🌺The Promises That We Keep🌺

Chapter 75

Angeles

Pain.

Searing pain.

Throbbing pain.

Aching pain.

Pain so strong that it's all I can think about. I know something terrible has happened, but I'm not quiet sure what.
The smell of alcohol fills my nostrils as the soft murmur of voices swirl around, I can't understand what they are saying and I don't care. All I want is the pain to go, it's burning me from the inside out, my stomach and legs are aflame I'm sure of it.

"Shhh, Angeles, it will be okay. I'm giving you something for the pain as we speak." A male voice tells me.
Is that Xavier? I'm not sure, but as soon as the last word exits his mouth a cold stinging spreads on my arm, spreading and numbing as it travels.

Lower and lower it swims, till the fire has been soothed.

I cannot feel my body and the relief is wonderful.

The lights are out and I slip away to my fathers comforting arms.

I'm at peace.

***********************

A soft kiss on my forehead wakes me slightly as I try to open my eyes, why is it is bright? And why are my eyes refusing to open?

"Xavier! Nova! She's waking, quick!"

Who said that? That's a mans voice but I can't seem to place who it belongs to.

I can hear soft footsteps as a cool hand is placed on my forehead making my eyes blink open slightly.

"What happened?" I whisper realising my throat is as dry as summer grass.

A sniffle and a sigh brings me back to the strong alcohol smell in the room, as I try and open my eyes and lift my head up.

"Pl... please don't try to get up, you must st..stay laying down." A small sob escapes from Nova's lips as she takes a deep breath. "Angeles, you took both the vials at the same time and it caused your body to bleed so profusely that you started to haemorrhage. Xavier has stopped the bleeding but you could have died. Al...also..."

A man clears his throat interrupting Nova as I turn to my side following the noise.
"Angeles, you are very lucky to be alive. But you need to rest, you've been through an ordeal and your body needs to heal. We are very lucky that Albert found you when he did otherwise you wouldn't be here with us right now."

I swallow but my throat gets stuck. "Albert found me?"

More footsteps approach and I turn to the opposite side of Xavier as I peek to see a tall man that resembles Albert, a blurry version, but no less handsome. "Yes I found you Angeles, but we can talk about this later after you've had some rest."
His tone is cold and not like the warmth that Albert usually has within his voice and it scares me a little.

Nova's soft voice floats into my ears. "Sleep now Angeles, we will be here when you wake."

**************

Nova

"I'm sorry! I didn't know she was going to take them both at the same time!" But my voice breaks as sobs spill out alongside my waterfall of tears.

Xavier has his head in his hands and the silence radiating from him is gut wrenching. I can feel it. I can feel the utter disappointment and betrayal leaking out of him like a continuous drip from a kitchen tap. The air is thick with a sickening stench of bitterness, my lies and mistakes floating in the air between us and invading my lungs like poisonous smoke.
I've messed up beyond words and beyond any apologies that I can declare. What I've done is unforgivable. I lied to protect my friend and subsequently put her in dangers way with irreversible damage. I've pushed my husband away and broken his heart in more ways than one.

What is the point of me being here anymore? All I cause is misery and destruction. Everything I touch cracks and breaks beneath my touch.

I'm selfish and no good.

"Why did you lie to me?" Xavier whispers, his voice broken like the man I see before me.
"Why couldn't you just tell me that Angeles needed the medicine? Why must you be dishonest and break my heart with made up stories of cheating on me and not wanting a child together? Why must you be so immature and irresponsible?"

I blink fresh tears and ignore the stinging pain around my heart. He has every right to be upset with me. I deserve no kindness from him after what I've done. I don't deserve to be standing here.

Xavier wipes his hands down his face exposing a few wet streaks.
"I don't know, and there's no way for sure of checking if she can ever..."

"I know Xavier."

"I'm going to have to tell her tomorrow."

It's going to break her heart and it's all my fault.

"If you had just told me Nova, none of this would have happened. I would have helped Angeles in a safe way, with the correct dosage and the correct way to go about things. You have a responsibility as the lady of the house to keep our staff safe. You failed today, you failed Angeles, you failed me and worst of all... you've completely failed yourself."

I watch Xavier stand up and walk over to me, it's only then I realise that I've held my breath and I'm shaking. His eyes are sad but there's something else behind them, something almost terrifying.

"Nova, I want you to leave the Laywoods Estate for a while. I'm going to make arrangements in the morning for you to stay at the cottage. I need space from you Nova. Every time I look at you I see Oscars blood soaked scarred back and Angeles deathly pale face. I don't see my beautiful wife anymore, just pain and misery. So you need to go for a while till I can stand to be in the same room with you again."

I close just eyes and dig my fingernails into palms of my hands, squeezing as hard as I can wishing this pain away.

Xavier walks past me and I get his familiar smell breeze over me. How can something smell so good yet smell so heartbreaking?

"Goodbye Nova."  And with that the door closes and I'm left alone. The last piece of my heart falls and breaks like a mirror shattering into a million reflective shards. The difference is I don't want to ever see what's reflecting back at me.

Not now, and not ever.

A/N

Hey guys!! Thank you so much for being so
Patient with me! I'm going to try my hardest to update more regularly!
Thank you for sticking with my work! I really appreciate it!
Take care and stay safe everyone! ❤️❤️
Love Sam ❤️