Chapter 23: Triggers

CHASE

I had been looking for Kiana at the party, but she was nowhere to be found.

Had she gone to the restroom?

I walked into the hallway, and that’s when I saw her.

She was pinned against the wall. A man had his hand on her hip, but I couldn’t see what he was doing or hear what he was saying from where I stood.

We had been fake dating for almost two months now—had she started seeing someone behind my back? Is that why she freaked out whenever we got physical?

If they were dating, she had broken our agreement.

I started walking toward them, anger flaring up at the thought of another betrayal. I had to find out what was happening. Only, as soon as I saw her, I knew something was off.

She was shrinking back against the wall as the man towered over her. He let go of her and stepped back when he heard me approaching.

“What the fuck is happening here?” I demanded, my voice low and menacing.

“I found her like this. I tried to ask if she was okay, but she hasn’t said anything,” he replied, a smug grin on his face.

I didn’t trust this guy. I didn’t like him either.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, her face contorted as she twitched. She held her hand over her collarbone, where her scar was. Her breathing was rapid, and her body was shaking, as if she was freezing.

~Was she having a panic attack?~

I grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently.

“Kiana.”

Her eyes flew open, red and glossy. She looked terrified and flinched when I touched her. I had never seen such raw fear in someone’s face before. Her usually vibrant eyes were now clouded with a dark sadness.

A tear rolled down her cheek. I reached out to wipe it away but stopped when she winced and closed her eyes again.

~Something was obviously very wrong. But what?~

“Kiana, what happened?” I asked, trying to sound gentle.

I didn’t want to frighten her more than she already was.

She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she saw the man standing next to me. Her eyes widened, clearly terrified.

Did she know him?

“I need to take her home. What’s your contact info in case I need to reach out to you later?” I asked, but that wasn’t the entire reason I wanted it. I didn’t trust this man, and with his contact details, I might be able to find out something about him.

“I’m sorry. I just returned from abroad and haven’t had a chance to get my new phone yet,” he replied. “Here, take my card.” I briefly scanned the card, not having the time to take a better look.

I wanted to confront him, to find out what had happened, but right now, I needed to get her out of there. I tried to get her to move, but she was frozen in place.

I draped my jacket over her shoulders and lifted her up in my arms.

“Take care, ~Kiana~.”

The way he emphasized her name made my skin bristle in protective anger.

Kiana snuggled further into the crook of my neck, and she physically shivered. Her attack seemed to be getting worse by the second.

She was shaking like a leaf as we made our way to the car. I thought about placing her in the passenger seat, but I was afraid she might crumble if I let her go. So, I held onto her all the way home.

The more I held her, the more she seemed to unwind. Even though she was less rigid, she was still trembling, and her breathing was erratic.

I’d grown up watching my mom suffer from panic attacks, so I recognized the signs. But Kiana’s condition was far worse. It might sound odd, but baths always seemed to help my mom during her episodes.

I carried Kiana into the penthouse, her body still nestled in my arms. She felt like a hollow shell, as if she was so scared that she was completely separated from reality and lost in the terrifying depths of her own imagination.

She turned her head to the side, tensing up when she realized where she was. She began trying to wriggle out of my grip.

I held her close to prevent her from falling and hurting herself. “I promise I won’t hurt you. You’re safe now. I’ve got you,” I whispered as gently and soothingly as I could.

She looked up at me, her eyes wide and uncertain, filled with an untouched innocence. Her body relaxed. She nodded and snuggled back into me—~trusting me~—and I carried her through my bedroom to my en suite.

KIANA

Chase’s soft voice reassured me when he promised I was safe. It made me feel secure, as strange as that might sound.

I trusted this man even though I had no concrete reason to. With some people, you can just sense whether their intentions are good or not.

My instincts had been right before.

A persistent feeling had warned me that Cooper was trouble when we were growing up. But I ignored it because he was so charming. He had given me no reason to distrust him initially.

Maybe it was time I started trusting my gut again. I hoped it was right this time.

I hadn’t had an attack like this since ~it~ happened. The memories that resurfaced made it feel like I was reliving that moment all over again.

When we entered Chase’s bedroom, my panic began to rise again.

He walked into his bathroom and gently laid me down on the tiles beneath the showerhead. He reached up and I heard the tap turn on, then cold water hit my skin.

He held me close, his arms wrapping around me as we both got soaked under the cold spray. One arm supported my waist while the other cradled my head against his chest.

I focused on the calming rhythm of his heartbeat as we sat there together.

I don’t know how long we stayed like that, but eventually, my heart rate slowed, my breathing returned to normal, and my skin became cold.

I had never recovered from an attack this quickly before. Usually, it lasted hours. But with Chase, it felt like much less time had passed.

Once the water was turned off, my body went limp. My eyelids felt heavy, and I yearned for sleep.

But I was scared.

Scared of what might haunt me in my dreams.

I felt my body being lifted and then placed on something soft.

A bed?

I was completely exhausted. I could barely lift my arms.

I felt an oversized shirt slip over me, falling just above my knees. Then a large hand reached for the zipper at the back of my dress. I squirmed.

“You’re covered. I can’t see anything. You need to get out of that dress. You’re soaked, and I don’t want you to catch a cold.” Chase’s voice was gentle and reassuring.

I trusted him and settled back into the sheets, allowing him to unzip the dress and slide it off me. The shirt covered me the entire time, just as he had promised.

I was lifted slightly higher on the bed, away from the damp sheets. Then a blanket was wrapped around me, and my head was placed on the softest pillow.

I closed my eyes, feeling refreshed, and drifted off to sleep.

CHASE

I carefully removed her dress, making sure not to invade her privacy.

I had done this for my mother before. She taught me that cold showers could help with panic attacks like this. Holding someone close could help them feel safe, and exposure to cold water could help lower their heart rate, making them feel more relaxed.

I let Kiana sleep in my bed. I wanted to move her but couldn’t bring myself to do it.

The moment I shifted her into a more comfortable spot on the bed, she drifted off to sleep. Her serene expression made it clear that disturbing her now would be nothing short of devilish.

So, I picked out some fresh clothes and decided to spend the night in the guest room.

There was something that had triggered her, something deeply rooted. But what could have possibly set it off tonight?

I knew I had to talk to her about it tomorrow, but for the time being, I decided to let her sleep.

She seemed to need it, and so did I.

However, my mind kept circling back to the man who was with her.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow involved.