CHAPTER 108: PAINFUL LESSON

"You’ve completely lost your mind," Daniel sputtered, as he shoved at Raphael’s chest. The impact of the push did nothing to Raphael because he didn’t even stumble. Instead, Raphael shelf Daniel back with so much force that it sent him crashing to the ground again.

I stood by as I watched the scene as if it wasn’t real, as I was at a complete loss about what to do or how I could possibly intervene. Daniel scrambled up to his feet before throwing a wild punch that Raphael easily dodged. In one smooth movement, he drove his fits into Daniel’s stomach. Daniel let out a cry of pain as he doubled over before he began gasping for air. Raphael raised his face to hit Daniel again; that was when I knew that I had to do something before the situation could get more out of hand. I just didn’t want Raphael to get hurt.

"Raphael, stop!" I cried out loudly as I stepped forward to tug on Raphael’s arm.

"Stand back, and if it’s too much for you then just close your eyes," Raphael instructed me calmly. With a nod of his head, he signaled for one of his men to escort me away from the fight.

"Please stay with me where it is safe, Miss Abigail," the man said in a calm yet extremely firm tone.

"No! Raphael is going to kill him!" I yelled as I tried to push past the man towards Raphael, but it was no use.

During that time, Raphael landed another punch into Daniel’s ribs that made a sickening thudding sound. I flinched again, very unused the sight of violence in real life.

"If you even come near her again, I’ll bury you alive," Raphael warned in a low growl.

"Raphael! Please stop! You’re going to kill him," I cried as my voice cracked. I felt warm tears streaming down my face and knew that I was on the verge of losing it. Raphael’s arm froze mid-air just as he was about to strike Daniel again. It seemed like finally my words were getting through to him. Raphael turned his head slightly my way before our eyes met. For what felt like a very long moment, he stared at me with his chest heaving and his knuckles bloody. He sucked in a deep breath before lowering his face and letting go of Daniel’s collar. The man’s body sunk down to the ground as if already void of life.

"Don’t ever come near her again or you will not live to regret it," Raphael gave Daniel one last warning, but I was unsure if he was even conscious to hear it.

"Let’s go," Raphael said to me as he grabbed my arm and pulled me after him and out of the room.

The limousine door closed behind me and I sank down onto the leather seat. I didn’t think that the incident would leave me shaking in fear, but that was exactly what happened the moment that the limosine door closed behind me. Although I told myself that I needed to forget all about it and move on, Daniel’s words and the way he touched me kept on coming back to me.

"Are you okay?" Raphael asked after a moment of silence.

I nodded my head firmly once to signal that I was fine, although I wasn’t sure if that was completely true.

"You didn’t have to go that far," I whispered in a trembling voice.

"I did. That bastard needed to learn a lesson, and pain is the fastest way to make someone remember something," Raphael replied with clear conviction.

I was too wrapped up in my own fears and insecurities to say anything smart back to him about that. Although I did not want to admit it, there was a small part of me that was glad for what Raphael did. Even though I wasn’t a big fan of violence, it gave me some relief that Raphael got back at Daniel for me, and there was a part of me that believed that Daniel deserved it.

The car raced forward towards the mansion where heavenly peace was supposed to be waiting for me. I told myself repeatedly inside of my head that I was fine, but my body betrayed me by trembling uncontrollably. My mind wouldn’t stop racing as it dragged me back to that moment when I was alone in the room with Daniel: his devilish smirk, his hands on my body, and the way his voice seemed to invade my mind. Everything just kept on coming back to me as the memories kept on reliving themselves inside of my head. My stomach whirled sickeningly as my imagination spiraled out of control. A bunch of what-if questions popped up inside of my mind.

What if Raphael hadn’t arrived? What if he didn’t come to save me? What if Daniel had more time?

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly to block out all thoughts, but they just wouldn’t stop. My chest felt tight and my breathing came in shallow bursts as my hands clenched into tight fists.

"Gail..." Raphael’s voice calling my name cut through my panic like a light shining down from above. I slowly turned my head toward him, my eyes unable to focus at first. That was when I felt tears rolling down my cheeks and realized that I had started openly crying. Apparently, it was too much for me to hold in.

"It’s all right. Come here, let me hold you," Raphael said in a voice so warm and comforting that it brought even more tears to my eyes.

When Raphael wrapped his arms around me and pulled my face against his chest, I did not resist. I found myself weeping naturally as I rested the side of my face against his chest. The sound of his steady heartbeat seemed to help calm my nerves somewhat. He held me tightly as one of his hands stroked my back and helped me to relax.

–To be continued...