The Woman With An Ice Heart

Chapter Twenty-three

Valerie's POV

I'd been in this building for two weeks now, and I was losing hope of anyone finding me here. I couldn't see what was going on  outside because the windows were too high up for me to see anything.

I had been praying for the past few days until I didn't pray anymore. I was given a meal a day, and though it was small, I was grateful for it. I had no idea if I was ever gonna be free from this. I sent out one last prayer before my sleep took over and I was lost in the land of dreams.

Waking up from another nightmare, I looked to see Mr Williams sitting on a chair in front of me, watching me like I was some experiment of his. I sat in a more upright position and looked at him. In his hands, he held what seemed to be a whip and my eyes automatically widened in fear.

"Ohhhh, tsk tsk tsk....... Afraid of what I'm holding here? It won't harm you if you are obedient."

He stood up and came in front of me. I remained quiet, looking down. He began to circle around me, hitting the whip every now and then on the ground. Each time it hit the ground, I jerked.

"So, why didn't you obey me when I told you to leave that boy?"

I quickly jerked my head up to look at him. His face showed that he was not pleased with me, but what I'd done was something that I didn't regret. I had loved someone. I had had a beautiful experience I could hold onto in my life. Though we couldn't get back together, I could only thank him now for letting me know how it felt like to love someone.

"I loved him. I don't regret being with him for that time."

He laughed out loud, and next thing I knew, a whip sound resonated in the room and I screamed in pain. I opened my eyes to see him in my face, holding my hair so that I could look at him.

"How dare you!?! I should've killed you when I had the chance."
I'd had enough of this!

"Kill me then!!! KILL ME!!!!! I don't really seem to have a life to live for anyway."

He looked at me for a second, and pushed me to the ground, making me scratch my hand on the ground.

"No. I won't kill you. Where's the fun in that?"

I really wished he could put me out of my misery already. He had hurt me up to the point where I'd acknowledged in my mind that maybe, just maybe, he was the one who would kill me.

"I'll just punish you instead."

Before I could scream, whips were already raining down on my body and I screamed out loud in pain. After hitting me with multiple blows, he threw the whip away, and kicked me in the stomach.

A sound echoed in the room, a voice I never thought I'd hear again.

"This is the police. We have the perimeters surrounded. Let the woman go and come out now!!!"

He looked at me, anger very evident in the way the talked to me.

"Now look! I'm not going back there again. Get up!!"

My body wasn't responsive. Every muscle ached and I could hardly open my eyes. The sounds were now blurry, and all I wanted to do was sleep and never wake up. I'd had enough of this world.

He lifted me up and held me to him. We walked until we got to an elevator. We got in and got down to the main ground floor. When the doors opened, a lot of blue and red lights were flashing about.

"I repeat, we have the perimeters surrounded. Turn yourself in before we get in."

We got out and all the police men's guns were aimed at us.

"I've got the hostage. Don't you dare shoot or make a move, or else I'll shoot her."

******

Maxwell's POV

The moment I saw her in his arms, I almost lost it. She looked terrible. Her face was swollen and her clothes were in taters, like they were ripped by wire.

"I've got the hostage. Don't you dare shoot or make a move, or else I'll shoot her."

I looked at the police and non made a move towards them. Why aren't they doing anything?? I was about to move when Mason held me back.

"He'll kill her, Max."

I began to think it through, and he was right. This man was not to be underestimated. I sat down, fear and pain coursing through me as I thought of what could happen if he escaped again.

The moment he disappeared into another isle, I ran after them. I'd brought my own gun, but I didn't tell anyone. I heard Mason calling after me, but I didn't want to listen to him this time. I'd lost her once, I was not going to lose her again.

After following close behind him, I stopped when I saw him stopping to put her down. She didn't even fight him. She just laid there, but I could see that she was breathing.

"You've gotten heavier. I bet it's all that food you shove down your throat."

He took out his phone and began to call someone. That was the right time for me to aim before he got too close to her again. I carefully aimed for his leg and fired.

He screamed in pain and fell to the ground. I ran to get Valerie. When I got to her, she looked far much worse than I'd thought. If only I hadn't let her go on her own.

"Valerie?"

She opened her eyes, and I could see those brown eyes staring deep into my soul.

"I'm sorry, love. I'm here now."

She looked behind me. Her eyes widened before I was suddenly pushed to the ground and a loud bang rang out in the night.

Her body was stagnant on top of mine and when I called out for her, she was silent.

He'd shot her. I looked to my side to see him limping away. I fired at him and shot his shoulder. He fell to the ground and held onto his hand as he tried to run off.

I quickly carried Valerie and began to walk with her when a policeman showed up. I told him about the man and where he was. He ran after him and I carried her to the car and began to yell frantically for the ambulance. One policeman said that he'd already called and that they'd be here at any moment.

I put her down and surveyed her to see blood seeping out from her side. I took of my jacket and pressed down to make sure that there was less blood coming out.

"Let us take her."

I looked up to see a man wearing a paramedics uniform. I let him take her and I followed them to the ambulance I hadn't realized had arrived.

I got in with them and off we went to the hospital.

******

I'd been walking to and fro in this hallway in front of the operation room for four hours now, but it felt like I'd been there for ever. I kept on praying for her surgery to be a success.

The light suddenly went off and Mason and I quickly stood up and went to the door. Her mother had been called and she was in her way here.

"How is it, doc?"

He took of his face mask.

"Well, it was a success but it's gonna take some time for her to wake up because she's in a coma. It was pretty bad since she'd suffered some internal bleeding and a few broken ribs."

"So, how long is it going to take for her to wake up."

The doctor sighed.

"Three months minimum."

I ran my finger through my hair, the exhaustion of the day finally hitting me.

"Can I go see her?"

"She's in the ICU. You can go there and someone will show you where she is."

I held onto his hand, so many emotions rippling through me.

"Thank you so much, doctor."

He smiled at me and patted my shoulder.

"I'm just doing my job, sir."