Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Author’s POV

Cara heard someone knocking on the door of her room again and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

She pushed herself more into the corner. This time she didn’t even ask who is outside. She didn’t have courage to do that. She just covered her mouth to muffle her sobs.

She doesn’t know who is standing outside and what is she going to get this time.

She again heard the knock and she flinched as it was more louder and urgent this time than before.

She was about to cover her ears with her palms to block the sound when she heard Chase’s impatient and concerned voice.

“Cara, are you in there? It’s me Chase. Open the f**king door Cara” he shouted from outside not caring about the fact that other students might get disturbed by him.

Cara released a breath of relief as she wiped her tears. She got up from the floor and walked towards the door on her wobbly legs.

Her trembling hand reached to turn the door knob and she opened the door to find a very worried Chase outside.

She didn’t care about anything else and just threw herself on him. Clutching his shirt tightly around his waist, she buried her tear stained face in Chase’s hard chest.

Then she broke down, completely, sobbing uncontrollably in his arms.

He was taken aback by her sudden action but soon recovered and his one arm automatically got wrapped around her waist and other went to cup the back of her head, as he pulled her more into himself.

“What’s wrong Cara?” he asked and concern was dripping from his voice.

She shook her head in no but couldn’t form a word to say to him. She just kept crying.

His gut tightened as he felt like crushing the whole world around him, upon seeing her crying like this. He caressed her back soothingly trying to calm her but he himself was beyond being calm right now.

He was calling her since past one hour but she wasn’t answering the call. She was so lost and scared to even notice her phone ringing.

At first he thought that she might have just fallen asleep but something was bugging him.

It was not a single or couple of calls that he made. He tried her number multiple times but she wasn’t picking up, which she never does.

Even if she falls asleep sometimes before receiving his call, she still answers her phone to say good night to him.

He was starting to feel uneasy so he decided to just come and see her once. Not for anything else then at least for his worried heart’s sake.

That is why he drove here and as he suspected, there is something wrong. She is crying so badly it is hurting his heart.

“Cara, it’s okay. Nothing’s going to happen. I am here now. Tell me what happened?” he asked her softly still caressing her back and her head with his hands.

But she wasn’t ready to say anything. He tried to pull away from the hug so that he can look at her face but her hold tightened around him.

He sighed in defeat. He didn’t try to pull away again but just picked her up bridal style, she wrapped her hands around his neck.

He closed the door with his leg and made his way to the bed. He sat down on the bed and made her sit on his lap. Her body was still trembling uncontrollably because of sobs and also because of fear.

He looked around in her room and found her phone was laying on the floor away from her bed. Then his eyes fell on the tape recorder which has now stopped playing.

He saw the pepper spray was laying on the bed. “Did someone come here?” he asked.

“No… yes… del… delivery..” she stuttered between her sobs. It made him frown.

‘Delivery at this time?’ he thought. It was not something usual.

Then his eyes fell on the photos that were laying on the floor at a little distance from them.

He leaned forward to use his long arms and picked one of the photo. As soon as his eyes fell on the photo his eyes turned cold and fists clenched in anger. It was a photo of a couple having s*x.

He crumbled the photo in his palm and asked through gritted teeth, “Was it in the delivery box?” and she just nodded her head sobbing even more.

His eyes fell on the other photo. He picked her from his lap and made her sit on the bed beside him. He got up and was about to walk when she held his hand in hers and whispered, “Don’t… don’t see it”.

She didn’t want him to see the another photo. The reason is, first it was her photo in which she was nu*e. Though it was not actually her but the face was hers.

And second she knew if he saw the other photo, he is going to be very angry.

He leaned down to her eye level and cupped her cheek with his other hand and said, “Don’t worry. Nothing is going to happen to you”.

He removed his hand from her hold and picked the another photo. And true to Cara’s fear, his whole demeanor changed in a second.

His jaw clenched, fists tightened. His eyes became darker. The anger was now radiating through his body.

He lifted his eyes up to meet with her teary ones. “It was in there too?” he asked. His tone dangerous but Cara knew his anger was not directed towards her.

