As soon as Aaron’s plane touched down in JFK, he pulled out his phone and checked for any miss calls or messages from Elaine. There were none. He called her up but her phone was still going to voicemail. Aaron checked the time. It was eight in the morning so she must be gone to the hospital. He was going to make it up to her. It was supposed to be their first date.

He strode across the runway.

"Good morning sir" Jack greeted him.

"Good morning Jack. How is Sophia?" Aaron asked referring to his daughter.

"She rolled over for the first time last night." Jack said proudly.

Aaron smiled at him and got in the car.

"Office or residence Sir?"

"Office"

As soon as he reached his office he buzzed in Cecelia.

She walked in with a coffee.

“Good morning sir. I presumed you would come straight to the office. Here’s your coffee. Extra strong”

“Thank you. Call up the florist and have them deliver two dozen red roses at this address.” Aaron said as Cecelia’s phone pinged with the message that contained hospital address with Elaine’s name.

“Ask them to attach an apology card.”

“Consider it done sir” Cecelia smiled as she jotted down the details.

“And the press conference that you ordered. It has been organized for tomorrow at 10 a.m. Mr. Manchester is working on it.”

“Good and contact Jeremy Baldacci, the private investigator. I want him in my office as soon as possible.”

An hour passed and Aaron’s was working on a contract when Cecelia knocked and entered.

“Yes?” Aaron asked without looking up.

“Sir, Ms. Sparks was not available to receive the delivery of the flowers. The hospital informed the delivery man that she has not come in today”

“Tell them to hold the delivery” Aaron said as he grabbed his car keys and walked out of the office. He decided to head over to her place. Her phone was going straight to voicemail and she didn’t show up at work today.

Jack came up to him when he entered the lobby.

“I am driving myself. You can take rest of the day off” Aaron said as he walked outside.

“I hope she is alright” Aaron muttered as got into his car, one of the extras he always had parked at his office building.

He reached her house and parked in her driveway. It was in the Flatiron district, a twenty minute drive from midtown Manhattan. It was an elegant single story house.

He rang her doorbell but then noticed that the door was ajar.

“What the hell?” Aaron thought. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

“Elaine?” Aaron called out as he walked further in.

“Elaine, are you home?”

Aaron stilled as he walked into the living area. Air escaped from his body as he tried to register the image in front of him.

Elaine sat on the couch her legs crossed and pulled up against her body with her arms clasped around them. She didn’t have any clothes on and her body was battered with bruises. Her lower lip was split and a handprint bruised on her left cheek.

“Elaine…”Aaron whispered as he stepped towards her, controlling his emotions so as in not to startle her. How long had she been in this condition?

She was vacantly staring at the wall ahead of her. She thought Franco was present in the room but her body refused to react after being ravaged by that monster all night. Her brain was still in shut down.

A bathrobe lay next to the couch on the floor. Aaron grabbed it and tried to cover her but she let out a blood curling scream and curled further into ball, staring at the robe like it haunted her.

“Love, it’s me” Aaron’s heart hammered in his chest. He was going to hunt down the bastard who did this to her and rip him apart limb by limb with his bare hands. His vision was tinged with red but he needed to stay calm, for Elaine’s sake.

He removed his jacket and held it up, not wanting scare her again. His hands trembled as he tried to cover her with the jacket. She didn’t react or move when he gently covered her with the jacket.

He crouched down in front of her.

“Elaine…who did this to you?” he asked as he grasped her hand but she pulled back. A tear escaped from Aaron’s eyes. He knew he had to contact the police and get her to the hospital. It was clear that she had been sexually assaulted. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t going to let that asshole live who did this to his Elaine.

“Elaine, sweetheart…look at me” Aaron pleaded. Elaine looked up and Aaron nearly gasped when he saw the bite marks on her shoulders and breasts and the hand print on her delicate neck like someone had tried to choke her.

He couldn’t look at them without wanting to rip apart the house. His body shook with anger but he had to. She was in shock. Aaron glanced around and was relieved not to see any blood around her or on her.

“Love, I need to see okay? How hurt are you…” Aaron said gently.

He touched his fingertips on her forearm and waited for her response but she didn’t react. He then gently grasped her forearm and pulled her up into standing position, supporting her by her shoulder. His jacket slid off her.

Aaron swore when he saw her body. There were bruises all over her body and bite marks. Even God himself couldn’t save the man who did this to her once he found out who he was.

“We need to go to the hospital” He said as he grabbed his jacket again and covered her. She was not reacting at all or acknowledging his presence and it was scaring the hell out of him.

