CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33

Rhea’s lashes slowly fluttered open. Soft, dim light glowed in the room from the lamps on each sides of the wall.

As her eyes adjusted, she looked around and noticed she wasn’t at the beach anymore, nor at the Gunthers’. The room felt familiar, but she wasn’t sure. It was like deja vu.

Okay, why do I feel like I know this place?

Rhea rubbed her eyes twice. As she sat up, it all hit her. "Oh God, no! Is this—" As she pulled her legs out from under the covers, she discovered she was in different clothes.

She was dressed in a rich, wine-red satin nightie, with an intricate lace trim that teased along the edges and a delicate sheer panel at the side, revealing her bare skin beneath. Her collarbone and cleavage were heavily emphasized by its tiny crossed straps.

What the... what am I wearing?

She turned to the side and spotted a floral lace robe with embroidered tulle hanging on a stand.

Turning her gaze back to the room, she was greeted by that same lavish vibe again. The decor was no different from the last time she was here—still black and gold.

"This is Zeenare’s place!" she exclaimed, resting her back against the headboard.

But what am I doing here? How did I even get here in the first place? she thought, getting down from the bed.

As her feet met the marble floor, her body wobbled, warning her: Rhea, take one step and you’ll crumble.

I think I should respect myself and not do what my body is warning me about right now.

So she gently lay back down, hands clamping her forehead, groaning from dizziness.

Why does it feel like these days I spend more time unconscious with others than I actually do with myself?

Before she could completely settle in, the door opened.

"You’re awake," Zeenare softly exclaimed, with a hint of relief in his voice. "How are you feeling?" He moved closer, a bowl in his hand, and reached for her forehead.

Oh shit, no. I’ve been trying to avoid you and everything, and somehow you brought me to your house!

Rhea avoided his touch. "Why am I here? And besides, how did I get here? Because I know Tia wouldn’t have allowed it."

Zeenare placed the bowl on the nightstand, then sat beside Rhea on the edge of the bed, a little bit away from her. "I brought you here," he informed her, his voice low, his eyes on her face.

"And how is that supposed to make me feel? Thankful?" Rhea’s voice was harsh.

"No. Safe. With me by your side, you’d be safe."

"I think it should be, ’I’ll be safe away from you,’ right?" Rhea countered, giving him a pointed look.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he nodded. "No, safe from what happened to you in Miami," his tone serious, "And from why you keep getting sick."

What does he know about what happened to me in Miami?

"And what could have happened there? Please, could you stop these mind games?" She sighed, waving Zeenare off, looking away from him.

"Rhea, you have been asleep for the past three days," he informed her.

"What? That can’t be possible." I could swear I didn’t spend more than five minutes in that place.

"And do you know how difficult it was for me to be sane during these past days?" He stood and slowly glided toward Rhea, his steps measured. "I wanted to kill everything and everyone. But I had to hold myself back, hoping you’d be fine."

Rhea’s breathing increased softly as Zeenare moved closer, brushing her hair behind her ears then taking her hands in his.

"Don’t give me that bullshit." Rhea smacked his hands away, her heart pounding in her head. "Don’t you have something important to do besides following me?" she demanded in a firm voice, her eyes blazing with disgust.

"I’d follow you to Hades if I had to," Zeenare muttered. "You are the most important person in my life." Sitting inches away from her, he turned to the bowl on the nightstand. "And you have to take your medicine."

"Could you take that concoction away from me!" Rhea shifted, giving him a pointed look, scrutinizing his movements from the content in the bowl to his face, her voice strained as if her words were bitter.

"This is not a concoction. It’s medicine. It’s why your condition has improved," Zeenare explained.

"My condition? And what do you know about it?" Rhea questioned, mockery evident in her tone.

"You are dying, and I am the only one who can treat you."

I don’t know how he got wind of this. But I’m sure Tia didn’t tell him.

"Look, Mr. Zeenare, I don’t know who told you that, but it’s not your business. And I’m not drinking that," Rhea stated firmly.

Zeenare did nothing for a while, just watching her intently. He poured the entire contents of the bowl into his mouth.

Calculatively, he was inches away, hovering over Rhea.

