Chapter 49: Chapter 49

ROYCE

A few minutes had passed, but Nelly never said a word following Roxie's encounter. I brought her to my quarter to calm down. My eyes stuck at her innocent face as she sat opposite me. Her face down as she squeezed her hands. Nelly's chest rose and fell, which is quite different from ordinary; I could hear her breathing because of the silence between us.

Even if she hasn't uttered a word, I know she has an inner argument. The last thing I want her to think is questioning her worth just because Roxie belittled her.

"Do you wanna say something? Ask me anything."

Nelly lifted her head by then; her sight landed on mine. She straightened her body, her back on the cushion. All the while, never leaving my eyes that sent me questions I couldn't discern.

"I was amazed at how you handled things back there and also the way your girlfriend-"

"Ex-girlfriend," I said to correct her.

"Yeah, ex-girlfriend," she said, her fingers gesturing quotation marks. "I wasn't expecting a woman like her would go down that far for a man. She resembled a woman who could take care of herself, and yet, she did what she did back there. As a woman, I feel sorry for her."

Nelina let out a long breath which appeared to release all the stress. Her remarks to Roxie shocked me. I'm glad she didn't step down to where Roxie was. Nelly is a woman of class and worthy of respect. She gave me another reason to keep falling in love with her.

"She's a brat, and she needs to learn her lesson."

"I know." A slight smile crept on her lips, but it was immediately replaced by a forced smile. Nelly's eyes were clouded with sadness.

"But what had happened to me was worse."

My heart was shattered by her confession. No, my Nelly doesn't deserve to be treated this way. My chest tightened as I watched her glassy eyes, tears forming in them.

I stood up and walked close to Nelly; I wrapped Nelly in my arms as soon as I sat beside her. I heard her sob like a child the second she was in my safe arms. It tore me apart; however, I was glad that she found the courage to let go of anything hidden inside her.

"It's okay now, baby," I said as I stroked Nelly's back to console her. It lasted for a few minutes before she pulled a little; she glanced up to face me.

"It was Dennis, wasn't it?" I asked her to confirm what was already formulated in my head.

Nelly's answer wasn't needed. When she looked away from me, I took it as a yes. As we sat side by side, she was back to silence again, which I sensed as her way of not opening more about Dennis. I let her be in her comfort zone; I didn't want to exert force on her.

"I'm here, always will be. I want to reassure you that everything between Roxie and me ended a long time ago. Our relationship shouldn't be affected by Roxie in any way."

I pulled Nelly in my arms again, she rested her head in my chest. It felt surreal being her superhero when she entirely entrusted herself to me.

"Thank you for doing this," Nelina muttered in my chest.

My heart celebrated. "You don't have to. I love doing this for you. I'll make sure no one will ever lay hands on you nor speak wicked things on your face. Know that I am always by your side to defend you. Baby, you can tell me anything you are open to sharing with me."

"I will but not now. Probably some other time."

"No problem. You just let me know when and where; I'll be there in a heartbeat. We can share anything we want to talk about. I guess every person has their own bad experience. We can talk about them whenever it's convenient for you."

"Sure. That's a good idea."

Nelly's answer was quite a surprise to me. It was the progress of gaining her trust.

There's nothing more I want than being her safe haven, especially when she felt the torture of the past. We have different pain; mine was from my parents who abandoned me. Yet, I can still relate to how hurtful it could be to reminisce about the past, and I don't want her alone dealing with all the distress.

Marica wasn't exaggerating when she learned about Dennis. It hurts me to think that I'm a little helpless while the woman I love is dealing with her past unhealed wounds whenever she's alone. The next thing to do is make sure it won't happen again.

I gritted my teeth in anger, thinking of Dennis' background. Dennis is one of the devil people I've met. According to the pieces of information my investigator Jay had gathered. Jay is so reliable, and I thank him for being so. His investigation would help me get rid of Dennis in Nelly's life, in our lives.

I sniffed Nelly's hair like I always love to do and gave kisses on her forehead while gently stroking her back. She didn't protest, silently leaning on my chest, her warm breath on it.

"We need some air. Let's go outside?" I suggested as I loosened my arms around her after a while.

Nelly nodded in response. We walked hand in hand outside the door, and I led her to where I hid the surprise I had. Hoping it would lighten up her day after a heavy encounter with Roxie and reminiscing her awful experience with Dennis.

"Baby, I have something for you," I said as I grabbed Nelly's wrist, pulling her to space where the boys hid a piece of surprise. My heartbeat still rumbled in my chest in doubt that Nelly would take the late birthday gift I got for her.

Nelly's eyebrows narrowed, but she didn't protest until we got to the garage, where we were both alone.

"Why are we here?" Nelly asked, her sights roaming around.

"What's in here?"

"That one," I said as I pointed to the red cloth covered in the car. I drew near the car and pulled the red fabric, which unveiled what was hidden underneath.

I laughed at her when she appeared confused instead of surprised at what was exposed.

"Surprise," I said late.