Chapter 4

Tyler

Six fucking hours, I can't stop thinking about Melissa, my fucking fiancée. The person I hate most in the world. I hope she's okay. I'm so pissed, I'm going to make the fucking son of a bitch who dared to assault her pay. She belongs to me and if there's one person who has to make her suffer it's me especially after everything, she did to me. My father is checking with some acquaintances he has there to see if this attack is related to the club.

We arrive at the hospital at dawn, there are some investigators who talk to us, and they quickly realize that it could be a gang war. The doctor tells us that Mel is sedated but we can see her. I follow the nurse leaving my dad to talk to the cops. I walk into the room and see her, my butterfly, after five fucking years. I walk up to her; she hasn't changed much. She still has that innocent look in her sleep. Her lips are fuller now, and despite the marks on her face, she's still lovely. She looks quite fragile, lying in that bed. I wonder how she has held up these last few months following the death of her father. I touch her hair; it is as silky as I remember. I can't wait to see her reaction when she sees me when she wakes up.

The door opens and my father walks into the room. He walks over to her and fixes her hair. He adores her and has always considered her his own daughter. He loved to pamper her. She had her own princess room at our house, and he even built her a tree house in our backyard, to think I was even jealous of the attention he had for her.

- "What happened?" I asked him.

- "She walked into a grocery store and asked for help before she passed out. No one saw or heard anything," he says. "Some people said she was in a bar before the incident."

Damn. What the fuck was she doing in a fucking bar.

- "You don't have any rights to her anymore," my dad tells me. "And I won't let you hurt her either."

- "she is mine and you know it," I say. "And I don't need your approval.

- "She's got a new life," he says.

I'm about to ask him what he means by that when his phone rings.

- "your mother, I'll answer it."

He walks out of the room; I pull up a chair and sit a little away from her but close enough to see her perfectly.

I spend the whole day in the room with my dad trying to figure out what really happened. A sigh brings me out of my thoughts. Mel is waking up. As soon as her eyes open, she sees me, she blinks, surely thinking she is dreaming.

- "oh sweetie. You're awake. Here, drink this," my dad says to her, handing her a glass of water.

She takes the glass but doesn't take her eyes off me.

- "I hurt all over," she finally says to my father.

- "I'll call someone, they'll give you some painkillers", he says.

He leaves the room and leaves me alone with her. She doesn't move, doesn't make any noise, and even holds her breath. She's probably wondering if I'm going to finish her off or not. My dad returns with the doctor, and she finally breathes a sigh of relief. I smile and she sees it. Don't worry honey, we'll have all the time to catch up.

A few hours later, when there is just my dad and I in the room, I finally decide to ask my dearest ex-girlfriend some questions.

- "What were you doing in that alley?" I ask her.

- "This is not the time, Tyler, let her rest. I'm going to call Alice, she'd like to hear from you, honey," my dad tells her.

I listen to him and let it go. After all, he won't be able to stop me from getting the answers to the questions I have. I continue to stare at her as she talks to my mom.

- "No, I'm fine here. I live with people; I could rest, and I have to work too" she says at one point.

Liar. If there's one thing I know since this morning, it's that she's not working right now.

- "it's time to go to sleep Mel, I put men in front of your door don't worry", my father tells her when he finishes talking to my mother. "Good night."

- "Good night", she answers weakly

- "I'm staying here", I say.

My father nods and then walks out. Mel turns over to the other side to avoid facing me and falls asleep. I move my chair closer and sit next to her, to watch over her.

The next day, I leave her when my father arrives to take a shower. I take care of some club business before coming back in the evening. Melissa has just finished her dinner.

- "Give me your address butterfly", I ask her when I arrive.

- "What do you want my address for?", she asks in an anxious tone as if she is hiding something

- "to get the stuff you had there, you're going back to San Francisco", I tell her with a wide smile

My father joins us in the room at this point.

- "I'm staying here. I'm not going anywhere. You can't force me to do something I don't want to do,

- "are you sure about that butterfly?" I ask.

- "stop calling me that", she shouts

More character, I like that. I feel like I'm going to have fun with her.

- "your address butterfly", I throw again to annoy her

She doesn't answer.

- "What are you hiding Mel, why won't you give me your address", I ask her. "Leave us", I say to the men who were with me.

- "Who do you live with?

- "A friend", she lies

- "Time has not made you a good liar. Now, fucking answer me quickly".

I move closer to her and pull her by the hair until she looks at me

- "let me go, okay, I have a headache. I can buy clothes over there if you want" she tells me.

- "let go of her Tyler," my dad says

I ignore her.

- "who the fuck do you live with?"

- "my neck hurts, please stop", she begs with tears in her eyes

- "I have all day," I tell her. "You will answer me now. Who do you live with?"

A tear rolls down her cheek.

- "I was living with my boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. There's nothing between us anymore. I even had to pick up my stuff yesterday," she recites.

Did she fucking say she lived with a man. I'm going to kill that bitch; she loses nothing by waiting. I take it upon myself to let her go.

- "We'll go there tomorrow when you get out", I say and leave the room before doing something stupid