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Aresius' POV

The sound of whimpers jolted me awake. I winced as my neck cracked from where it rested on the back of sofa.

We had fallen asleep watching a retelling of a classic fairytale that involved a frying pan, a chameleon and a police horse.

Alette had wanted to watch it, saying it was one of her favourites, and whatever she wanted, she got.

She was in charge. Always.

The movie ended up actually being quite good, and she teased me when she saw me smiling.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was smiling at her reaction to the movie rather than the film itself.

Alette let out a louder cry, thrashing around on the sofa, and I immediately got down on my knees beside where she lay.

There were tears leaking out of her tightly shut eyes and she scratched her nails across her chest, neck and arms.

I grabbed both of her wrists with one hand, stopping her nails from marring her skin. I pinned her hands to her chest, applying some pressure as she continued whimpering and speaking incoherently.

I could make out what sounded like 'please' and 'no' and a string of 'I'm sorrys.'

It physically hurt me to see her in so much fear and anguish.

I gently cupped her cheek with my other hand, murmuring softly, trying to shake her awake. When my low voice didn't reach her, I increased my volume.

"Alette," I spoke soundly, "Wake up, baby. Come back to me."

I put my hand on her shoulder and shook her harder.

"Alette!"

She awoke with a gasp, breathing heavily as she tried to sit up.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, you're fine," I said, pacifying her. I put my hands on her waist, trying to help her sit up, but before I could, a quiet sob wracked her body and she jumped onto me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I caught her as she leaped onto me and wrapped my arms around her waist, letting her cry quietly.

I got up, still holding her in my arms; she wrapped her legs around my waist and I walked us into the kitchen.

Her cries had quieted down, and I could feel her body physically deflate now that the adrenaline had worn off.

Grasso meowed, following behind us, wanting to be around Alette all the time.

"You're fine if I put you on the counter, my love?" I whispered to her softly.

She mumbled affirmatively against my neck, and I softly placed her on the counter by the sink.

She didn't make eye contact with me, choosing to look down and fidget with her shaking fingers.

I didn't force her to look up, letting her take her time.

I filled up a glass of water and held it out to her. I could see her glassy eyes fixated at a spot on the floor as she reached out and grabbed the glass.

She brought it up to her lips, her eyes seeming tired as she drank slowly.

I wanted to wrap her up into my arms and hold her tight. But I couldn't, yet.

It was tricky navigating a situation like this. I knew that I had to give her space to let her find her own way back. But that selfish voice in my head wanted to be right beside her, touching her, holding her, to appease my own self.

I wanted her to be okay, but I knew that the best way to do that was not to smother her. I had to let her seek me out when she needed me.

I couldn't jump on her and expect that me hugging her would help her come out of her traumatized state, fully recovered.

That's not how it worked.

I watched her, leaning against the island in front of her, keeping my space but being close enough to get to her in two strides.

She placed the glass down and got off the counter, moving her sleeves over her hands; she hugged herself tightly.

It was a protective stance; her whole body language screamed of guardedness.

She finally lifted her head and looked up at me; her eyes were glazed over.

Her posture was reserved but her eyes were aflame with emotion.

"I-I had a dream," her voice was scratchy when she spoke.

I took a breath through my nose, feeling myself bristle at what I had a feeling her dream would be about.

She focused her gaze on a spot behind me, and continued talking.

"It was...K-Kan. I w-was back in his office. He had me tied to a chair. It's a dream I've had a million times before," she let out a humourless laugh, "But it's different now."

"Alette..." I implored, not wanting her to continue reliving the dream through her words, but she didn't stop.

"A few weeks ago, I started getting this recurring dream," she continued, "It started off the same; me tied to a chair, and him t-touching me while I begged him to stop. And then you appeared," she made eye contact with me, looking beyond haunted.

"He held a g-gun to your head and t-told me that if I didn't listen to him, he would h-hurt you. If I didn't do what he said, he would hurt you," I clenched my jaw, wanting nothing more than to fill Kan's body with lead. I wanted to hurt him in every way possible for what he had put her through.

