Day Fifty-Two…
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Two successive loud crashes could be heard coming from Stephen's room. It seemed like something dropped on the floor and got broken.
Nathan hurriedly ran upstairs to see what was happening. The butler was following him behind. Nathan pushed the door open only to see the scattered broken pieces of the vase on the floor and figurines.
And the next thing they saw was Stephen being pinned to the wall by Jane. She was grabbing him by the neck while she was pointing a pen at his face. Stephen's hand was blocking the pen.
"What the fuck," Nathan cursed. Nathan quickly came to his rescue, dragging Jane away from him.
"Don't hurt her. Just hold her in place," Stephen warned Nathan. Jane was still under the influence of hypnosis. She didn't know what she was doing. Something went wrong!
Nathan frowned in puzzlement. Jane was already hurting him but Stephen was still concerned about her. Nathan snatched the pen away from her hand as he grabbed her body from behind.
Jane was very strong as she struggled against his grip. She even elbowed Nathan. But he tried to endure the pain. He held her tightly, engulfing her in his arms.
"What's wrong with her?" Nathan asked Stephen skeptically.
"She's not herself." Stephen immediately assisted Nathan in holding her in place.
Since Jane was strong, Nathan had no choice but to knock her down. He hit her on the back of her neck and she lost consciousness. Nathan caught her.
"Please bring her to the room next door." Stephen was holding his neck. Jane strangled him a while ago. There were still red marks on his neck.
The butler cleaned the mess while Nathan carried Jane to the next room. Stephen picked up the first aid kit. His palm was bleeding from being stabbed by a pen. He used it to block Jane's attack a while ago.
"What did she see this time? What did she remember, making her so violent?" Stephen mumbled to himself, clenching his fist. He could guess that Jane was triggered by her memory.
Meanwhile, Nathan reached the other bedroom. He gently placed Jane, watching her with complicated emotions on his face. He didn't know why this happened. He needed to confront Stephen.
Nathan stepped out of the room, searching for Stephen. He saw him holding a first aid kit. He was wrapping his palm with a bandage.
Nathan narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. "What happened here? Why did she come here? She almost killed you a while ago." He sounded mad, scolding his best friend. "Have you forgotten she was a professional assassin? A killer!"
Stephen looked conflicted. Nathan shouldn't blame Jane. She didn't want to hurt him.
"It's not Jane's fault. Something triggered her to attack me." Stephen explained. "Don't blame her."
Nathan's expression turned colder. He didn't want the way Stephen was speaking up for Jane. He was always siding with her and defending her.
"What triggered her?" Nathan asked him with a serious expression on his face.
Stephen sighed deeply. He started to regret this. He was afraid that Jane would be haunted again by her tragic memories and worst nightmares.
"Jane asked me to help her recover her lost memory. This is just our second session… and this happens…" Stephen had a sullen look on his face.
"I wonder what she remembered that made her lose control… I saw the murderous look in her eyes as she stared at me a while ago," he added.
Nathan gazed at him, assessing his wound. Jane's fingers and nails left some marks on Stephen's neck. His clothes were also in disarray. His shirt was torn by Jane's force.
"Why did you agree?" Nathan questioned him once more.
Stephen took another deep sigh. "Because I can't refuse her request. She is so determined to recall her memory. I feel responsible for her because I was the one who sealed her memories away."
Nathan frowned and wondered. "Can you enlighten me again? What memory is she trying to recover? If it's something traumatic, why does she want to recover them?"
Stephen shook his head. "I don't know why she wants her memory back. All I know is that… those memories are unpleasant. I am worried that her depression will return. But no matter what happens, I will be here for her… to support her."
Nathan didn't know how he would react after hearing Stephen's sentiments. He could feel Stephen's genuine concern for Jane. He cared about her so much. He didn't want to ask him further.
"Will you still continue this session?" Nathan took Stephen's hand. He decided to fix the bandage on his right hand.
