CHAPTER 11: A Story Without a Happy Ending
Things had escalated so fast that Sakura had no idea how Sasuke had brought her home. What's even weirder was, they weren't back on the penthouse suite where he first brought her, instead, Sasuke had driven her towards an exclusive estate where a Spanish style mansion was visible even from afar.
"Don't move," Sasuke ordered when he stopped the car in front of the mansion.
He swiftly got off from behind the driver's seat and walked towards Sakura's side only to carry her on his arms like she weighed nothing but a feather.
The servants have also gathered on the entrance to the mansion but they had their heads bowed down as Sasuke passed them all and proceeded up the grand staircase.
Sakura on the other hand, still felt embarrassed as she buried her face on Sasuke's chest. She was only able to lift her head when she felt him lowering her on the edge of the porcelain tub as he examined the scrapes and swelling on her feet.
"Y-you don't have to look at them so intently. I'm fine."
But his only response was to open the faucet as it slowly filled the tub with hot water. Sasuke then stood up to fetch the medicine kit. He then knelt in front of Sakura as he began tending to her wounds. She tried her best not to squirm.
"Sasuke, stop. It seems that you're forgetting the fact that I was the one who tended to your wounds from before."
"And that's the reason why I'm tending to yours now. Get in the water." Sasuke ordered, but Sakura refused to move because she was too embarrassed to strip naked in front of him.
"What's wrong?" Sasuke eventually asked. That's when Sakura noticed that he was in the middle of undressing.
"I...my body...that man... I feel so dirty." She choked as beads of tears started to form on the corners of her eyes.
Sakura felt warm hands cup her cheeks as Sasuke gently forced her to look at him.
"It's okay now. You don't have to be scared. I'm here." He whispered as he gently took off the coat he gave her and sent it crumpling down the floor.
Sasuke then guided her in getting inside the tub as he soon followed which caused the water to rise and overflow.
He sat behind her, encasing her between his strong muscular thighs as he gently lathered the shower gel on her arms, back and shoulders, gently massaging her body with his warm, big hands.
There was no conversation that took place. It was only the sound of the gentle sloshing of water that could be heard as Sakura laid her back on Sasuke's broad chest.
After a while, Sasuke spoke.
"Are you feeling better?"
It was indeed a peculiar question to ask especially after what happened to her that night.
She got heartbroken, was almost raped, and saw two people die before her very eyes—she should be in shock right now—but she wasn't. Instead, she felt as though she was in the most comfortable place in the world.
Sakura then tilted her head to the side and answered.
"I'm fine."
She watched as Sasuke gently smiled at her and kissed the side of her temple. He then enclosed her in a warm embrace while the bubbles surrounded them in a quiet peace.
Sakura was now lying in bed with Sasuke on her side; however, she was finding it difficult to fall asleep.
"Sasuke?"
"Hm?"
"Can you tell me a story?"
Sasuke's eyes landed on hers and there she saw sadness in those usually cold, onyx gaze of his.
"I don't have stories with happy endings, Sakura." He whispered as he travelled his eyes back towards the ceiling.
"Any...any story will do." She said as she clutched onto Sasuke's shirt and moved her body closer.
His arm that was already wrapped around her held her tighter as he let out a sigh and eventually began to tell a story...
"There was once a child who just got home from school only to find his beloved parents swimming in their own pool of blood. He was seven years old back then. Too early to be an orphan. Too young to be faced with the cruel realities of life."
Sakura gulped but she urged Sasuke to continue.
"H-how did his parents die? Does the boy know who killed them?"
Sasuke stayed silent for a moment before he resumed the story.
"They were butchered like pigs. And yes, the boy knew who killed them."
"Who?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.
"It was someone who was also a part of the boy's family. It was the boy's older brother."
Sakura began chewing on her bottom lip. "But why?"
"The boy had been born with a cursed mark imprinted on his skin. It was believed that it would bring misfortune and demise to the family. In truth, the parents of that boy were actually scared of him, so they plotted on killing him instead, and the older brother knew of such that's why he did what he did. The brother believed that it was the only way to protect the boy because he loved the boy very much. Even so, the older brother still left and disappeared, leaving the boy abandoned and fending for himself."
"What happened next?"
"Because the boy was so confused on why his beloved parents had to die, the boy sought revenge for seven years—but before that—several weeks after the boy became an orphan, while he was running away from the cops because he stole a loaf of bread, an extremely wealthy man found him and saw the mark on his skin. The wealthy man wanted to take the boy away with him.
"Did the man take the boy?" Sakura asked.
"The boy fought back at first and told the man that the mark was a curse, but the man told the boy that it was actually a mark of fortune, and that it would bring a lot of luck to his business. And since it was the boy's first time to hear such kind words from a stranger regarding the mark he feared the most, the boy went with the man…and was raised like a part of the man's family along with his new brothers.
"Did...did the boy and his older brother eventually meet?"
"Yes." Sasuke sighed. "Like I said, the boy sought revenge for seven years. Seven years later, he was able to exact his revenge…"
The next few words which Sakura heard seemed to be like thorns being dragged from Sasuke's throat. Nevertheless, he still continued, as his final words became the ending of the story.
"That boy...killed his older brother...with a single shot to the heart. He was fourteen then."
A moment of silence passed until Sakura let out a small hiccup. It turned out that she was trying her best to hold her tears in, and Sasuke was startled because of this. He then immediately propped himself up on his elbows and wiped the tears off her cheek.
"Shh, don't cry. Why are you crying?" He asked as Sakura snuggled to the warmth of his touch.
"It must have been painful..."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed because he did not expect such a reaction coming from her after such an awful story. The only other ones who knew were his brothers and the one who adopted him. Aside from them, no one. And since they were all raised in similar circumstances, they understood his actions back then.
It was actually Sasuke's first time to have shared such a very important piece of his life to a complete stranger. He expected judgment or even disgust, but instead, he was met with Sakura's honest feelings.
It was as though she understood him.
Yes, it was painful. And if he could take things back and change his past, he would. But all those have already come and gone. His memories and his experiences have shaped him to who he was now. And so, the only thing left for him to do was to move forward…
That was when Sasuke realized that the woman who shed tears for him should never be a part of his life...
Unless he wanted to ruin her like how he ruined everyone whom he loved…
And so he decided…
It was probably best to just let her go. He thought as he lulled Sakura to sleep.
TBC
A/N: Do check out the note on my profile dated, September 14, 2018. Thank you!
