It was then that Rachel saw the person standing outside the shower. It wasnât the maid, it was Victor!
âWhat are you doingâ¦â
Before she could even finish her sentence, Victor grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
The faint smell of red wine wafted into her nose.
Feeling uncomfortable because of the smell, Rachel struggled to break free from his arms. âDid you drink?â âI did.â
Victorâs Adamâs apple bobbed up and down. He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his jaw on her shoulder. Then, he soaked in the fragrance of her body. Rachel was always so aromatic, which was probably the scent of her body wash. And every time she took a shower, the fragrance was even more aromatic.
Almost instinctively, her body tensed up. Rachel tried to reject him. âWhat are you trying to pull, Victor?â
âIâm not drunk.â All of a sudden, Victor looked at Rachelâs delicate face. His Adamâs apple was bobbing up and down repeatedly. âI only drank a little.â 1 Rachel pursed her lips. Right now, he didnât look as obnoxious and overbearing as he usually was, and his ears were red. Clearly, he drank more than just a little.
Rachel caught a glimpse of the clock in the living room and saw that it was already eleven in the evening She had no idea why he came to her room in the dread of the night, and she wondered when he would leave. If she were being honest, sheâd rather not be alone with him, especially when he was drunk.
âVictor, I want to rest,â Rachel said in a calm tone, attempting to drive him away. âOkay, I get it.â Even though he said that, Victor still didnât budge. Rachel waited for a while, but seeing as he had no intention of letting her go, she frowned at him and said, âVictor, itâs getting late and I wish to sleep.â
Victor looked into her eyes. As they locked eyes with each other, Rachelâs heart skipped a beat, and she averted her gaze right away. But when their eyes met, she felt as though he was able to discern her true emotions. This feeling made her very uncomfortable, and she wanted to stay away from him even more.
âLet go of me! Can you just go back to your own room and get some rest already?â Rachel exclaimed before she calmed herself down. Upon hearing this, Victor frowned, tightening his grim on her arm.
âAre you driving me away? I already told you, Iâm not drunk. But if you donât believe me, go ahead, touch me.â
âTouch you?â Before Rachel could figure out what he meant, Victor lowered his head, took her hand and placed it on his forehead. She could feel his warmth on her fingertips. After a brief pause, she heard Victorâs deep, husky voice.
âIâm not burning up, right? Whenever Iâm drunk, I get hot. But since Iâm not hot, that means Iâm not drunk.â Rachel was rendered speechless. He was practically burning up right now. âFine, youâre not drunk. But I still want to rest, so get off me,â Rachel replied, withdrawing her hand.
âNo.â Victorâs face turned grim. Rachel was starting to get annoyed that he was being so persistent.
Just when she was about to chastise him, Victor swept her off her feet. Then, he carried her into the bedroom without even giving her a warning. Instinctively, Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck.
And before she could even get a word in, Victor gently put her on the bed. âWhat are you planning to do, Victor?â Rachel became vigilant. She immediately sat upright, ready to get out of bed. Her feet hadnât even touched the floor when Victor approached her and pressed her shoulders down, preventing her from getting up.
Then, he leaned over and held her in his arms, effectively shackling her to the bed. Rachelâs eyes widened as she tried to push him away. âWhat are you trying to do to me, Victor? Let go of me!â Her voice quivered as she thought of how Victor almost forced her into having s*x with him in the car. 1 Upon noticing that she was trembling in his arms, Victorâs heart ached. âIs she afraid of me?â he wondered.
âVicâ¦â
âDonât move.â Victor cut her off and buried his face on her neck. Rachel was feeling tense right now, so she couldnât move. It worried her that if she moved again and annoyed him, he would hurt her. After all, drunk people were prone to irrationality. As Victor embraced her, he slowly closed his eyes. After a long time, Rachelâs body started to feel numb. Victor was just hugging her and he didnât do anything else.
The room fell into absolute silence, and all she could hear were the waves outside the window.
âVictor?â Rachel called out his name, wondering if he was still awake. âVictor? Are you asleep?â She repeatedly called his attention, but he still didnât response. Seeing that he was unresponsive, she tried to take his arms off her, and attempted to push him aside. But just as she was pushing him away, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Victorâs eyes opened up and they were locked on her. Rachel was stunned. âDid he just wake up? Was he even asleep in the first place?â âMy arms feel numb. Youâre too heavy,â Rachel explained. Victor still maintained eye contact with her, but he wasnât saying anything. The following moment, he wrapped his arms around her waist, turned over, and lay beside her.
In spite of her protests, he still embraced her. Rachel pursed her lips and said, âIf you donât want to go back to your room, Iâll leave my room to you. Iâll just go sleep in your room, alright?â Sheâd rather not argue with this drunk. âNo,â Victor responded decisively. âBut why?â
Victor tightened his embrace on her as though he feared that she would disappear the next second.
Then, he rested his chin on her head. âRachel,â he said. His voice sounded different from how he used to say her name. It wasnât cold or angry. This time, he sounded affectionate. âI⦠Iâm sorry,â he muttered. Rachel lowered her gaze and fell silent. âIâm sorry about Abby,â he added. Still, Rachel didnât respond.
She just closed her eyes and clenched her fists, trying her best to suppress the surging hatred in her chest. âHeâs sorry? Saying sorry is too fucking easy! As if that could bring Abby back! People always think that they can be forgiven as long as they apologize, and then they can just go on and pretend like nothing happened. Theyâre just trying to make themselves feel better, not the ones that theyâve wronged. I can never forgive him; not for what he did to Abby!
Mere words canât bring her back.â Honestly, Rachel wanted to yell at him and say that meant nothing now! âAbby canât hear you! What has she ever done to you? And why did you get her killed?â But when that thought crossed her mind, she suppressed her desire to do it and bit the tip of her tongue.
Soon, the taste of blood spread through her mouth. âI know how much you hate me for what I did, Rachel,â Victor muttered as though he was speaking to himself. Afterwards, he fell into silence again.
He couldnât bring himself to look at Rachel when those words came out of his mouth. He was too afraid to see just how much she hated him through her eyes. âBut, please donât leave me,â he pleaded.