmoving form once more. Bailey had done that to Frederick, he had put his own life on the line to save hers.

Did Bailey love her? For a while, she pondered on it. His letters made her genuinely feel like he loved her. If anything, his letters had played a big role in her agreement to marry Frederick.

She remembered what it felt like being in his arms in the library and in the hall way. She had been put in two very embarrassing positions yet, she couldn't bring herself to focus on her embarrassment long enough to feel shame. All she felt was warmth and safety. She felt safe in Bailey's arms. 

But as Elizabeth stared at Frederick's unmoving form, she knew she would be required to keep Bailey safe for Frederick wouldn't let Bailey's attack go unpunished.

Pushing herself to her feet, she lifted one leg after the other with much difficulty until she was out of the door and walking down the hall to Bailey's room.

Not bothering to knock on the door, she simply pushed it open.

Bailey, who was seated on his bed with his hands folded before him, rose to his feet at the sight of her.

“It was you, wasn't it?” She finally asked, observing him.

Copyright © 2017 Lily Orevba All rights reserved.

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A/N

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