Chapter 15

"For stony limits cannot hold love out."

Deavon Hughes walked through the entrance of Daisies Bank, climbing the stairs with tense and bated breath. The telling smell of metallic in the air and the musk of sweat seeped through the air; almost as if crawling through the hallways, and due to the lack of ventilation as all the windows are yet to be open, made the place seem stale and stagnated. A stunted sort of smell, one that that was putrid odour crawling through the hallways.

Hurrying into the room, Deavon immediately knew the first signs of an infection. There was an intense swelling around his patient's wrists and numerous bruises over the other's body. Immediately setting to work, almost muscle memory, he proceeded to order the other people who were tending to the unconscious male.

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Emma walked through the house, quietly and skittishly, a weird uneasy feeling crept through her heart. It was something akin to walking on eggshells. But what baffled her was the feeling of intense scrutiny in her own house.

That she didn't like. Walking to her office, she unlocked the door, putting the key in her pockets; Emma was surprised to see that everything was spick and span in her office. Although nothing was rearranged and the order in which she had left things were preserved, yet clean. There was not any film of dust covering anything.

Walking around, it felt unfamiliar. Like this place wasn't her's anymore. Almost as if her safe place, is finally feeling unsafe. The foundation has been shaken and things are not the same anymore. Emma smiled wryly at herself, she was a fool to think that her marriage would be any different from that of her mothers.

Now even her life was falling apart, she was a suspect. Restricted, like an animal inside of a cage. Her fingers brushed over the spine of a book, 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn', written by Betty Smith. It was a book she was extremely fond of; pulling it out and flicking it to the first page, before the book even started, smiling as she remembered signing it the day she got it; so happy that it was hers.

Putting it back onto the shelf, she walked around her room, there was a sense of being lost, almost numb. There wasn't much she could do either, sitting down on her sofa, she looked up at her ceiling.

Time seemed to pass slowly for her; a knock sounded at the door. Startling Emma, she hurried to open the door and looked to see who was knocking. It was Alexander, a sprout of fear shot up in her chest as she backed away from the door. Posture tensed, ready to run or grab something in her vicinity.

"Why..." there was a tense pause, "...are you so tense? Did something happen?"

"Nothing... nothing happened."

The fear grew in her heart until she was completely frozen. It was still Alexander, of course, it was, but it was not the man she knew. Or the man she married, she giggled at her thoughts. It was stupidity, thinking a man would stay the same in marriage.

"I was enjoying my peace. Please, leave for a bit, I am quite tired currently."

Alexander wasn't completely dense either, he knew she was scared but the reason behind it was a mystery to him.

He took a breath, a question has been burning in the back of his mind ever since Emma came back, "...what changed between the both of us for things to go so wrong?"

"I wanted space. That is all, and for things to go so wrong," Emma looked defiantly into Alexander's eyes, "...You have gotten controlling without even noticing anything yourself. You are not the same man I married."

"It's for your safety- "

"I do not need your help. Nor do I need your protection. So, please, stop it. Tell them the truth."

The fear rose in his heart, all the things he had done up to this moment, she wouldn't have known. Not many knew, his details were never given out. How would she know?!

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Megan wandered around the market, scrutinising the products that were presented, a list in one hand and a basket in the other. Megan continued to browse, walking slowly and being mindful of not walking into anyone. A hand reached out, grabbing her arm firmly.

"Let go of me!"

Megan backed up a few steps, looking at the offending person who had grabbed her; it was a tall male, and he stared at her for a few moments, Megan was growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"I-I saw that you were about to trip- "

"Nonsense. I wasn't going to trip, I knew where I was going."

The stranger blushed and looked down at the ground. Whether out of embarrassment or humiliation there was no way of knowing for Megan.

"If there is nothing else. Then I will be on my way."

Megan hurriedly walked away, ignoring the calls to go back to the stranger.