Misery of Forbidden Love

Help Me

SAMANTHA

My body felt numb. The coldness of the environment made me numb physically, but my heart remained warm for Steve even though he told me to leave.

Losing him was like I was losing a part of me. As if my soul left me. I still love Steve with all my heart, even after what he did. He's the only man I wanted to be with, and it hurt so much to see him enjoying kissing and holding another woman. Steve's lips were mine, and he promised me that they were only mine, yet, it was jammed in someone else's mouth!

I should hate Steve. But why can't I command my heart to do it? Why do I still wish it was me who was kissing him?

"You're stupid, Sam! You're so stupid! Love made you blind!" I cried out loud.

I wish I had listened to my colleague and the only friend I had when I moved into the city six months ago, Vanessa.

"Sam, don't. He'll just play with your heart. Rich men are a bunch of assholes!"

She had already warned me, but I chose not to listen. And now, I can't run to her to ask for help because what she knew was that I turned down Steve. I'm totally alone in this battle.

I hugged my knees tighter, the only companion I could lean on, and cried my heart out.

I kept myself curled on the ground, and while lying still, I felt a hand on my arm.

My world began shaking, but I didn't dare to let go of my knees. I bit my lower lip to stifle my sobs and waited. If this is a mugger, I'd better not move.

Still waiting, I heard the zipper of my bag open and felt a strong force on my back while the thief was rummaging in my bag.

When I felt the hand go deeper, that weight exerted pulled me back to my senses. My phone is there! I can't lose that! Not Steve's memories too! I hope I'm not too late though, that the rain hasn't caused any damage to it.

I swiftly changed position and laid on my back.

"What the?!" The thief screamed in shock.

I rolled away from him and pushed myself up when I was already flat on my stomach.

Halfway to getting on my knees, the man grabbed a handful of my hair and pushed me back on the ground.

My lungs almost burst as he sat on my back, pressing all his weight on me to keep me from moving.

"Let me go!" I screamed.

Instead of letting me go, he yanked my hair. His weight shifted as he bent to meet my ear with his lips.

"You should have remained still," he whispered, his lips brushing against my earlobe and his next move made me sick to my stomach.

"HELP!!!! I screamed as loud as I could when I felt his tongue lick the back of my ear.

"You taste good," he uttered maliciously, then he pressed my face against the concrete.

"Ouch! Let me go, you discussing bastard!" I growled.

I reached for his hand, the one grabbing my hair. I tried hard to remove it, but he's way stronger than I am.

He put his free hand inside my bag again, and there was nothing I could do to stop him this time.

"I hope you won't mind if I just get your bag." He let go of my hair, shifted his hands on my shoulders, and slid the bag straps off my arms.

I didn't think of trying to break free again. It's useless anyway. Let him take everything. Maybe this is how fate chose to tell me that I shouldn't hold on to something I can never have.

The thief put my bag beside my head, and then I felt him move downwards. His weight is now on the back of my thighs, in between my knee pit and buttocks.

A tendril of panic seized my chest on his next move.

"Get your hands off of me!" I rasped, feeling his hands skimming the sides of my body.

"Somebody help me!" I shrieked, wriggling my body erratically, trying hard to throw him off me.

"Stop moving!" He slammed my head on the ground again, the same cheek hitting the concrete.

"No! Stop it!" I cried when his right hand slid under me, reaching for my middle part.

I squeezed my eyes, afraid of what was gonna happen next.

Relief washed over me when he didn't go all the way to my female part. He stopped in my right pocket and started searching for something.

He replaced his hand on my head with his other hand and did the same thing in my left pocket.

While busy searching my body, a loud masculine voice echoed like thunder under the rain. "Hey, you!"

After that, the man was tossed to my side. A meter far, at least.

I got up on my knees immediately, grabbed my bag, and crawled to the wall.

I sank my back on the solid wall and watched the stranger wearing a light gray business suit beat the mugger who was on his knees.

My savior grabbed the robber's hair and gave him another blow. That final punch sent the big bad guy crashing to the ground, unconscious.

I rubbed my eyes to remove the rainwater blurring my vision and focused on the view in front of me.

My heart skipped a beat when I met my savior's eyes. He has the same grayish-blue eyes as Steve, and when he straightened his spine, I noticed the resemblance in their height and body build.

My heart started to beat so fast as I watched him march in my direction.

Who is this guy? Looking at his eyes is like looking at Steve. They have the same eye color. Exactly the same!

He bent on one knee before me and reached for my face.

He gently stroked my left cheek with the back of his hand. "Are you alright?"

"Ouch." My head squirmed from the contact.

"Sorry. I shouldn't ask the obvious." He apologized sincerely.

"What are you doing in such a deserted place? An alley like this is where losers like that guy..." He pointed his thumb behind his shoulder, "...usually loiters."

"I..."

"Nevermind. Let's get you out of here. You might get sick." He said, cutting me off, then he offered his hand.

I took it without thinking twice. His resemblance to Steve made me feel at ease, especially the expressions his eyes were offering me. Full of warmth and kindness.

He pulled himself up and drew me along with him.

"I'll take you home. Where do you live?"

I spaced out from his question, thinking about what to say. What shall I tell him?

"Did you hit your head? Can you remember your name?"

"I don't have a home," I blurted out.

