Chapter 42: Reality or dream?
Later that night...
When Dylan made sure that Gianna had drifted into a deep sleep, he quietly slipped out of her room and went to see Ava. He found her sleeping peacefully, her expression serene, as if all the tension and pain from the day had vanished.
For a moment, Dylan stood frozen, just watching her. Ava looked beautiful even in her sleep. Her delicate features captivated him.
Her face was calm, her rosy lips slightly parted in sleep. Her head was tilted softly to the side, and her long, curled lashes rested on her cheeks, giving her an ethereal look. He half-expected her eyes to flutter open and catch him staring.
Compelled by an overwhelming urge to be close to her, Dylan walked quietly to the side of her bed. He stretched out his hand to caress her cheek but stopped an inch away, hesitating. He didn’t want to disturb her rest. Instead, he sat down in the chair beside her, his eyes never leaving her face.
Ava’s steady, rhythmic breathing had an almost soothing effect on him. As he kept looking at her, the events of the previous night flooded his mind.
Everything had seemed to be fine the night before as if peace had been restored between them. With her in his arms, he had slept soundly, without the nightmares that usually plagued him. Her presence had brought him a sense of calm that he couldn’t find anywhere else. Hoping to have a peaceful sleep tonight as well, he had come there.
From the moment he had woken up, he had been running from one place to another, not even having time to eat. By now, exhaustion crept into his bones. His eyes grew heavy, and he dropped his head onto the edge of the bed, he closed his eyes. Slowly, his tension eased, and sleep began to take over.
But tonight was different. Sleep didn’t offer the comfort Dylan had hoped for. Chaotic images flooded his mind—Gianna’s sorrowful face, Ava’s desperate cries, and the twisted expressions of those women. The surveillance footage of the women torturing Ava kept playing in loops.