My CEO Boss Is A Masked Internet Sensation-Chapter 203: You Are A Monster

(Arata)

The pain seared through me, but I was thankful that I hadn’t blacked out or who knew what bones I might have ended up breaking.

The Icy Hercules broke down the door just to get to me. I felt trapped in a movie with a male protagonist who bordered on grey and red.

His nostrils flared, and rage made his eyes lose all lustre when I told him I almost blacked out.

He tried to hide it but he was pissed. He had been telling me nonstop that I needed to eat properly.

But he wasn’t in my position. He didn’t understand, no matter what I tried to do, I couldn’t eat anymore. Food tasted like dust, and I had just lost the passion for food.

And then he brought the First Aid Box, ready to play my personal doctor. I tried to persuade him that I didn’t need him to do it, but the pain was increasing, and my ankle seemed to have been set on fire.

Gentle, he was so gentle while handling my leg as he placed it in his lap. If only he were as kind to my heart, too.

Sighing! I just leaned back and clutched a soft pillow. His hands didn’t feel foreign; they had explored every inch of my skin, and my body didn’t feel disgusted even though I didn’t want him to touch me.

’He is only helping you.’ Thoughts erupted, and I couldn’t help but relax and let him handle my ankle.

Taking out a small portion of pain-relieving balm, he spread it on the swollen part and gently rubbed it in a clockwise motion.

"Ssssss!" I breathed out, unable to hold myself back. My grip tightened against the pillow.

"Just a little more, stay with me, Arata." The calmness of his voice and my name on his tongue brought back memories. So many panic attacks he had averted for me, and stood by me when I needed someone.

Was all that an act? Because his betrayal had pierced my heart so brutally that I wasn’t sure if it would ever heal.

Closing my eyes, I tried not to relive the bitter memories, It was easier to focus on the pain. His fingers lingered on my foot once he was done applying the balm, in tender touches.

I opened my eyes to observe.

Taking out a white bandage, he began to wrap it around my foot to keep it warm. His dexterous hands worked smoothly as his forehead developed several lines of concentration. His eyes were fully focused on the task, which was my foot.

"Bandage will keep it warm..." Was he trying to make small conversation because everyone knew why the bandage was wrapped around a twisted ankle?

Anyone would see him and just think he was such a caring boyfriend. When in reality he was some freaking mafia lord or whatever.

No one was watching him here, though. So, why? Why did he blast himself in the bathroom as if the world was ending?

Of course! If anything were to happen to me under his roof, especially in his room or bathroom, the blame would fall on him, and his pristine reputation would be on the line.

Angered at the thought, I pulled my aching foot away from his lap, halting his process of bandaging it properly.

"Hey! Just a few more seconds," he called out, seeming startled by my action.

I shook my head and hardened my face. "No need."

Our gazes met, and I let him see every betrayal of his and the aching emotion that I had been harbouring in my chest.

Disturbed, he seemed physically and emotionally disturbed.

"Why? Why do you keep punishing yourself?" He asked, his lips flattening in annoyance at my action.

"Because, I don’t fucking trust you. Becuase it fucking hurt, your betrayal, your words, your actions and yet you act like nothing is wrong between us. Continuing playing this dotting boyfriend when in reality you are a monster..." My vision blurred and my face wetted.

When did I start crying? I had promised myself not to cry because of him, and yet here we were.

Like a phantom, he moved closer, masking whatever emotions had slithered out before, his face inches from mine.

"Punish me. I am the monster you believe me to be. I am the one who broke your heart, so punish me the way you want; I will accept. Just stop hurting yourself."

His fingers silently moved, wiping away the tears from my cheeks, slowly, almost lovingly, as if he cared for me in ways I didn’t understand. My limbs seemed to have been locked, for I couldn’t move them.

The air thickened with tension between us as my watery eyes refused to move from his frosty ones.

~Tick~

~Tick~

Only the sound of the clock could be heard, and then there was a knock on the door.

The moment broke between us, and he drifted away with ice covering his face.

Opening the door, he disappeared outside while I gained control of my emotions and stabilised myself. I wiped away any traces of tears from my face.

Karsten soon returned with what seemed like a doctor. The middle-aged man sympathetically smiled at me.

"Hello! Miss Arata. I am Dr Haines. I will be having a look at your foot and examining if there are any broken bones." The kind doctor moved forward and pointed towards my half-bandaged foot. Karsten placed a chair for him to sit in.

"All right!" I mumbled.

Dr Haines began to unwrap the bandage and picked up my foot. There was no gentleness in his hold, unlike Karsten’s.

He scanned it closely with his eyes scrunched together.

"Hmm! There doesn’t seem to be any fractured bones, just sprained from the force, but I won’t take any chances." Shuffling in his bag, he extracted a handheld X-ray machine and began thoroughly examining my foot with it.

Karsten loomed over him like a dark shadow. His face was a mask of curiosity and control.

Once the doctor was satisfied, he put away the device and faced me with a small smile.

"There are no hairline fractures, which is a piece of good news. But the sprain is pretty bad in itself. I would recommend full bed rest for at least four days. No putting weight on your foot. I will be leaving ointments and medicines. Take them regularly and you will be good to walk at the end of the week."

What? How was I going to go home if I couldn’t walk for four days?