HIS COMFORT

"Stepmother?" Vilian felt confused. "What is she doing here?!" she whispered louder.

"Vilian! You gotta answer me right away," she heard the angry voice again. Vilian wiped her clammy palms by the side of her gown as she gazed toward the bathtub, she walked toward the door.

"What took you so long to open the door?!" Ms. Vivian spat on her face with a furious look. "Is that how you behave in front of them? Such an imprudent manner! Eric was gonna help you. And you? What got into you to behave in such a manner? Huh? Don't you dare show that attitude again!"

"I-"

"Not a word!" her stepmother yelled as she tapped Vilian's temple hardly. "I had enough of you! You better ask for an apology from him-"

"I'd do anything but that to a scum like him!" Vilian was the one to yell at her again. The very minute a slap flew onto her right cheek.

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"Watch your words," remarked Ms. Vivian, and she walked away. Vilian shut the door, locking it.

Vilian leaned on the door and slid down with a tired sigh as she closed her ears with her hands and shut her eyes.

"That was too harsh..." came the comment.

Vilian opened her eyes and looked up. " Has anyone ever said that you're a bad consoler?" she said as she watched him sit next to her.

"I never tried consoling you..." he smirked, "-or did I?" he questioned as he lifted his hand, resting it under her chin as he lifted it up and tilted it side.

"Not too rough..." he commented as he ran his finger over her reddened cheek and heard her hiss.

"Sto-"

"Shh..." he shushed her as he ran his fingers down her temple to her jaw, lingering over her lower lips. She glanced at him and shuddered as she felt his finger movement, but the next moment, she swatted his hand and fretted away, remembering Eric's touches.

Her heart paced faster, unrhythmically. She tried to calm down and stood up with a gasp. Astrel did nothing but observe her with a frown. She rinsed her face several times, trying to get rid of the memories triggering her.

"He's the reason you're traumatized,"

Vilian froze just as he said it. She glanced down at him, "H-how do you k-know?"

"So I guessed it right."

"What do you mean?" Fear was evident in her eyes as she glanced at him with so much confusion, not wanting to believe what she had heard a few seconds ago.

"So what did that guy do?"

"I have no idea who and what you're talking about," she tried to dodge and act as if she knew nothing.

"You can lie, but your heart can't," she didn't answer.

"We were acquaintances who never came along with each other during our high school," She lied once again, not looking him in the eye.

"A sense of disgust. A sense of vigilance, rage, fear, revenge, and what more did I sense? Was this all just because you guys never came along with each other?"

A sigh left her lips.

Astrel gestured for her to sit beside him. She sat but said nothing, fiddling her fingers, finding it hard to form words.

She turned and looked at him, "He's my ex," she said, looking straight into his eyes, wearing a bitter smile.

"He's your ex, and you got traumatized because of him?"

"Better not pry into my past," she glared at him.

"Now, now, it sounds more intriguing to get into it, though I'd prefer to listen to you meow about your story. It's fine," said Astrel, and for a moment, Vilian felt relieved until he said the next words, "I'll question that ex of yours so that I'd get to know the male version of your story," he said calmly as he smiled as if he had respected her privacy.

She was struggling to stay strong. Mustering herself as if she cared less about it.

He saw through it. The vulnerability through those brown orbs of hers. Tears were forming, threatening to fall. But she didn't let go. He said nothing but gazed at her as he tucked the golden hair strands behind her ears.

She leaned back on the cold bathroom wall close to him as she stared at him. They stared at each other in silence. The look he had was nothing less than a predator looking at its prey. She wet her dried lips and gulped softly.

I can believe him, can I?

She breathed and asked, "Can you promise not to tell anyone? Not even Mia."

Astrel's eyes turned curious, and he said, "I thought I heard you guys were best buddies since high school. Okay, let us hear about it."

Vili pursed her lips, seeing him wait for her to start speaking. She took a deep breath before explaining to him how she met her first love amidst her boring cinderella life till it bloomed lovingly, only to fade away in the end with a betrayal. She told about Lily, who was the one to help her out, and in the meantime, Mia, who became her close buddy during her traumatic stages but knew nothing of it, and about the nightmares that would trigger her and result in her facing the worst of her breathing condition.

"...and with no remorse or shame, he's back as to be my fiance," she concluded her words as she explained it as briefly as she could. A bitter chuckle escaped, but he saw a lone teardrop sliding down her cheek, which she wiped immediately.

She turned slowly and glanced at him under the golden light that created a shadow of his long eyelashes under his eyes. As she inhaled, his cologne wafted into her nose.

By the time she had said it all, her heart and mind had calmed down. Not wholly but it did little to feel good.

She stared at him in silence for a long while. Astrel raised his hand and tucked the golden strands that blocked the sight of her glistening brown eyes. His fingers didn't stop there.

It ran through her locks as it weaved slowly. But she suddenly stood up and swirled to run away, leaving the door open. Not once did she turn back and look at him.

She ran hastily through the hallways as fast as she could, and patted up the stairs toward her room.

'What did you do, Vili? How could you share such a thing with a stranger like him? What if he used it against you? What if he was someone like Eric? Or worse than him?' Her mind screamed thousands of questions similar to it.

When she was about to open the door, it was opened by a startled Lily, "I-"

"Leave!"

"What's-"

"Get out!" she screamed confusedly. The door closed with a loud thud as Lily dashed out of the room.

"What have I done? I shouldn't have lied to him... Why...?" She cursed and pulled her hair out in frustration. Out of no choice, she had lied to him that Eric was a player who played with her life, having a second affair with another girl behind her, and she had witnessed it with her eyes.

"Well... let's just hope there won't be any circumstances where he'd get to know the truth..." She mumbled as she bit her lips.

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A/N: What do you feel toward Vilian and the people who might have experienced such a thing in their life? Leave your thoughts in the comment box!