CHAPTER 2 - Girlfriend In Secret
Scarlet’s POV
“Hey, don’t cry now. I’ll get the first aid kit,” Caspian remarked and disappeared for a minute. But I was not crying because of the burn, but because of what he did. The pain here in my chest was far worse than this physical burn that could be tended immediately. But my heart… how could I heal this one?
When he returned, he was already carrying the kit and began applying cream on my arm. He was gentle, like he had always been. He was a prince charming of any woman.
Only if I hadn’t learned the truth.
“I was just away for a while and you already burned yourself. You should be careful next time, yeah? ‘I’ll be getting busy soon. So, I won’t always be around to watch out for you,” he reminded me, knowing that I’m clumsy and before, he had always been there to catch me whenever I fell, stumble, or broke something. I had relied on him so much that I didn’t even know how to care for my wound since he had always done it for me in the past years.
‘But I’m done. I’m not willing to play the princess in distress anymore, saved by a king who had been waiting for his queen.’
I won’t stay in this twisted version of love that clung to lies and half-hearted affections.
That night, I barely slept. Memories of Caspian running after Sarah kept playing on a repeated loop in my mind, like an echo and an old TV that kept on replaying. I woke up drenched in sweat, the dawn light filtering weakly through the curtains. My body ached, and I longed for rest, for the kind of peace I knew I’d never get.
Caspian, as if summoned by some invisible bond, pulled me closer to him, his hands wrapping around my waist, annoyingly gentle yet possessive as he teased, “Come on, lazy bunny,” he teased, his lips brushing against my cheek, a mockery of the warmth I once craved. “Up you go.”
“Leave me alone,” I grumbled, trying to wriggle free, but he only chuckled.
“It’s morning, Scarlet, wake up,” he insisted, pinching my cheek slightly
“It’s the weekend, Caspian. Can’t you let me sleep in?” I groaned, pushing him off on top of me. I would have loved this kind of morning, him— being cuddly and sweet, yet every time he came near me, I was reminded of Sarah’s scent on her, the way her perfume and natural scent clung onto his skin, it was frustrating.
“We need to get your burn treated at the hospital, it is better if a doctor could check it to make sure it will not leave a bad scar,” he uttered and got out of bed but I curled still under the sheets. I was not able to sleep properly last night, so perhaps once he left, I would be able to.
The door clicked shut, I drifted back to sleep.
But, Caspian was persistent in getting me out of bed.
The doctor handed me a new cream and the nurse cleaned my wound and wrapped it with a new bandage.
“Please wait here, miss. I’ll get the bill for you,” the nurse instructed so I waited outside the doctor’s office while Caspian was busy on his phone, typing an email to his Beta.
But just as when I thought the day was getting better since Caspian was not nagging me, Sarah had to appear. I do love my step-sister, but… we never really vibed. She was nice, but what people did not know was that there was a wicked side of her that was hiding behind those sweet smiles. I may still be a kid before, younger than her, but I do remember the times she had locked me up in the basement and made up stories to our parents about how I got there. We were never close so I never knew she and Caspian had been together.
“Sarah,” Caspian uttered, his eyes filled with worry, his phone tucked away in his pocket now as he gave his full attention to the girl he had waited for. “Why are you here? Are you okay?” there was that familiar panic in his voice, showing how much he truly cared for her.
“Yeah, I stepped on a few tiny thorns last night… in the bush… you know,” she replied knowingly, her words implying something, and I saw it in Caspian’s eyes the recognition of what she meant. He was there, with her, wherever that stupid shrubs were. If I would guess it correctly, that was where they had clung onto each other, feeling each other’s bodies.
I shivered in disgust at the thought.
Sarah looked at him with a look of longing that swirled with desire that seemed to hypnotize Caspian, seducing him to a moment of pleasure, and he had already forgotten that I was here, behind him, seated on a chair the nurse instructed me to wait.
I felt like I was this invisible girl that did not exist.
It was only when the nurse had come to my aid to give the bill that their attention was pointed at me, and Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise, and despite the smile that painted her face, I could see the shift in his eyes, the evident annoyance to see me.
“Scarlet, li’l sis, I didn’t know you were here. Are you okay?” she asked, feigning concern.
“Uh, yes. I just had a burn,” I replied, lifting my arm a little to show her the bandaged area. It was not like she cared or anything. If it was George, I was sure he would be making a big fuss of it.
“Oh,” then her eyes went back to Caspian, then to me, and back to him again which made him utter the same defensive script I had heard so many times.
“I brought her in because she was being stubborn. I was only looking after her. You know, she’s your little sister, and especially George. You know him, he is very protective of Scarlet,” he replied.
Like always, I was his best friend’s little sister that he was ‘only’ looking after as if I was a 5-year-old kid who would get lost without a nanny.
I was not. I was his girlfriend… in secret.
“Alright then, I should go to the doctor,” Sarah said and turned, limping on one foot, and Caspian quickly scooped her up.
“I’ll take you there, you’re hurt,” he said and Sarah smiled in delight, her eyebrows lifting as her eyes widened in gratitude.
Caspian turned to me, with a look of concern, but I knew it was not for me, but for the girl he was carrying in his arms. “Scarlet, you wait for me here, yeah?”
What else could I do but nod?
I watched them turn to another corridor and disappear from my sight. I needed to settle the bill. But the moment I stood from my chair, I felt the world spin and I stumbled back, closing my eyes, the nurse caught me just in time before I fell on the floor.
“Miss, are you okay? Please rest here for a while, I will page the doctor to check you.”