He reached for her jaw, crashed his lips onto hers, and pushed the entire content into her mouth. As his tongue found its way in, he gently claimed her tongue. When Rhea tried to pull back, he didn’t let go. His fingers found their way to her back, trailing above the nightie, directly on her exposed skin.

Rhea’s spine arched as his cold hand found peace on her warm skin, her nerves spiking as tiny sensations coursed through her veins. Her mind almost went blank, causing her to gulp the entire medicine as she gasped for air.

Zeenare, still hovering over Rhea, pulled back a little, his eyes drinking in her body before slowly moving back to her face. "If you keep refusing like this, I’ll keep kissing you to feed you. And I’d actually prefer that more than spoon-feeding you, because that way I can feel you more."

The residue of the medicine trailed on Rhea’s chin. Her eyes were wide as she blankly stared at him.

He leaned in and licked the residue from her chin to her lips before stepping back.

Rhea’s brow furrowed, her stomach churning in anger. "What is your problem?" she snapped, her eyes sending daggers to Zeenare. "This is why I keep avoiding you. You keep doing whatever you like."

"Calm down now, Pumpkin, don’t be difficult," he said, then kissed her on her forehead before walking out of the room.

Rhea was dumbstruck by his absurdity, her face crimson, her heart beating out of control, her breath shallow with every inhale as she stared at the entrance.

This fucking heart has started again, beating for the wrong person.

But what did he mean by he is the only one who can treat me? How is that even possible? I think he’s just spouting nonsense again.

In any case, I have to leave this place.

Two minutes later, Zeenare stepped in with a tray of food. "You have to eat to gain some nutrients, okay." He placed it beside Rhea.

Surprisingly, Rhea collected the food and devoured it like a starved beast.

"Where are my things?" Rhea requested.

"Thrown out," Zeenare simply replied, sitting a few feet away from her on a single couch.

"What do you mean, ’thrown out’? How am I going to leave? I have somewhere to be," Rhea replied.

Knowing who Rhea was referring to and where, Zeenare said directly to her. "Don’t worry about them, they’re fine, and also, you are not leaving," he uttered in a flat tone.

"What do you mean by that? Are you literally telling me you are locking me in here?"

"Why do you keep trying to leave? It’s because you left that’s why you almost died. At least while you were here, I was able to keep watch over you and you were fine. Are you planning on dying?"

Rhea’s blood ran cold as the words met her ears. "What nonsense are you spewing?" Rhea asked, glancing at the door. "I need to leave!"

"No, you are going to die if I let you leave. For the umpteenth time! And I’m not taking that risk," Zeenare turned away from her, looking into the distance. "I can’t let you go. Not now, not ever. Even if you hate me, you are not leaving."

"Stop talking as if you know something I don’t." Rhea hurriedly moved from the bed to the door, twisting the handle frantically as it didn’t bulge.

"But I do. And I do not intend to lose you again. Not this quickly." Zeenare gently trailed behind her.

"What are you even saying? Why do you keep doing these things?" Rhea’s voice broke as she spoke, tears threatening to fall. "I don’t know you. But you and your obsession keep invading my life and disrupting my living."

Tears streamed down her face as she fell to her knees, her hands still on the handle, sobbing. "Now you are locking me up? Why?" The questions were like poison on her lips.

Zeenare clenched his jaw as tears ran down on Rhea’s cheeks, then he bent to her level and scooped her up, placing her on the bed. "You will die if I don’t do this."

"I don’t care! I want to leave this place!" Rhea shouted at the top of her lungs, her face in her palms, buried in her knees.

"Rhea... Rhea, look at me." Zeenare climbed onto the bed, his hands wrapped around her. "I’m sorry, okay? It’s not that I’m holding you captive, or I’m doing this for myself."

"I’m doing this because... I can’t watch you suffer all by yourself," Zeenare stroke her hair as he spoke. "I can ease your pain, but it’s only if you stay here with me. Then I can protect you from that curse."

Curse? What senseless thing is he saying now?

Rhea lifted her gaze to him. "What do you mean?"

"Your recurring health issues are not natural. It is because you were cursed to die at twenty-five."