She nodded her head still feeling a little intimidated by his cold eyes.

“But I swear, it’s not me” she whispered hoping he would believe her.

He ripped the photo that he was holding in his hand in multiple tiny pieces and threw it on the floor.

“What else was there?” he tried asking in a calm tone but failed.

Cara tried gulping the lump in her throat down but couldn’t. But her eyes gave him the answers he wanted, as they momentarily slid towards the tape recorder.

Chase picked it up and Cara just wished he wouldn’t listen to it. She doesn’t want him to get more angry.

He played the recorder and he heard what was in there. His hold started becoming tighter around the tape.

And when he heard the bastard in the recording moaning Cara’s name, he lost it.

He growled loudly in anger and was about to smash the tape on the floor with all of his strength when he heard her scream and his hands halted in mid air.

He instantly regretted losing his mind like this in front of her making her even more scared than she already is.

He cursed himself in his mind and sat down beside her on the bed, taking her tear stained red face in his palms.

“I am sorry Cara. Sorry, I just couldn’t control my anger” he said softly.

She leaned into his touch feeling safer in his presence.

“Please… please don’t be angry. I am really…really scared…” she stammered.

He pulled her closer, again making her sit on his lap and she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

“I am sorry. I promise I won’t be angry” he whispered pecking her forehead.

She closed her eyes shut as she inhaled his scent and she started feeling a little calm.

Her hands were still clutching his shirt in her fists as if scared of letting him go.

“It’s not me. I swear. Please believe…” he cut her off, “Shh… I know. I know it’s not you. You don’t have to explain, you never have to explain yourself in front of me” he whispered softly against her skin.

“I was so scared…” she whispered.

“Now you don’t have to be” he whispered back, tightening his hold around her to make her feel safe, or to convince his own heart that she is okay and in his arms.

He was burning from inside. He just wanted to find the f**ker who has sent these things to her, and beat him to the pulp. His eyes were just seeing red.

He was beyond raged right now. He was just trying to be calm for Cara, because he didn’t want to scare her. But he is not going to be quiet.

He is going to hunt that bastard down for sure.

His hands were still caressing her back and her arms gently. After some time he felt her body relaxing against him.

“Cara…” he called softly but she was already fast asleep. He had noticed that she looked tired as if she was crying for a very long time.

It burned him in anger, even more. He picked her up and made her lie down on the bed and covered her body with a comforter.

He got out of the bed and took his phone out to dial John’s number. His friend answered at third ring.

“John, I need you to do something” he said.

“What’s wrong Chase? You don’t sound good. Is there any problem? Where are you?” He asked questions after questions.

“I am at Cara’s dorm room. Actually there is….” He was explaining everything to John when his eyes again fell on her phone.

“Okay I will try to look into it. Might find someone in CCTV footage” John said.

Chase picked her phone from the floor and it was not locked. He saw his own missed calls. And while scrolling down he noticed three unknown numbers she got calls from.

“I think someone even called her. But he used different numbers. I will send them to you, tell your brother to look into it” Chase said.

John’s brother is a police officer so he would be able to get the names of the person to whom these numbers belong.

“Is she okay?” John asked in concern. Chase turned around to look at sleeping Cara and replied, “She was so scared. So scared that…” he paused.

He wanted to say that seeing her so scared like this made his heart hurt and made him feel like destroy everything around him but he didn’t.

“I am not going to let the f**king bastard go who made her feel like this, I swear” his words held promise.

He disconnected the call and walked towards her. He leaned down to kiss her forehead gently and was about to walk towards the other bed in the room.

He wasn’t planning on going home, not wanting to leave her alone when something like this was happening with her and she was so scared.

But before he could walk away Cara held his hand in hers as she whispered in her sleep. It was almost incoherent but he heard her, “Don’t go”.

And he just couldn’t go against her words. He sat down on the floor beside her bed and took both her hand in his.

He placed soft kisses on both of her palms and then rested his temple on the bed beside her.

He kept staring at her tear stained face for a while as he promised himself to capture the bastard and punish him for messing with his girl, his Cara.

