**

Harsh scenes ahead. Read with caution!

———

Gray smoke fumed into the morning sky. The sun was rising like a glowing gold ball in the dampened sky as it marked its arrival on the person that sat on the murky footpath. Another round of the smoke blew from the cigarette that was pushed into the mouth of the person.

"F*ck." Adrian groaned when he realised that his cigarette died down and with a piqued sigh, he blew out the last of the captured smoke from his mouth. He then threw the remains of the cigarette on the ground and stomped on it. His cheeks looked red cause of the cold atmosphere settling uncomfortably on his skin.

It had been a month since he and Darcy found Violet in her room. She fell into a coma. The rest of the Cherie family disappeared, no trace of them was found when the police searched their house. It would have been incorrect to say that Adrian and Darcy were alright, they were worried immensely for Violet.

It had been a month from the day they appointed her to the hospital. She had to recover from the brutalness that was descended upon her. Even imagining the petite woman with her wrist gushing fresh blood into the blood pool that seeped through her clothes sickened Adrian.

Not forgetting the image of her hurt body. It disturbed Adrian but mostly Darcy, he never imagined his best friend to appear in that situation.

Darcy didn't know the abuse that Violet managed to hide from him until he found out himself.

But why? Didn't she trust Darcy?

Those answers would be answered only when Violet breaks her coma. Adrian told his parents about Violet and her family's disapearence only for their shocked and ragefull emotions. The police were working on tracking the family but they needed more information from Violet to hurdle them down.

As for Adrian, he knew that the Cherie family was suspisious but he waited until Violet would answer his questions.

Resisting an urge to scream out the frustration within him, Adrian stood up and glared down at his shoes in distaste. Aside from Adrian's physical exhaustion, he was also mentaly exhausted with thoughts and unraveled questions that caused him a headache. He visited the hospital everyday with his parents. Darcy did visit too but mostly after his work.

Adrian also discouraged himself from the world around him. He avoided his job which was his peace. Adrian was a model, he had been training to be a model since he was 17. It was his dream to be a model and he was a successful one. He was happy with his carrer path but he was lacked in several photoshoots recently cause of Violet. Adrian was losing himself.

A loud vibration of his phone had him jolting and quickly shuffling his hair before calming his leaping heart down. Adrian grunted and switched his phone on to see that it was his mother. He blinked several times before answering the call.

"Hey Adrian, how are you?"

Dola's gentle voice spoke. "Hi mom... I'm fine, what about you?" Adrian replied dimly. Dola's chuckle sprung over the phone, awakening a glow in Adrian's face.

"Everything's good. I was just calling in to ask you about Violet's progress and about the whole..."

"Yeah," Adrian gulped and checked his surroundings, which was an abandoned street, his car was parked only metres away from him. At that point, he thought just roaming around would give him some peace but he was wrong about that assumption.

"Everything's good." Dola wasn't convinced of her son's drained reply. "Stuck again? In the middle of nowhere?" Adrian groaned as he stared at the vandalised houses marked by spray paint.

"Adrian, I think that you are a little too-"

"I know mom. You don't need to

lecture me every time this conversation arises." There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment. Adrian was sure that he hurt Dola's feelings by his harsh tone.

Adrian sighed. "Sorry mom, I just need some time. I feel pressured with all that's happening." Dola grimly smiled on the other side, knowing that her son was deeply caring for Violet but she was worried that he would relinquish himself.

"It's okay Adrian. Do you have any considerations or thoughts about Violet's situation after she regains from her coma, as you know what I mean?" Dola's voice trembled slightly as she ended her sentence. A rough breeze swept past Adrian, who quietly flinched and closed his eyes.

Adrian heaved and was stuck with bewilderment by Dola's question. He was going to take Violet with him to his house but he thought that Violet would not like to stay with him. That would be on the bottom of her list. But she had no home cause her family disappeared and Adrian was sure that her mental state couldn't handle the responsibilty of surviving on her own.

"I'll know when she does mom. I do plan to somehow convince her to move in with me, or you should convince her if she's hesitant." Adrian's heart pained a little as he thought of the bitterness Violet showed him, but he knew he deserved every single bit of it.

"We'll see then. Dear, are you still wanting to marry Violet since the contract cannot be used as certain," Dola cleared her throat before continuing. "Events have taken place. I'm okay to continue the wedding preparations but we can postpone it to a later date."

Adrian nervously brushed a hand through his hair. "I-I am not sure about that mom. All answers would be answered when Violet decides." He trailed off swallowing a recently formed lump down his throat. Violet would never agree to marry him.