Stephen just smiled faintly and said, "We have to as long as she is still fine to do it."
"What if she will lose control again and hurt you? You can't do this alone. I'll accompany you every session!" Nathan suddenly declared, not even consulting Stephen.
Stephen glanced at Nathan in disbelief. He didn't expect his best friend to volunteer. Why did he suddenly want to get involved? Stephen gave him a questioning look.
"Are you sure about this?"
Nathan bobbed his head. "Yes."
"But we should consult Jane first. She might feel uncomfortable with your presence," Stephen reasoned with him.
But Nathan was firm with his decision. "I can't afford you getting hurt. Have you forgotten what transpired in this room a while ago? You almost died!"
Stephen just smiled awkwardly. "I didn't anticipate this. Next time I will prepare more so that no one will be hurt, including her."
Stephen didn't agree yet but it seemed that Nathan was determined to accompany them during the hypnosis session.
When Nathan was done fixing Stephen's bandage, Stephen stood up. "I'm gonna go and check on her."
Nathan immediately followed Stephen. Upon entering the room, Stephen assessed Jane, checking if she got minor injuries and wounds. They hit the vase accidentally and it fell to the floor. Broken pieces scattered on the floor.
While Stephen was checking Jane's hands and feet, Nathan could only watch his every movement. Stephen appeared to be devoted to Jane.
'Why does it have to be her?' Nathan asked himself. Just thinking about it, Nathan felt like he couldn't allow Stephen to be with Jane.
Stephen was treating Jane delicately. He tucked her in the bed.
"We must go. We should let her rest here for a while. Recalling bad memories strained her both physically and mentally."
Nathan could only nod his head and follow Stephen. They headed to the living room.
"By the way, Nate, why did you come here? Do you need anything from me?" Stephen asked him curiously.
Nathan was not able to answer him. He couldn't tell him that he was secretly following Jane. And he ended up here.
"I just dropped by to see you. No particular reason," Nathan lied with a straight face.
Stephen raised his eyebrow, eyeing his best friend suspiciously. He knew that Nathan was hiding something. But since he didn't want to share it with him, Stephen just let it slide, not forcing him to spill the beans.
Stephen ordered his butler to prepare snacks for Nathan. He secretly observed his best friend, wondering if Nathan would leave after finishing their snacks or if he would stay there longer for a reason.
"What time do you think she will wake up?" Nathan could no longer hold himself from asking Stephen related to Jane.
Stephen glanced at him skeptically. 'Is Jane the reason he came here?'
"Let's wait. She is exhausted. Nate, please don't tell her about what happened a while ago. I don't want her to blame herself for losing control during our hypnosis session." Stephen requested Nathan.
"Okay," Nathan nonchalantly said. But in his mind, he was thinking of the best alibi so that Jane wouldn't be against his decision of accompanying them during her hypnosis session.
Nathan was unknowingly getting more involved with Jane. He began paying more attention to her. He couldn't stop himself from being involved.
"If you don't want her to know, why don't you fix yourself first and change your clothes? You look like someone who got assaulted helplessly," Nathan suggested to Stephen.
Stephen could only scratch his face. Nathan had a point. Because of that, Stephen excused himself for a moment. When Stephen went into his room to change, Nathan decided to go upstairs and check on Jane. He did it behind Stephen's back.
He slowly opened the door and entered the room. Nathan frowned when he heard her murmuring. It seemed that Jane was dreaming again.
Nathan quickly approached her bed with large strides. Upon reaching her, he leaned over and tapped her shoulders, waking her up.
"Jane. Wake up!"
Jane opened her eyes but her natural instinct kicked in, grabbing his hands. Jane pulled him, flipping him on the bed. Nathan's back landed on the bed as Jane pinned him. Her murderous gaze softened the moment she recognized Nathan, their faces were just inches away from each other.
"I wanna kiss you," Jane softly mumbled, her eyes fell on his lips.
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