The Secret Obsession of the CEO
Chapter 45: The Recurring Nightmare

Chapter 45: The Recurring Nightmare

Rory thought she heard the sound of songbirds but she couldn’t wake up. Lately, only the little movements and the babbles of little Ellie serve as the best alarm clock for her.

Birds...Ah! I am in Liam’s home!

She opened her eyes to check on Ellie. The baby was sleeping soundly. Rory rolled over getting drawn to the warmth left by Liam and his lingering scent on the sheets lulled her back to sleep.

She was having a dreamless sleep, when she was disturbed by Liam, for swallowing some pills. She could only groan in pain as her head throbbed. But her suffering didn’t last long.

She didn’t know whether it was a memory from her past or just a very realistic dream, but she could feel the gentle caresses of Liam’s fingers on her scalp. His long fingers undid the knots in her hair so softly and with great care making her forget the ache in her head. Those sweet sensations of his gentle pampering reduced the throbbing pain in her head making her fall asleep once more.

Or it could be the medications! Why would he caress her hair as if she is his wife still, right?

Soon, the warmth on her head left her and a chillness surrounded her. Her eyebrows trembled as she struggled to open her eyes. Her throat bobbled as she tried to soothe her dried throat.

No!

She wanted to scream as she felt something cold covering her nose and mouth. Everything around her was dark and heavy. She couldn’t move an inch as if she was tied with many invisible strings all over her body.

Her clothes stuck to her back as she got soaked in her sweat. Her chest got congested as if something or someone was pressing on her chest. Gasping for air, she opened her eyes after a great struggle. She was lying on her bed in her grandparents’ home. Breathing with her nose was not sufficient as her heart was beating very fast.

She started panting seeing a dark figure hovering over her.

Those red eyes... those long canine teeth...the snickers...

She started shivering.

Help! Someone!

She tried to scream, but nothing came out of her mouth. Each second felt like an eternity as she watched the dark figure getting close to her face. In the darkness, she could not see his face. But as he got closer, she could smell smoke.

It was as if the creature above her was a demon raised from hell. But what would that creature want from her?

Her eyes widened with fear, her heart pounded so hard that it hurt, and her breathing became labored. Every single hair on her body stood straight because of fright.

He-haw...He-haw...He-haw...

The nightmare disappeared and Rory woke up thanks to the braying of a donkey. She patted her chest which was heaving and loosened the shirt as it was sticking to her back. Covering her face with her hands Rory composed herself. Her eyes watered realizing that she is not living in that nightmare.

She used to get the same nightmare over and over again for years when she lived in her grandparents’ home. It would occasionally repeat when she was married to Liam. Apart from seeing dark figures around at night, this is the one recurring nightmare that would scare her to shit. But she didn’t have this nightmare for a very long time.

For it to repeat now...

Rory’s eyes ended up at the crib out of habit. Her heart stopped seeing the empty crib.

Ellie! Where is she?

She jumped down from the bed and ran to the crib. Her head started to spin as she hasn’t stretched yet after sleeping for a long time. Not minding her discomfort, she patted the crib to make sure that the baby was not there.

"Ellie?" she looked around. Her brain went blank entirely.

He-haw... He-haw...

The donkey continued to bray and Rory paused for a moment.

Isn’t that Sir Charles Darlington?

She ran to the window and opened the drapes. The scene she saw in the distance brought a smile to her lips. Her stress got wiped out immediately.

The sun was up and the grass was green. The trees in the distance were dancing merrily in the wind. Liam was holding Ellie and she was giggling as she patted a donkey.

The donkey—Sir Charles Darlington aka Chucky the darling—is Liam’s pet. He found that donkey when he was young and insisted that he wants him as a pet. His family agreed as they thought raising a pet would help him in dealing with his mother’s death.

But that assh*le never took care of that donkey. His father is the one who takes care of the donkey. Liam would only play with it and he is the donkey’s favorite. Rory was surprised to learn that a donkey could act like a loyal pet.

That ass truly loved that asshole!

Chucky—as she would call him, is an intelligent beast and very playful. Since he is treated as a pet, he is very stubborn and does not do a single job traditional donkeys do. He just prances around, eats and gets groomed as if he is a show pony.

Chucky hates her and would kick her, bite her, and shout at her any chance he gets. She once broke her arm because Chucky pushed her down. But that ghastly beast won’t attack her when she is with Liam. Liam always stood between Chucky and her and protects her.

And so Rory made it a habit to tease Chucky whenever she is with Liam.

Even now, she wanted to get to the donkey and tease him. She wanted to laugh at Chucky’s face as he struggles to keep himself in line.

She forgot about the terrifying dream she had and her mood got better. Ellie was waving her little hand and accidentally hit the donkey in his face. She even poked her little fingers into the large nostrils of the donkey but the donkey didn’t react wildly and just stepped back. He was very gentle with the baby listening to Liam’s instructions.

Chucky even let Ellie ride on his back as Liam held her. Ellie was all smiles and giggles. Rory didn’t want to go there and disturb the peaceful situation there.

Speaking of disturbing...

Rory noticed Frank walking back from the farm in the backyard holding his rake. They raised some goats in their house and some geese. Frank takes care of the animals in the mornings and would go to the town to take care of his business.

Seeing Ellie, Frank could not walk past them and he walked closer. Rory hoped Liam does not start a fight with his father. Usually in such situations, he would say a couple of mean words driving his father away with a heavy heart. But Frank rarely minds that and would initiate the conversation with Liam the next time.

How will Fizzy act now after I talked to him?

Rory watched. Frank walked closer and Rory’s heart started to pound. And it was then she remembered another thing.

What if Fizzy asks uncle about ’that’? I lied!