Adrian talked with Dola for a while before ending the call and walking to his car. Adrian let out a shaky breath as he leaned his head against the window.

"I need to take care of myself."

———

"She's awake."

Only two words made Adrian leap out of his bed at midnight, still in his pajamas. He managed to grab a coat on his way out or he would freeze to death by the low weather temperatures. He raced in a hurry to the hospital through the foggy haze of the night sky.

It had been 3 months of visiting Violet frequently at the hospital and waiting for any signs of her improvements. Adrian was amazed when he heard the news. Even though his head was pounding like drums, he resisted the urge to fall back asleep. After all, he had been dying for changes in Violet's progress and this was a big one, amazing is the perfect word to describe it.

When Adrian arrived at the hospital, he proded towards the room where Violet was located, but not before the earning permission of the security guard, who recognized Adrian cause of his often visits to the hospital.

Doctors and nurses pitied both Adrian and Violet. Violet, for enduring such a nasty abuse by her own family and Adrian, for constantly caring and handling the responsibility over Violet's case. He appeared like a man who was traumatised by the situation. He definitely needed a break before he would faint, everyone thought.

When Adrian reached the ward where Violet resided in, he sneakily peeked his head through the small glass window that was attached to the door. To his astonishment Violet was up and sipping on a cart of orange juice whilst several needles were stuck into her weak body. Adrian's heart performed an excited sumersalt and relaxed for the first time in what felt like forever. She was awake.

Violet had a bandage wrapped on her forehead, her nose and her arms. One thing that proved that Violet was abused by her family that day was not only Darcy and Adrian as witnesses, but it was the cuts on her body. The large, jaggedy lined deep cuts that were brushed all over her like paint.

Adrian was mortified to discover that Violet had commited suicide due to the marks on of her wrist. He couldn't imagine that for all that Violet has been through, she gave up on her life.

Wouldn't she have wanted to escape and enjoy life?

He abominated the visual of Violet leaving the premises of the world. It didn't sit with him even if he had banged his head a hundred times.

Adrian was filled of courage as he stared at the petite figure and vowed that he would make Violet happy and let her discover all the things that she was missing in her life. He smiled at Violet, only the door separating them.

He watched her but never went inside the room cause he feared that she would scream or cry at the sight of him. Adrian knew she would never forget the incident that almost costed her life before, and for that he hid away under his unnoticed gaze on Violet.

———

Regaining consiousness from her coma, Violet felt lonely and dejected. Violet wanted to die and when she almost did, she had some peace within the blank mind of hers.

Violet felt like crying when she met eyes with her doctor, who assured her that she was safe from danger. Violet wanted to die, she had no reason to live.

It was a sunny day when Violet sat upright on her bed and nibbled on a piece of bread. She had no idea about anything connected to her family, the Hayes and even Darcy. She felt shivers at the thought of her family.

Did they know that she survived? What would they do?

Violet hoped that no one knew about the abuse she experienced, but that was more of a dream as her injuries were too severe to go unnoticed. Once her family would manage to get their hands on her, Violet knew she was done for.

Her lips quivered and eyes watered. She felt destroyed and bewildered about everything. No one mentioned where she was, except that she was in a hospital. Nobody visited her and that's what scared her.

Violet sucked a sharp breath and leaped out of the comfortable bed hesitantly. Her toes almost touched the cold floor when the door swung open. "Right in here hey! What are you doin' ?" Violet flinched as her nurse, a middle aged woman named Heather stumbled into the room.

No matter the amount of times anyone tried to communicate with Violet, she shut them down. "Stubborn child I tell you." Heather rambled on as she scrambled towards Violet, a little too quickly that Violet backed away anxiously.

Darcy worriedly glanced at his best friend's frame being held to the bed by Heather. Violet didn't catch a glimpse of Darcy until he made his presence known to her. The little baby in his arms was drooling and staring at Violet's recovering face.

Darcy grinned at Violet when she widened her eyes and opened her mouth unexpectedly. Her eyes moistened as she gazed at Darcy and the baby.

How could he forget about visting her from the time when she realized that she was alive? The most dearest person to her? How could he grin when she was surviving only for her questions to be answered?

Darcy cleared his throat at Hearther as she was operating the systems in the room. Heather clicked her tongue. "I'll leave you both to it then." She soon sped out the door out of sight.

Darcy sighed and made himself comfortable upon a chair near the bed that Violet laid in. The surrounding white curtain hung low around the three. There was silence, except the gurgling of the baby girl.