I panicked when he asked me again, and seeing him getting drenched with rain made me feel guilty, and because of that, I couldn't think of any excuse and ended up divulging the ugly truth about my life.

His eyes bore into mine. His gaze lingered for some time before he managed to say something. A familiar word I always heard from the man I chose to be with. "Do you trust me?"

I couldn't tear my gaze away from him, for his gaze looked so familiar, and without me noticing, I was already nodding my head.

He flashed a charming smile and grabbed my hand.

"Let's go before we get sick," he said and pulled me with him.

We sprinted towards the opening of the alley.

A black luxury car parked in front of the alleyway welcomed us with a man in a black suit carrying an umbrella standing before the passenger door.

The man took a step towards us, but my savior stopped him.

"Just opened the door. I'm already wet."

The umbrella man immediately obeyed him and opened the door for us.

"After you," he said.

I slid inside the car, stopping on the other side of the seat while he took the seat near the door where we entered.

The man in black closed the door and occupied the driver's seat.

"To the mansion," he told the driver.

"Yes, sir," he responded with great respect and hit the road.

"What about the guy in the alley? Aren't we going to report him to the police?"

"Don't worry about it. My people will handle that punk." He veered his attention to me, "You're shivering," then to the driver. "Harry, switch on the heater," he ordered.

Harry nodded. After I heard a button click, my seat began emitting a warm temperature.

"Is it better?" he asked. A worried expression flickered on his handsome features.

I smiled. "Much better. Thank you so much."

"My pleasure." He smiled back.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't get a chance to ask for your name. I'm Samantha, by the way. You can call me Sam for short." I extended my hand. "Thank you so much for saving me back there."

He shook my hand. "I'm Jason. And you don't need to thank me for what I did. I'll do that to anyone who's in trouble."

For a moment, my eyes hung on his mouth, displaying a perfectly captivating smile. Then my eyes traveled back to his eyes when I felt him apply gentle pressure to my hand.

His hand is so soft, an indicator of someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Steve is rich, but his hands were a bit rough from small calluses due to working out without wearing gloves.

He once told me that he purposely didn't wear gloves to make his hands feel more manly. Now I understand why.

Jason's hand is softer compared to mine, and he's a man.

I slowly pulled my hand, ashamed of the texture of my hand compared to his.

"It's nice to meet you, Sam," he said after I removed my hand from his grip.

"We're almost there," he added, and sat comfortably in his seat.

I sat straight as well, and my eyes bogged out as we entered a gate leading to a magnificent white mansion.

The rain had already stopped pouring when the car pulled over.

Jason got out of the vehicle and extended his hand, offering to help me get out.

Again, I accepted his offer willingly and allowed him to guide me.

What's with this guy? Why do I feel so comfortable with him?

He led me to the main door of his home.

Unlike my reaction earlier, I didn't feel so surprised anymore when he opened the door.

An elegant interior was already expected to be found from such a stunning exterior.

It's a mansion, but the modern style made it suitable for his age.

"How many of you live here?" I have to ask. My curiosity is killing me.

"Technically, I live here alone. The household staff just come here during their working hours then go home to the house I built for them not that far from here. I am very particular when it comes to my privacy," he explained while we were going up the stairs.

"I hope I'm not invading your privacy," I muttered.

Jason continued walking in the hallway and stopped in front of a white door.

"You are my special guest." He grinned and opened the door.

"You can use this guest room to take off your clothes." I noticed Jason's face reddened, then his hand slid behind his neck and began rubbing his nape.

"Ahm... I mean... So that I can put it in the dryer," he uttered sheepishly.

I smiled. "Don't feel embarrassed. I understand what you were trying to say." I made sure my voice sounded friendly to alleviate his uneasiness.

"Is it that obvious?" He smiled shyly.

Grinning, I nodded to answer his question.

Jason chuckled, and so did I. Our interaction was going surprisingly well. He seemed comfortable with me as well.

"There's a robe in the bathroom, inside the cabinet on the left side once you enter the door. You can use it to cover yourself while I'm fixing your clothes, and I'll change my clothes first and come back to get yours, okay?" he said. Confidently this time.

I entered the room and turned to face him. "Alright. Thanks, Jason."

"No problem. Catch you later." Jason smiled and pulled the door close.

I didn't waste more time. I rushed to the bathroom to remove my clothes.

I paused for a while to appreciate the spacious bathroom, then started removing my clothing.

My sneakers and socks go first, then my shirt and bra. Lastly, I pushed my pants and underwear down at the same time in one swift move.

I picked up my clothes and proceeded to the sink.

"Oh my God!" I dropped my clothes in shock after seeing my purple left cheek in the mirror.

I leaned closer to the mirror to examine my face. I could see some minor wounds on my right cheek inflicted by Viola's nails, while on the other side was a combo of a big bruise and scratches.

While staring at my reflection, my vision doubled, and the objects in front of me started spinning.

I held on to the sink tightly for support, but my legs grew very weak.

After a while of struggling to remain standing, my knees gave in. The sound of my body colliding to the marble flooring resonated throughout the bathroom.

My bare body trembled the moment it tasted the cold floor.

I tried to get up, but I felt very weak, even to move a muscle in my finger, so I decided to stop pushing myself to move and lay still on the icy floor until I drifted off.