I moved forwards, but she leaned away, into the counter, so I stopped, tightening my fists to keep my anger at bay.

She hadn't ever told me any of her dreams in detail before, usually just the subject matter.

And even then, she would never mention any dreams about Kan.

"The dream changed a little bit ago again," I stared at her, not knowing how it could possibly get worse.

"It's all the same; I'm in his office but I'm not tied to the chair. He keeps touching me, and I want to tell him to stop but I can't talk. I c-can barely breathe. A-And you're there..." she trailed off, her eyes welling up again.

"You're sat in front of m-me. You're w-watching as h-he touches me," I felt the colour drain out of my face, and my body felt as though it was about to keel over.

"H-He keeps calling me d-dirty names as he t-touches me. And you l-look at me w-with d-disgust in your e-eyes. Y-You agree with the names h-he calls me," a sob wracked her body as she finished and my chest constricted in pain.

She made eye contact with me finally, and shook her head vehemently as tears streamed down her face.

"D-Do you t-think I'm d-disgusting? B-Because of what K-Kan did to me? A-And that m-man at the b-bakery?" she could barely get the words out and I was left speechless, not even able to comprehend her words.

"Do you t-think I'm repulsive a-after our n-night t-together?" her voice increased in volume slightly and lunged forwards, grabbing my shirt in her fingers.

She looked up at me with the sorrow of a nation on her face, her eyes leaking tears.

"R-Reecie I s-swear I am the same Alette. I swear, I swear. I d-don't want you t-to think of me as disgusting. P-Please A-Ares," she fell to the floor, her body giving out on her.

I shook out of my haze and sank down, catching her in my arms before she could hit the floor.

Her whole body shook with gut-wrenching cries, as she sat in my arms on the floor. I held onto her tightly, feeling my own eyes water at her pain.

I wanted it to stop.

I wanted her hurting to stop.

I took a breath in through my nose, trying to keep my emotions levelled.

I leaned against the island, my back against the cold marble and my legs stretched out on the floor in front of me.

She sat sideways in my lap, her body leaning against my chest.

I wanted her to physically calm down before we could begin talking.

Her breathing levelled slightly after few minutes, and she hiccupped.

"I'm getting up now," I said to her softly after a bit.

She didn't say anything; just clutched my shirt tighter and I took that as a yes.

I got up slowly, and she stood with me.

I picked her up again, and she wrapped her legs tightly around my waist, her body feeling shockingly limp despite the fact that she was awake.

I carried her back to the living room, feeling her heartbeat pressed against my chest.

It brought me light in this dark night.

I sat on the sofa, leaning back. I didn't let her go, holding onto her waist as she straddled me, her face in my neck.

I gathered my thoughts while she gathered hers.

Finally, she leaned back, her hands on my shoulder as she stared at me.

Her red-rimmed eyes looked at me, and I would've done anything to take away every ounce of her sadness.

She brushed a piece of hair out of my face, and trailed her hand down to cup my cheek. I closed my eyes, revelling in her touch, and the moment she began lifting her hand, my eyes shot open

I placed my hand on hers, holding it in place on my face.

I looked into her eyes, and she looked back, the sadness evident.

"Talk to me, baby," I said to her, my voice quiet, "Please."

She sighed, her face resigned.

"D-Do you know when I first had that nightmare? The one with you in it? Where you looked at me as though you were repulsed by me?"

I shook my head slowly, swallowing.

"I had that n-nightmare for the first time, t-three days after we..."

My heart dropped and so did her head.

"A-Alette," I could barely speak.

Did she feel pressured to do that?

Did she regret it?

"A-Ares I'm struggling," she sighed out.

I felt numb even thinking about that fact that she was going through this.

Because of our night together?

"Alette I'm...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel as though you had t-"

"No!" she interrupted me, her eyes wide, "Don't you dare apologize. You didn't do a thing. I don't regret what happened. Not even for a second. I'm sorry for making you think that."

