Chapter 94 - Who... Did This To You?
Chapter 94 – Who… Did This To You?
"I'll explain it to you once we're in the north. I still need to investigate."
I giggled, feeling tickling at his hands that were on my back. "Don't worry — Hugh!" I gasped, slapping his chest on instinct when he suddenly grabbed my bosom.
"Hehe. I'm just…" his brows suddenly furrowed, touching the back of my upper thigh. "Rinrin."
My eyes dilated as realization kicked in, clutching his shoulder to stop him from touching it. "Hugh, it's nothing." I got off of him and laid on his side, wrapping my body with the quilt.
I also forgot that I had that. I didn't want him to see it. But just as I thought of not letting him see it, Hugo suddenly lifted the quilt away, making me look at him with a wide eye.
"Hugh!"
"What's that, Rin?" he asked with an arched brow. "That protruding thing under your buttocks."
My back fused on the mattress, not embarrassed to lie naked in front of him. "It's nothing, Hugh."
"Rin, if it's a birthmark or anything, I don't care." he sighed, tilting his head to check my legs. "I want all of you, so even if it's something you cannot accept, I will accept it in your stead."
I pressed my lips into a thin line, hesitant to give in. But seeing the sincerity in his eyes, my resolution gradually cracked.
"You won't like it," I said, averting my eyes away while holding my hands near my chest.
"Try me." I glanced at him before reluctantly rolling to my side, my back facing him.
"It's not that I am embarrassed about it, but I just… don't want to show it to anyone," I confessed while gazing down, bitterness flickering across my eyes.
"Rinnie, why do you have such scars there?" I stiffened at Hugo's tone, looking back at him, only to see his eyes turning red. I flinched when he held my shoulder down, seething in anger.
"Who… did this to you?"
All I could do was stare into those murderous pairs of eyes hovering over me. I knew he wouldn't like it when I showed him, but I didn't expect him to be this angry. It was as if he was prepared to kill.
"Hugh –"
"Did that damn Ashton do it?" he asked without blinking, showing the red veins in the white portion of his eyes. "Why the hell do you have lash scars there, Rinnie?"
I pressed my lips into a thin line and looked away. "Mother used to discipline me when I was a child."
"When you were a child?" he scoffed as his grip on my shoulder tightened. I winced at the slight pain it caused, making him loosen his grip as he drew back. Hugo sat down, running his fingers through his hair.
"This happened when you were a child? But it left deep scars that can be seen even after many years. Hah!" Hugo shook his head in ridicule while I assisted myself up, holding the sheet over my chest.
"Hugh…" I called, waiting for him to look at me. "It's… fine."
"Fine…?" Hugo stared into my eyes while keeping his silence for a moment and sighed after a minute. Instead of talking, he moved closer to my side, reaching for my hand.
"If it's fine, then you won't be that reluctant to show them to me." He pointed out, along with a deep exhale. "Rinrin, I told you it's alright to get angry, to not forgive immediately, and to lose control every once in a while."
I listened as I glanced at his hand that was holding mine. I've noticed this many times, but his hands were rough and I could still feel the calluses of his hands on my body. But… even despite that, I loved the warmth of his touches. They were calming and gentle.
"They don't hurt anymore," I said in a muffled tone, raising my head to look at him. "But my heart does whenever I remember the person who did it."
I pointed at my chest. I didn't realize a tear leaked from my eyes until his thumb wiped it on my cheek. His eyes flickered with sadness, and that somehow left a crack on this secured tower I built within me. The tower I was stuck on, believing and seeing things I only want to believe and see. The place where I shut myself to avoid seeing that I didn't want to see.
"Rinnie, my Bambi." Hugo carefully pulled me into the warmth of his embrace, where I melted. "I won't let anyone hurt you again," he muttered, lowering his head until his forehead touched my shoulder.
I opened and closed my mouth, but I already lost my voice. These scars hidden on the back of my upper thigh didn't matter to me before. There were even days I would forget about them, too. So I was surprised to see how his eyes glowed in anger upon seeing them; he wasn't the one who experienced it, after all. Even until now, I couldn't fully understand why Hugo was trembling while embracing me.
Still, his reaction moved my heart to tears. It made me want to express my heart and wonder why would my mother punish me with an intention of crippling me? I didn't want to see my mother in a different light, so I only focused on the things I wanted to see.
Because… Mother, Father, Ashton, and the maids whom I considered friends were all I had back then. I didn't want them to leave me all alone in that castle. So, even when they do things I didn't think they were capable of doing, I would automatically erase the bad memories and move on.
That… was Rinnie Everfell. Was this trait a blessing or a curse? I was uncertain.
I clutched my hands on his back, resting my head on his shoulder. "I don't want to be alone, Hugh. It scares me."
"Even if you beg me, I will never leave you alone. You can run away as far as possible, but I assure you I will chase you even if you run to the ends of the world, Rinnie."
A subtle smile dominated my face as I closed my eyes to rest in his arms. I didn't know when, but I realized I had been living an honest life ever since I met Hugo.. And I would be forever thankful that he gave me the liberty, to be honest with myself.