No more fear. No more hiding. I willnotbe a victim. Not again.
I open my mouth, pretending to obey. And he’s too stupid to see it coming. All he sees is my supposed submission. But how wrong he is.
The second I feel him shift forward, I ball my fist and slam it between his legs. He goes down instantly, howling.
Not wasting the opportunity, I use the remainder of my strength to push myself up off the floor. I shove him aside and run. Straight out of the stall, out of the restroom. I barrel into a nearby classroom.
The teacher freezes. One look at me, and she’s calling the office, before ushering me back into the hall. Away from the whispers and wandering eyes. I can’t stop crying and I’m covered in saliva and vomit. My voice is hoarse and my throat aches from Darren’s rough hands and strokes. All I can do is point to the restroom.
He’s still crawling on the tile, pants down, when they find him.
The cops arrive, and by the end of the school day, Darren is taken away in handcuffs, humiliated. And me? I’m loaded into an ambulance.
Inside, a female paramedic wraps a blanket around me. I think she speaks, but I can’t hear her. The world’s gone dim. The pressure in my chest swells until I feel like I might float away. I’m not even sure when I stop answering their questions. Or when the sedative hits.
But eventually—mercifully—everything fades to black.
Chapter 25
The steady beat of a heart rate monitor draws me back to the land of the living. At first, I’m disoriented, not knowing where I am, what time it is, or even what day. Then I look down.
Axel is asleep in a chair beside me, slumped awkwardly forward, his head resting on folded arms just above the blue knitted blanket draped across my lap. That one unruly lock of hair falls into his eyes again.
I reach forward, softly brushing it back into place. He doesn’t stir. Even in sleep, he’s beautiful. His sharp features softened by rest: his dark, expressive brows, the stubble on his jaw, lashes long and dark enough to make any girl jealous. I trace one finger lightly over the subtle freckles over the bridge of his nose, just trying to ground myself in somethingreal. Something safe.
His amber eyes flash open, locking onto mine.
“Lina?” His voice is low, rough with sleep. “You with me, Princess?”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “I’m here.”
But I don’t want to be. Not really. Not in this sterile room. Not in this skin. My chest aches, and before I can stop it, my lip trembles. I turn my head away so he won’t see me crack.
“Hey,” he says gently, reaching for my hand. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
But the moment he touches me, my body reacts on instinct. I rip my hand away, my breath catching on a sob. He just sits there, shocked, and I cover my face with both hands, curlinginto myself.
“I’m sorry,” I choke out. “I’m sorry. I just—God, I thought I was getting better. I made so much progress and now I’m right back where I started! All because he couldn’t handle being told no!”
My voice breaks. The pain feels molten under my skin.
“You’re not back where you started,” Axel says firmly. “Even if we have to rebuild from the bottom, we rebuild. But you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here. We all are. Every step of the way.”
His words don’t automatically fix anything, but theycatch me. Keep me from falling completely into the deep, dark pit. I breathe. One ragged inhale. Then another. The shaking eases just enough.
“How long have I been here?” I ask quietly.
“A few hours,” he says. “Ben, Mom, and Johnny are here too, but I convinced them to go grab food. They’ll be back soon.”
The idea that they all came to sit with me… it floors me. I don’t come from that. I come from abandonment, from silence. From being hurt, not held.
But Axel? I didn’t even question him being here. In a short period of time, I’ve come to depend on his unwavering presence. It scares me to need someone like that. What happens when I leave, eventually? Or he leaves? That thought sours my stomach. Because what happens when heisn’there one day?
“What about Darren?” My voice comes out hoarse.
Axel’s jaw tightens. “He’s in jail,” he says. His voice hardens, a low growl beneath it. “Where he fucking belongs.”
Knowing Darren’s locked up brings a flicker of comfort. He’s violent, entitled, out of control… the thought of him walking free makes my skin crawl. I shove it aside.
