Hannah's sobs echoed through the silence of the night, a symphony of fear and exhaustion.
For hours and hours, tears kept flowing from her eyes, slipping down the silky skin of her cheeks and into her bed sheet.
As she lay there, her cheeks flushed from how much she was crying, Hannah couldn't help but feel a twinge of shame for her vulnerability.
She couldn't remember the last time that she cried, but it was as if she had saved all of those unshed tears just to pour them all out that night because of how long and hard she had been crying.
Her body shook with each sob, the rawness of her emotions threatening to consume her entirely. It felt as though the weight of the world was pressing down on her, crushing her spirit.
"I'm scared," she cried to herself in a low voice.
Her sheltered upbringing had shielded her from the harsh realities of the world, leaving her unprepared for the dangers and darkness that just surrounded her, so how could she, who had grown up like a little princess, endure the trauma that she faced today?
As the night wore on, Hannah's sobs gradually subsided, leaving her in a state of emotional emptiness. Exhaustion washed over her like a tidal wave, stealing away the last remnants of her energy.
Drained and depleted, she lay motionless on her bed, her body and mind seeking solace in the oblivion of sleep.
Unbeknownst to her, Arthur, the old butler who agreed to give her space earlier, has been standing outside her door for the past two hours now, listening to her cry.
Arthur felt numerous emotions swirl in his chest as he listened to her sobs. He had watched Hannah grow up, nurturing her like his own granddaughter, and the thought of her in pain tore at his soul.
That's why, despite his respect for her wish for privacy, he couldn't ignore the instinctual need to protect her and offer comfort in her darkest moments.
He knows that he needs to give the eldest young lady of the Salvador clan her personal space, but how could he not worry when the little girl he raised came home looking disheveled?
The girl who hasn't cried when her parents died, who didn't whine when she fell and got wounded, or when her brothers forgot to fulfill their promises to her, has been crying alone in her room for so long.
She was all alone on the other side of the door, and he couldn't do anything to help her. He couldn't do anything else but wait and silently offer his support from afar.
"Oh, señorita. What could have made you so sad?" Arthur quietly asked outside of her door when the sleeping Hannah finally stopped crying, restoring the quietness of the night, except for her occasional hiccups.
★★★★★
When morning finally arrived, Hannah woke up around two in the afternoon.
As she looked at the clock, the thought of missing a class gnawed at the back of her mind, but she could not bring herself to be worried about it.
The weight of her new problem seemed to outweigh the matter of her missing a class.
"What should I do now?" Hannah whispered softly to herself, not knowing how she should deal with Ivan.
Hannah remained motionless like a corpse and didn't move an inch from her bed. The weight of the previous night's distress clung to her, and she soon found herself lost in her own thoughts.
Ever since she was young, everything that she ever wanted was given to her, which made her proud and a bit arrogant when she grew up, but that's all that she was.
She is confident and proud of her appearance, talents, and intelligence, but Hannah knew that she wasn't mentally, physically, or emotionally tough. In layman's terms, she's someone who's all bark and no bite.
Just as she's drowning in her own thoughts, a knock on her door startled Hannah, and she immediately hugged her blanket tighter to herself.
"Señorita, Señor Sean is on the phone right now and wishes to speak to you," Noah informed, his voice low but loud and clear.
Upon hearing her second brother's name being mentioned by the young butler, Hannah's eyes lit up, and she slowly sat up on her bed.
"Wait," she said before standing up on her shaky legs. She then slowly but carefully walked to her bedroom door and opened it, revealing Noah standing in front of her door.
In his formal suit, Noah looked as dashing as ever. He went to hand over the phone to her but was taken aback when he saw Hannah's pale face. Despite that, though, he still managed to keep his mouth shut and not make any comments.
"Hello, Sean" Hannah tried her best to greet her brother in a somewhat lively voice upon receiving the phone from Noah, not wanting him to worry. However, what greeted her back wasn't her brother's usual gentle tone, but instead, it was a fierce and hard tone.
"Where have you been, Hannah?" Sean asked. His voice sounds stressed and annoyed as if he's already out of patience, taking her aback.
"At home," she replied simply, her eyebrows furrowing. She was confused about what happened for her brother to look for her, all annoyed.
Hearing her answer, Sean sighed heavily before he continued.
"Sheldon asked me to call you. Nobody was able to contact you yesterday," he started, making Hannah's heart pound when memories of yesterday's events resurfaced in her mind.
She was about to explain what happened and ask for help, but Sean continued.
"I understand that you can be stubborn at times, but Hannah, you already made a promise to Sheldon to go on a date. You can't just back out all of a sudden and not meet him. Are you aware of the situation you're creating for him with your behavior?" Sean scolded.
"It's not like that..." Hannah started, her heart feeling heavy from her brother's accusations.
"Stop it," Sean cut her off, not giving her a chance to defend herself.
"Hannah, we always, always let you and Shaine have everything that you guys want. We spoil you no matter what anyone says, but for once, just this once, can't you give in and help Sheldon? This project is important to him," Sean lectured.
He never says anything that he thinks will hurt or offend his sister's feelings.
However, the stress from his own company's project, as well as the stress from Sheldon calling him and asking him to assist in searching for Hannah and informing him of the implications of her actions, caused him to snap.
"Sheldon will call you later. Make sure you two talk. If you keep up with this attitude, don't think that you can make any request at all with us," Sean said for the last time before the call ended.
A deafening silence came as soon as the call ended, and Hannah was left there, standing speechless in front of her room.
"Señorita," Noah called out to her softly, noticing how her shoulders slumped.
Without another word, Hannah turned her back on Noah and went back to her room, shutting her door tightly.
Given how the call ended, it is evident that her brothers are currently unhappy with her and may not offer any assistance at all.
Hannah began to feel dizzy and out of breath, almost as if she were hyperventilating, at the thought of dealing with her problem alone.
After all, not once had she ever experienced being without her brother's protection.
Just then, Hannah was interrupted by a beeping sound that came from her phone, which indicated that she had received a message.
With tears welling up in her eyes, Hannah slowly picked up her phone to see who it was.
It's a text from her brother, Sheldon, sending her a message with an address and a time four days from now.
Following that is another message from her brother, giving her instructions and telling her to make sure she will be able to meet with the boy this time.
Seeing the things that her brother sent her, Hannah didn't bother to reply. She felt tired, almost as if all of her energy had been exhausted.
All she wanted to do right now was to close her eyes and rest, and so she did.
Hannah's mind is racing as she once again lies down on her bed. Her brother's words kept repeating over and over in her head.
'If my brothers won't help me, who will?'
***🦋***
Author's Note
Whew! It turned out that Hannah is a crybaby who's all bark and no bite. Well, she grew up pampered, so it's eventually bound to be that way.
Anyway, are you guys curious about what's going to happen next? Then, you know the drill. Go on and slide to the next page to keep reading the stories. Love ya!