The Man Scorned

Having leukemia has not always been easy. And since then, Acashia had always been different to other kids her age. She had persistent fatigue and if she used up too much of her energy, she could easily get sick. And if her body temperature crashes, it's not easy to get the little girl back on track.

And because her cousins, aunts and family members couldn't get enough of the little one — she was drained to the bone, sleeping like an angel with her head on Astrid's lap.

She was lightly snoring, her small body rising and falling as she breathed softly, deeply.

Astrid looked down at the little girl in her lap and studied her features leisurely. Letting her eyes sink in all her daughter's beautiful features. From her feather-like eyelashes that the little one inherited from her, but her nose was inherited from her father...

Thinking of this, there was a wave of emotions that cascaded in her heart. In the past few years, Acashia has grown so well-behaved and lovable. She was smart and considerate, which makes people feel even more pleased with her. Some even couldn't fathom that the little one is the daughter of the fearsome Matthew Cullin.

"Is she sleeping well?"

His voice laced with indifference reached her ears. In an instant, Astrid came back to her senses, her musings and the world where she's alone with her daughter had diminished. She didn't even realize that he was already inside the car and that they were already headed home. She was so succumbed to her own world with her daughter that she almost forgot everything.

"Yes." She raised her eyes and looked at the man next to her. Because Acashia was lying on the back seat, the space inside the car became a little narrow. She was seated beside Matthew, and she realized they were close.

Too close, that she was almost uncomfortable.

The air around her slowly became warm, the two of them were breathing the same air. And because Matthew removed his coat, he was only wearing his white long sleeves shirt that Astrid deemed to be too thin. She could see the lines of his muscles being squeezed by the fabric. And after five years of isolation, Astrid Starling was no longer used to this kind of skin contact.

It was too intimate. And she didn't want to feel the heat of his skin against her own. So she gently moved little by little, squeezing herself out of Matthew's radar.

As soon as she moved, Acashia, who was lying down on her lap, woke up a little.

"No —" The little girl whined, her face contorting into a frown. " — don't go away Mommy!"

Astrid gasped and instantly placed her hand against Acashia's cheeks. She lightly tapped her head full of hair and caressed her soft skin. With a smile she hummed a lullaby unconsciously, her voice reverberating in her throat. "Sleep well my love."

She didn't even notice that the man beside her was staring at her every move.

"Drive a bit slower." Matthew told the driver. "There's a lot of humps in this part of the road."

The driver hummed and said, "Yes boss."

Astrid stopped humming, giving Matthew a rather nasty look. She began to move a little more and leaned over slightly to avoid contact between the two of them.

Matthew on the other hand noticed the latter's discomfort. He ignored her questionable actions instead he closed his eyes and took a nap.

When they arrived at the door of the mansion, the two girls were both sound asleep. One was softly snoring while Astrid's face was almost contorted into a frown. Seeing this, Matthew closed his eyes, sighed and then opened the door. He carefully slid his hand under Acashia's head and carried her in his arms. But when he was just about to enter the mansion, Tyronia, one of the housekeepers, called his attention and said, "Sire, excuse me…"

"What?"

She pointed at Astrid who was still inside the car. "Ms. Starling is still inside the car. Should I wake her up?"

Matthew let out a snort. "Let her be."

And though the housekeeper tried to not answer back to her boss disrespectfully, her eyes gave her away. Her auburn eyes widened as a platter. Her lips shook when she said, "Are you sure, sire?"

Matthew titled his head to the side. "Did I stutter?" He snapped. "If you're worried about her getting harmed or something you can watch her."

The maid merely lowered her head.

After changing his daughter's clothes into pajamas, Matthew signed and shook his head to shake off the soreness of his shoulders. He expected his mother to not take Astrid's presence lightly. But not to that degree.

"That old woman even brought someone…" He muttered to himself. '...pathetic."

After taking a cold shower, Matthew walked out of the bedroom and saw the housekeeper waiting by the side of his room. He looked down on her with his sharp eyes and said, "What is it? Why are you standing outside my room?"

The housekeeper answered nervously, "The miss —" She shook her head, cutting herself off before she said anything that would put her in a dangerous situation. "I mean, Astrid Starling hasn't woken up yet. She's still in the car, sire."

Almost instantly, a trace of impatience flashed in Matthew's eyes. "You did not wake her up?"

The maid flinched upon hearing Matthew's condescending tone. "I — I'm sorry, sire. I did not wake her up. You said to let her be… so I did not wake her… I… I just thought it would be appropriate to tell you this."

Matthew let out a sigh as he watched the maid fidget in place. She was almost looking everywhere except his face. "Fine." She hissed and then ran down the stairs, out of the door and then he walked straight to the parking lot.

Even from a distance, he could spot that blonde hair anywhere.

Both of the doors of the back side of the car were opened to circulate the air. Lights were turned on as well. When he was near enough, he could see her chest rising and falling as she snored softly as she slept.

"Hey!" He called as he slammed the palm of his hands against the roof of the car to wake her up. Still she didn't budge but remained asleep.

"Astrid." He called again. "Astrid, wake up." Still no response.

"I can't believe this shit…" He hissed as he rolled his eyes. Matthew leaned down and bent his knees until he was close enough to give Astrid's face a few pats to wake her up. "She still fucking sleeps like a corpse."

He patted her soft face again. "Wake up!"

Finally, Astrid jolted up and her eyes widened in fear. She pushed herself away from the man as if he was a killer on the loose, only stopping when she felt that she was at the far end of the backseat.

"Don't... Please don't hit me." Astrid said, her voice coming out soft — almost like a whisper. Her chest rose and fell violently as if she was about to have a panic attack. "Don't hurt me… please."

Matthew almost looked as shocked as Astrid after he witnessed the fear in the woman's eyes. His face hardened and the small muscle on his jaw clenched. In his mind, he wondered how he could make the woman in front of him tremble in fear.

"It's me." He said. "It's just me."

After hearing Matthew's deep and yet husky voice, Astrid's shoulders relaxed and her body gradually stopped trembling. "O —oh."

Obviously, she has been out for a while, but why was her past still haunting her until today? Why can't she get rid of the horrors, the nightmares? The pain she experienced from the past is still clearly imprinted on her mind and is whirling on her senses like a locust, devouring every remaining sanity and happiness in her heart. Not only that, but hideous faces of those who harmed her still appear in her dreams, tormenting her as she sleeps.

Astrid straightened herself out and gave Matthew an awkward smile, "Yes… It's you. Of course, it's just you. I — I'm sorry. I thought…" A forced laugh came out of Astrid's lips as she turned away from Matthew. "... I thought it was… sorry. No. Never mind."

He deemed it was instinct. Or maybe even the past when he felt a connection with her. An urge to protect her. He asked himself if it's because of her unsteady words and questionable actions… or maybe her awkward smile. But Matthew only realized what he desires when an urge to rush up to her to comfort her entered his mind.