Her voice didn't waver or stutter. She sounded definite; there was no hesitation in her tone.

I felt my body physically calm, and I sunk down in the sofa, my shoulders relaxing.

"What's wrong, my angel? Tell me, so I can help fix it. Please," I would've gotten on my knees and begged for her to open up to me, but that wasn't the right thing to do.

She had to share her feelings with me on her own accord.

She bit her lip, looking troubled.

"Ares I..." she sucked in a breath, and then her words escaped in a flurry.

"I wear blazers to work at a clinic. I go to brunch with my new friends. I go to university and sit in crowded lecture halls. I got a tattoo and I already want so many more. I moved out of Gram's house. I'm about to graduate university," she huffed, her brows scrunching.

I'm sure my eyes were comically wide as she took a pause.

"And...and I...I seduced you."

I looked at her, completely dumbfounded.

"Who even am I anymore Ares?"

She threw her hands up in frustration, her lips subconsciously forming a small pout.

I swallowed, trying to wrap my head around it.

I understood where she was coming from.

I could imagine that seeing that kind of drastic change in you was hard to cope with.

But I didn't think she had changed.

When a flower bud blooms, it doesn't change into something new; it just flourishes into what it already had the ability to be.

"Alette," I cupped her face, staring into her eyes, "Who do you feel like you are now?"

Her eyes widened slightly, and she breathed in.

Then she dropped her head.

I put two fingers under her chin, and lifted her head up to face me.

"Eyes on me, yeah?"

She swallowed, her hands clasped in between the two of us.

"I feel like...."

I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"I feel like...Alette."

Her tone was convinced.

I felt the corners of my lips turn up slightly, and a small smile formed on her face at her own words.

She bit her lip, looking as though she was about to continue speaking.

I nodded encouragingly at her.

"I-I feel like myself. This is who I am. T-This is who I have a-always been. But I've been so afraid for so long."

I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my face.

"I feel stronger. I feel smarter. I feel happier in who I am. I like getting up early to do my hair and makeup for work. I like attending lectures in person even though I need to sit down in a quiet place for five minutes after to calm down. I like hanging out with my friends. I get scared in some situations still, but I know that that's okay."

Her smile got wider and wider as she spoke.

When she stopped talking, I leaned forwards and kissed her forehead.

I leaned my forehead against hers and looked into her eyes, feeling pride surge through my body.

"There's my brave girl."

She beamed, her cheeks flushed.

She kissed my nose, and leaned back, playing with the chain on my neck.

"I-I know I've been having dreams about h-him more often because you're closer to finding him, and all my thoughts have been directed towards that. A-And I think after our first time together, I s-started feeling insecure because of how bold I acted. I blamed myself for so long. I blamed my body and my clothing because of what Kan did to me. I've been covering up from head to toe, wanting to not give anyone a reason to look at my body. B-But then that man at the bakery did what he did and I was fully covered, and I was left in such an odd state,"

She looked at me the entire time she spoke.

"You make me feel so comfortable in being myself. I feel stronger and...prettier now anyway, but it's impossible to not feel so attractive under your gaze. I know that I'm the same person because I feel empowered when I'm kind. But I also feel empowered when I take control of my own body; of my own intimacy."

I hung onto her every word.

"I know I'm the same person but I suppose I was just..." she sucked in a breath, tilting her head to the side, "I was afraid you would think of me differently."

I used my hand to brushed away a piece of hair from her face.

"Alette, baby, I don't see you differently because of what we did. How could I? All I see is you. Through and through, I just see my girl. It wasn't out of your character to be bold. You've always been bold, from the first day we met," I said to her.

She played with my chain, a small smile playing at her lips.

"You asked me to touch a tattoo gun within the first few minutes of meeting me. Then there was that one time you brought me to your house and asked me if I wanted to stay and watch a movie after getting stuck in a fence for hours. You started school in person, you started a new job. You got your first tattoo on your ribs and you still want more. You stood in front of Adrik and got him to drink coffee with you. You threatened to sleep in the guest bedroom for days after finding out Grasso's name," I listed off some of the things that made her brave.