Morning came earlier than he thought. Whole night went quickly while him staring at her face without moving his eyes away from her.

She moved in her sleep and opened her eyes to come face to face with him. He didn’t say anything for a while, both of them just stared at each other in silence.

Her eyes started tearing up and he could see the pain and fear in them. He felt his heart squeezing in pain upon seeing her tears.

“Are you awake?” he asked softly and she nodded her head. Her eyes fell on their locked hands for a moment. And pain flew away from her system.

She blinked her tears back and sat on the bed as she looked down at him who was still sitting on the floor in front of her.

“You didn’t sleep whole night?” she asked.

“I did. I just woke up” he lied. She narrowed her eyes at him as she said, “I don’t believe you”. He smiled at her words and cute expressions.

Then there was again silence between them for a while. Both of them didn’t say anything and just kept staring at each other. Until Chase decided to break the silence.

“Are you okay?” he asked and she replied, “Now I am”.

He kissed her hands that he was holding in his hand and looked up to stare into her eyes.

“Cara, I know it must be difficult for you but can you please tell me what happened?” he asked her carefully.

She didn’t say anything at first, she is still shaking from inside but when he squeezed her hands slightly, in a assuring manner. She nodded her head.

“I was waiting for your call…” she started and told him everything.

By the end of it Cara was crying again and Chase was again raging. Burning from inside and waiting to find whoever that f**king sh*t is and burn him in the fire of his rage.

He got up from the floor and pulled her closer, resting her head on his chest, he caressed her arms gently.

“I wasn’t going to bring that box inside but when I saw that the address of the orphanage where I used to live, was written on the box, I thought someone from there has sent something”

“But now it feels even more creepy. How did they find out where I came from? I didn’t tell it to anyone” she said while fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

“It’s all right. Stop thinking about it” he said.

They stayed like this for a while and then he asked, “Do you want to go to college or want to rest for today?”

“I have to submit an assignment. I have to go” she told him. He nodded his head and said, “Go, get ready. I’ll drop you off”.

She nodded and was about to get up when he held her hand and made her sit again. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her in a soft and gentle kiss.

She closed her eyes in pure bliss feeling much more better than before. He pulled away and rubbed her cheeks with his thumb as he whispered, “Don’t be scared okay?”

She smiled at the concern in his eyes and tone. She got ready and came out of washroom to find him sitting on the bed. He looked like he was in deep thoughts.

He came out of his thoughts when he saw her coming out. He got up from the bed and asked, “Ready to go?” and she nodded like a child.

He held her hand in his and walked her out of her dorm building. While walking out he noticed three guys sitting on their bikes at a little distance from where he has parked his car.

His jaw clenched tight and his hold on her hand became tight when he realized their eyes were fixed on Cara.

Cara noticed the change in his demeanor and followed his gaze to find the source which was making him angry and she also noticed the guys. They didn’t seem like the guys from their college.

Cara’s heart filled with fear when she noticed how Chase’s eyes has turned dark because of anger.

“Chase… wait…” but she was already too late. Because before she could stop him, he was striding towards those guys.

“Who do you think you guys are staring at huh?” Chase snarled in anger.

One of the guys started laughing as he said, “We? The Miss sexy over there” he pointed his finger towards Cara who was approaching them.

But the guy didn’t know that he was making the biggest mistake of his life, when he said those words about Cara.

Chase lifted his leg and kicked the guy in his stomach, the guy fell along with his bike.

“How dare you look at her?” Chase shouted.

“Chase please, let it go” Cara stood in front of him, stopping him from approaching other guys. She was fighting an internal battle with her fear.

Chase noticed the fear in her eyes and again feeling of regret rushed to him. He always makes her scared.

The guy whom Chase had kicked got up and one of his friends asked with clenched jaw, “Who do you think you are, huh?”

Chase averted his gaze from Cara’s face to them and his eyes turned ice cold in a second, “Me? Chase Adams.”

And all three of their eyes widened upon hearing his name. An evil smirk appeared on Chase’s face when he saw the fear in their eyes,

“Great, so you already know about me, right? I don’t need to tell you guys of what I can do if I ever see you around this dorm ever again” he asked and they gulped in fear.