He reached out to hug her but the moment both his hands made contact with her waist, she screamed on top of the lungs and jumped out his grasp, tripping and falling over. It ripped apart his heart to see her in such a condition.

“No love…please…let me help you” Aaron choked out.

He bent down on his knees and held out his hand to her but she skidded across the floor and pulled herself against the wall once again hugging her knees to her chest.

He got up and went to the kitchen. He turned on the hot water tap and filled a bowl with warm water and grabbed a hand towel. He also filled a glass of water and carried the items with him back to where she was.

He sat down next to her and held out the glass of water to her. She slid away further from him and he almost cried out from the emotional pain.

“It is me Elaine, Aaron…please sweetheart, let me help you, we need to go to the hospital…”

“STAY AWAY FROM ME FRANCO! DON’T TOUCH ME!” She screamed and covered her face with her hands.

“Franco…” Aaron thought. He finally had a name but Elaine was his priority right now.

He pulled out his phone and called Dante.

“Hey Clark”

“Where are you?”

“You okay man?”

“I need you and Rose right now please. I am messaging you an address, bring Rose with you.”

“Okay. We will be there as soon as possible.” Dante said and hung up.

Aaron called Dr. Hewitt who was his physician.

“Hello Mr. Clark. I hope you are doing well.”

“Dr. Hewitt, I need you to come over.”

“Is everything all right?”

“My girlfriend has been assaulted…sexually and she in shock and please can you come over”

“Send me the address I will be there as soon as possible”

Aaron hung up and messaged the address. He had to take her to the hospital but right now her mental condition was more delicate. Maybe after Dr. Hewitt gave her sedatives, he could take her there.

He walked back to Elaine and stopped short of her.

He came to down to his knees again and let the tears flow.

“Please babe, don’t push me away…I am not going to hurt you”

She focused her vacant stare on him and it chilled him to his core. What in the hell did that monster do to her? If only he hadn’t flown out to Milan, she would have been with him, safe in his arms.

“Aaron?” Dante yelled as he entered the house. Elaine whimpered at the sound.

Aaron quickly got up, to silence him before he scared her more.

“I am here” Aaron said

“What is going on Aaron? Whose home is this?” Rose asked

“It’s Elaine’s”

“The woman from that night?” Dante asked looking around

“Yes”

“Aaron tell us”

“Elaine was…raped last night” Aaron said in a pained voice.

Rose gasped.

“Rose, she is in the living area. She is not letting me near her. Please help her. She is…” Aaron choked not able to continue.

Rose hurriedly walked towards the living area, as fast as she could with her pregnant belly.

“Aaron, pull it together. She needs you right now. You contacted the police?”

“Not yet. She is not in the condition. The PD will hound her for statements and the whole process.”

“But we need to to report this as soon as possible.”

“She knew the man”

“What?” Dante asked looking at his friend.

“The door was open; there was no sign of breaking and entering and no sign of struggle anywhere except for the living area.”

Dante looked around, his eyes calculating.

“I need you to look up a Franco, that’s the name. Search anyone with that name who has a link to her.”

Dante nodded and pulled out his phone. Aaron stepped back in the living room and saw Rose hugging Elaine and soothing her.

“Come on now Elaine.” She said as she stood up and Elaine followed her lead.

Rose looked at the shattered woman and then at her friend’s pained face. She couldn’t see Aaron going through so much.

“I got her, don’t worry” Rose said as she patted his arm and helped Elaine towards the bedroom.

Aaron paced the kitchen while Dante was still on the phone.

The doorbell went off and Aaron ran to the door.

“Dr. Hewitt.” Aaron greeted the doctor and saw a lady doctor accompanying him.

“This, Dr. Germann. She is my colleague and an OB-GYN.”

Aaron simply nodded and led them towards the bedroom where he had seen Rose and Elaine go.

“Rose” He called out.

One of the bedroom doors pulled open and Rose stepped out.

“How is she?”

“I just helped her bathe and change. She is in bed.”

Aaron nodded and stepped inside with the doctors and Elaine’s eyes immediately widened.

“I am Dr. Hewitt” The doctor introduced himself to her.

“Stay away from me please” Elaine whispered. Rose walked up to her and sat down next to her.

Dr. Germann turned to both the men.

“I will take it from here. You should wait outside.”

Aaron nodded and stepped outside with the Dr. Hewitt.

“Aaron, I found out who it is.” Dante said as he walked up to them.

Aaron’s blood boiled.

“Tell me his name” Aaron growled.

“It’s her ex fiancée, Dr. Franco Costello”

❤