All of the things that made her Alette.

"I love you, darling. All I see is you. My little enchantress who almost killed me with that little stunt she pulled in that red outfit," I smirked, watching her cheeks turn fuchsia.

"I'll only always see you. You're always kind. Always gentle. Always sweet. Always brave. Always bold. Always strong. I feel like the luckiest man in the world that you can be yourself around me. I don't take that for granted for a second Alette. I can't even believe you're real and that I get to be with you for-" I paused.

She looked at me as though I was the most important person in the world.

"Forever."

Her voice was unfaltering, a shy smile on her lips.

I nodded swallowing, my eyes sincere.

"Forever," I kissed her forehead softly, "And if we want to talk about change: you don't think I've changed?"

She looked away for a second, thinking about it, and then she smiled..

"Y-You talk more...and you s-smile now and that makes me happy. And you're really cuddly but other than that, you're the same man," she said, her voice warm.

"Exactly. No matter how strongly I felt for you from day one, I've still changed. And do you see me differently? Are you less attracted to me now that I talk more, hm?"

I grabbed at her waist, tickling her sides slightly, "Are you less attracted to me now? Now that I'm annoying?"

"R-Reecie n-no," she let out giggles as I continued tickling her, and her laughter lit up my heart.

I let out a chuckle at her flushed face and stopped tickling her. I cupped her cheeks in my hands, and pulled her in for a demanding kiss.

"I love you, my angel," I told her when I pulled away, "You'll make it through this, my strong girl. You've always got me to lean on."

I kissed her forehead.

"You're doing so good, baby."

She leaned forwards and kissed me passionately, resting her hands on my shoulders.

"Thank you for being so patient with me," she whispered sincerely.

"Don't thank me for that, darling," I grabbed her hand, bringing her fingers up to my mouth to kiss them, "Remember that day at my office? When I was supposed to pick you up?"

She nodded in remembrance, "But you didn't come, so I forced Jerryl to take me to you. Goodness, I'm sorry, I was so pushy and clingy," she turned red, shaking her head.

"No, don't apologize. I realized after being with you, that I need that push. You need me to be patient, and I need you to push me to confront things. I had been avoiding feeling for so long, and that day, when you bandaged me up, I knew that I was done being that way. I needed that from you."

I stared affectionately at her, "You always know exactly what I need."

"I love you Ares," she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me.

I leaned back into the sofa, burying my head in her hair, basking her warmth.

"Bed now?" she mumbled cutely through a yawn after a few minutes.

I chuckled, "Let's get you to bed, baby."

I got up off the sofa, holding her in my arms.

I carried her to the bathroom, depositing her on the counter by the sink.

I put toothpaste on her brush and she took it from my hand, kissing my fingers as she did so.

I started brushing my own teeth, and looked over to see her waving to something at the bathroom door.

I turned around to see Grasso sitting at the door, looking smug as hell, knowing damn well that I didn't want him in the room at night because he made Alette cuddle with him.

I glared at him and Alette poked me in the back making me turn around.

We finished brushing our teeth and I walked her to our bed.

Setting her down, I glared at Grasso again as he jumped into her arms.

"Need to change, baby?" I asked her, wanting to draw her attention away from him.

"Umm," she surveyed her clothes; a pair of cotton shorts that went to her mid-thigh and a matching sweatshirt, "Can you please get me a long-sleeved shirt Reecie? One of the ones in the second drawer."

I nodded, kissing her head as I walked to her closet.

I caught my face in the mirror and shook my head, realizing I had a frown on my face because she didn't request to wear one of my shirts.

I grabbed her the shirt and walked back to the bed, staring at how she hugged demon cat to her chest.

Not only had he scratched me twice this week already, but now I had to deal with Alette calling me his father.

As if that monster would ever share my DNA.