“F**k off” Chase growled low and all three of them ran away. After seeing them leave the place, Chase held Cara’s hand and walked towards car.

Without saying anything he made her sit on the passenger seat and started driving in the direction of college.

All the while his jaw was hard, hands tightly clutching the steering wheel of his car, cold eyes were glued to road. He was angry, at others who dare to look at her.

And he was angry at himself for not being able to control his anger and making her scared.

Even now he is making her scared, he can see it by the way she is just seating glued to the door, away from him. And he doesn’t like it, not at all.

Cara could see the anger on his face, in his eyes and it was kinda scaring her a little but she knows he was getting angry for her sake. He was getting into the fight with those who were looking at her with bad intention in their minds.

But most of all she could see the self blame in his eyes. He was blaming himself for something and she wasn’t liking that look in those gray eyes of his.

They reached and Chase parked his car in the parking lot. But both of them didn’t come out of it and sat there in silence.

Cara decided to break the silence as she asked, “You are not blaming yourself for anything, are you?”

He looked in her direction with slightly wide eyes. He didn’t say anything but his eyes answered her question and she said, “Yes, you are”.

Chase sighed as he said, “I just don’t like making you scared but I always end up doing the same thing. I just can’t hold my anger in, when I see those pieces of sh*ts looking at you”

“It’s okay Chase. You don’t have to fight with everyone. I don’t mind those people” she said.

“But I do. I hate it. For f**ks sake, I hate it so damn much” his tone raised a little, he ran his hand through his hairs, showing how frustrated he was feeling right now.

“Chase…” she held his hand in hers and his hold tightened on her hand as he kept staring at their locked hands.

“Thank you for caring so much about me. But you should not get angry at everyone. You can’t fight them all” she continued in attempt to make him understand.

He didn’t say anything and just stared at her face. He leaned forward and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her crook as he inhaled a deep breath.

“I can. I can fight them all if it’s for you” he whispered against her skin.

“Chase…” she was about to protest again but he just held her more tightly, burying his face more into her flesh as he said, “Shh.. let me just hug you for a while”.

She sighed but didn’t say anything and just let him hug her to his heart’s content.

After a while he pulled away but not before placing a long lingering kiss at the base of her neck causing her body to cover in goosebumps.

He walked her to her classroom. They reached there but he didn’t let her go. He held her face in between his palm and whispered, “I am sorry for making you scared there. I will try to keep it under control next time”.

She smiled at the sincerity in his tone and nodded her head. He pressed his lips on her forehead giving it a light peck he said, “Make sure to call me if anything happens”.

With that he let her go.

***

Cara is in the cafeteria with Sapphire right now. She told her everything that happened last night and Sapphire was genuinely concerned for her friend.

She even offered Cara to stay at her place for the time being but Cara denied. She doesn’t want to be a bother to anyone.

They were having sandwiches and Cara was missing Chase right now. It has become a habit to eat lunch with him.

But today he was a little busy. He called her earlier saying that he won’t be able to join her for lunch today. And strictly told her to be with Sapphire and not roam anywhere alone when he is not there.

She could notice how worried he sounded.

Everyone in the cafeteria was busy while eating, talking with their friends when suddenly the air in the room turned cold.

Chase was entering the cafeteria with his friends. Cara noticed him and was about to call him when she noticed his mood.

He is deadly angry. His fists are clenched to his side. His tight set jaw was enough to make people change their ways as soon as their eyes fell on him.

His eyes were burning with the fire of rage but at the same time they were colder than ice.

He glanced slightly in Cara’s direction and Cara’s breath hitched when she realized what he is doing here.

‘He has found out the person who was bothering her last night’ she could tell just by the look of destruction in his eyes.

Before she could decide what she should do, he was already standing near a table, which was occupied by many students and one of them was Law.

‘No way, was it Law?’ she thought but couldn’t ponder over it for long as a loud crash sound echoed through whole cafeteria.

And Cara was just standing there wide eyed, ‘So this person was the one who did those terrible things to me?’

‘But why?’