A Flicker of Understanding

The slow passing hours saw the light change from the golden tones of morning to the brilliant clarity of noon. Though her hunger was still weak, Sarah managed to eat a bit. She then spent the rest of the time in bed, her mind whirling over all that had transpired.

She was fascinated in the man who had brought her here, who had saved her from something she still couldn't quite recall, despite the confusion and anxiety. Ethan Wright was a riddle, and she was starting to feel the irresistible draw to learn the truth about the mysterious man who had flipped her life upside down.

She knew, the more she considered it, that she had glimpsed flashes of something weak and human beneath his icy demeanor. It was in the way he had stared at her when he believed she was not observing, in the way his voice had softened, just slightly, when he had talked to her during those feverish episodes. She had seen the gaps in that control, the insecurity flickering in his eyes when he looked at her. He was a guy used to obtaining what he wanted, to manage every element of his existence.

Sarah found herself thinking less about her own anxiety and more about Ethan as the afternoon sun started to slink toward the horizon and created long shadows across the room. Who was he really? Why had he brought her into his life and offered her shelter at such great expenses? And why, in spite of this, did she develop this unusual, inexplicable relationship to him?

She knew one thing for sure: she was tied to this man in ways she couldn't yet comprehend and there was no turning back even if she lacked the answers.

Sarah let herself drift back to sleep as the twilight descended and the city beyond the window started to glow once more. Her dreams were full with shards of memories and the terrible picture of Ethan's focused stare. The day had brought more questions than answers, but for the first time since she had arrived, Sarah felt a flicker of hope—hope that maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to understand the man who had brought her into his life.