SCARS REMAINED

CHAPTER - 1

9th July 2019, Santa Croce in Florence city, Italy...

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Who's there?" she asked.

The knock gets violent like it's gonna break the door. She got scared and stood up walking tiny steps towards the door, looks through the peephole. She is brain fog. Opens the door, steps outside and walks towards the gate through the yard to checkout if anyone, but no one appeared. Thunderstorms and rain starts heavily. She got scared and runs back towards the door. Gets stumbled at steps and her face falls on the door mat.

"Aaaoou" escaped from her mouth.

She gets inside and walks into the washroom to find out her forehead bleeding. Splashes some water and cleanse up the face. Opens a drawer, takes out bandages and walks towards the hall. As soon as she enters the hall, her eyes widened. The kit falls down from her hands and her legs start quaking when her eyes lay down on him. She takes a support of rustic dresser when she was almost about to lose her balance.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with a puzzled face.

He walks forward slowly, looking into her eyes. Grabbing her arms, he pulls her so that she lands on the sofa lying near by. Without losing sight, he picks up the first aid box. He comes closer to her face gazing her eyes. While bandaging her forehead, he steadily tends his mouth towards her left ear "Intending to bite your heart out" he replied.

"What!?" she reacted with a astounding face.

"Preferably, Miss. Jessica Winston" he uttered.

"That name! How do you know that name?"

"Well, I've been studying your doings much more lately"

"Who are you!?"

"This tiny life of yours isn't enough to know me. Perhaps, a short glimpse into my true form should work fine" he said.

He goes 3 steps back, takes out his right hand from his pocket and place it over the floor. Soon after it, she finds his fingers growing huge and dark with its nails mightier. His limbs bulges out along with his chest while his attire torn down in no time. And then his eyes turned to turquoise colour. Watching him turning into a beast, she screams out loud in fear.

He heads towards her, raises his fully grown thick pastern on her which terrified her. He landed it over the wall behind her. He scratched it out violently and started howling fiercely which already made her heartbeat faster in terror. She fell down unconscious.

After an hour...

She opens her eyes and finds her husband's worried face whimpering on her.

"Jack!" escaped from her mouth. She rises up from his lap.

"What happened?" he asked in shockingly terrified tone.

"I don't know. I don't know. He was huge. Dark. He was a monster. He will kill me. Please hide me somewhere. He will kill me" she quavers and cries in fear.

"Hey, hey, hey. I'm here. It's okay. It's okay" he comforts her.

"Promise me, you won't go anywhere leaving me here"

"I promise you, I'll be with you till my end" he comforts taking her into his arms.

A couple of minutes later...

"I'm hungry, Jack. Can you order something for us both?" Jenny looking into his eyes.

"Mrs. Jenny Solace, what would you like to have in dinner today? Chinese or Italian?" Jack asked smiling.

"Mr. Jack Solace, anything apart from Italian. I'm just done with pizzas, pastas and lasagna" she replied with a tired face.

"Dinner is ready, your highness!" he uttered still smiling.

"What!?"

Jack arranged the table with red roses in the center and plates around it. He sat after letting her sit. He serves her some chicken pieces with some tortilla. She takes a bite and asks

"Where did you order this from?"

"Solace Villa" he replied smiling again.

"What?! Did you?"

"Yes."

"No. Did you just burn my kitchen, when I was unconscious" she asked with her eye brows lowered.

"Well... I tried not to. Thanks to my online cooking classes" he stated laughing.

"Hahaha. You're so caring husband, Jack."

Next day morning...

"Sweety! I'm running late. Where's my watch?" Jack asked looking everywhere, opening drawers.

"It's right here." Jenny calling from the kitchen.

"How it happened to be there?" he came asking her.

"Must be a survivor while my husband trying not to burn the kitchen" she uttered laughing.

"Haha. Good joke. Now let me go, I'm already 30 mins late to office today" he said wearing watch.

Staring into her eyes for a bit, he said

"You really want me to go to office today, after everything that happened last night?"

"Yes, love. It's your most awaited project. You were waiting for it since years and now you have that opportunity waiting at your desk. Take it. It would make best of your experience. And I really want us to build our future perfect" she convinced him.

"Well. Promise me you will dial me right after you feel anything discomforting to you"

"Surely, I'll" she replied with a smile. 

 and then he kissed her good bye.

"Take care"

"You too, husband" she replied.

After seeing off Jack, Jenny closes the door and walks through the hall and when she looked at the decorated wall, her eyes trembled with fear. The wallpaper was totally damaged with scratches everywhere and there were 2 words engraved on it.

"SCARS REMAINED"

____________________________________________________________

CHAPTER - 2

Afternoon 3 pm, Uffizi Galleries, an art museum in Firenze, Italy... 

*"SMACK!"*

"Aaaoouu!" a man with a scar under his right eye screams. 

He got a big belly, broad muscles and wild hair joining his messy brown beard.