Darcy cheerfully turned to Violet. "Hey Vivi, it's amazing to see you awake, how are you doing?" Violet didn't bother to answer him. She was infuriated at Darcy for not caring for her, or so she assumed.

"Ms Anally and everyone at the orphanage were worried and sent greetings and wishes through me to you." Again his sentence was followed by complete silence. Violet appeared as a corpse rather than a living and breathing human. The baby giggled when Darcy caressed her head soothingly.

Darcy sensed the tense air around Violet and sighed. "Are you mad at me? You won't even look at me without glaring." Violet shrugged and fiddled with her fingers. Darcy was blabbering about what happened in the past couple of days and apologized for not meeting her earlier. He saw her smile weakly and it lightened up the air within the compartment.

"You never told me you had a fiancé, Violet." Darcy muttered slowly and Violet snapped her face to his. Her chest was rising and falling unsteadily. She never told him about Adrian. His name caused her to tense up as she thought about what happened to him.

Violet furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. Darcy knew she lied since he had a conversation about Violet's engagement with Adrian before. But Violet still pretended to not know what Darcy meant and gave him questioning looks.

Darcy clutched the baby in his lap closer to him as he spoke softly. "I know about your engagement, Violet." Then he began his explanation of how he and Adrian rescued Violet that unfortunate day 3 months ago. Violet sank into her deep thoughts.

Adrian and Darcy saved her? Her family disappeared?

Her heart was rushing uncontrollably as he revealed everything that happened that day. "Adrian was the one who really suspected something bad. If he didn't figure out anything at that moment..." Darcy drifted off as his face grew flush with horror. Violet on the other hand almost choked on her own saliva.

Adrian?

How could he have saved her? Didn't he want Violet to suffer? Dark thoughts swirled her mind, not believing Darcy. Adrian saved her only to torture her by himself, yeah that was right. Wasn't that the truth?

Darcy decided to settle her down by changing the topic. "I brought this little one," He paused and patted the baby on his lap tenderly to which Violet darted her eyes towards. "Here cause I noticed that you didn't tell any of your family members or fiancé about this baby."

Violet gulped as her throat went dry. How could she to tell anyone? "I mentioned it when Adrian and I were discussing about something. Adrian insisted that he would try to help pay off the debt."

Darcy felt very hurt that Violet didn't even trust him with providing any help to prevent the abuse in her house. But Darcy never understood the torture and sufferance Violet had to sit through routinely for years.

"We don't have to worry about any expenses now. But I do need to say now that we're off the debt, we don't need to take care of this baby anymore. Unless you want to." he trailed off and found Violet reaching her frail hands out towards the baby. Darcy grudgingly handed her the baby cause he was too afraid that Violet would feel pain holding the baby.

Darcy took a deep breath and swallowed. "Violet, I'm leaving tomorrow. I won't be able to provide any care for this baby." He sniffled as tears welled in his eyes, Violet nearly gasped. "I-I need to leave urgently cause my father is unwell."

Violet stayed silent and glared angrily at Darcy who hopped of his chair and hugged Violet sideways, as if she were a feather benignly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you any sooner. It was all unplanned." He shook his head and retreated from Violet, not before placing a kiss of her forehead.

"I bought this baby in incase you would still want to keep her or else she'll be put up for adoption. Adrian is okay with that and he said that he'll be taking care of you after I leave." Violet wanted to keep the baby for some reason. Was it pity that the baby would have no family? Or that Violet just wanted someone to spend her time with? Violet admired the baby's brown eyes.

Violet clutched the baby closer to her chest as a squeal came from the baby. Darcy looked expectantly towards Violet for any gesture but she was blank faced. It depressed Darcy that Violet showed no effort to hug or kiss him on the cheek like usual. He was leaving, moving away from his sibling like friend.

"Okay, I'll leave now. Maybe you could tell your fiancé your answer." Darcy defeatedly scooped the baby into his arms from Violet. "Gotta get this little one back to the hospital." Darcy peered at Violet one more time hoping that she would at least smile, but she didn't. "Bye Vivi." And then with swift strides, he left.

Tears rolled uncontrollably down Violet's face. She felt like she lost a sibling, her only happiness was gone. She leaned into her pillow that muffled her cries. Darcy left and she said nothing. She felt as if her world collapsed. She would have to survive with Adrian, a terrifying monster and villain in her life.

But little did she know that he would be the one to change her opinions around,

and for the good.