“Talk to us,” Valley encourages.
“I’m shocked. I’m madly in love with the idiot, and I thought we’d gotten to a better place. Then he goes and pulls the rug out from under me. I don’t know what to do. Fuck—I love all myguys. They must be so hurt. I never thought marriage would ever happen for me, especially now that I have eight men in my life.”
Cynthia murmurs an understanding noise. “When I get my harem together, I can’t marry any of them. I still want to marry you, though.” She blushes before continuing. “I know I’m cuckoo, but I love hard, you know? The only thing I felt in The Morgue was resignation. I shut off my emotions in there; I had to in order to survive. Then, you came, wifey. You loved me. I can’t start to tell you how much that means to me.”
Cynthia's heartfelt words choke me up. “God, Cynthia, you got me through it as well. You were a shining star in a vast black of nothingness. Thank you, truly, for being my friend.”
Cynthia starts to cry, and Valley sobs on my other side. “Nyx, you don’t even know. My family just disregarded me because I’m a girl. I've told you that much. What you don’t know yet is how they withheld a lot more than love. Food, sometimes. The company of others. Gifts of any kind. I was less than nothing. Until Jarrod, my brother, started paying attention to me.” Valley sniffs, then composes herself for a minute. “I fell for it. I never saw the abuse even coming. He... took my fucking virginity. All my fucking firsts he stole away. I got him back, though. He may still be alive, but he’s a burnt husk of flesh. He'll never get a woman now.”
Now I’m bawling. “Are you scared to go home?” I ask Valley.
Her face blanches. “Nyx, I can’t. Ever. Please promise me you’ll find Bryan and I a place when this is all over. Please.”
“Oh, my God, of course. You are my heart, Val. I will do anything for you. For both of you.”
I turn to hug them both, and we all dissolve into tears. Once we finally start to calm, we pull away from each other.
“Wifey? I want to stay here,” Cynthia says in a small voice.
Oh, my heart. “I’ll talk to Hunter. Don't worry,” I try to reassure her.
Cynthia nods, and we start walking again, lost in our thoughts.
Ghost
I'm not even shocked. I'm obliterated. Malishka was mine from the start. We have a special bond. If anyone was going to marry her, it should’ve been me.
I'm hunting for a dark corner to go cut myself in when I see the girls up ahead. They seem to be having an emotional moment, and I’m hesitant to interrupt.
I watch silently, out of sight.
My head droops. I'm so damn tired. It's not over yet. I don’t know if it will ever be, at this point.
I don’t hear someone come up to me I'm so lost in my head.
“Hey, are you alright?”
I look up at Frost, who has a concerned look on his face.
“No,” I admit. “I need to bleed, to hurt. I can't handle these emotions.”
Frost looks at me with surprise. I never get into particulars with my emotional state.
“I’ve got you, brother. You don’t need to bleed. Come on, let’s go talk to Killer.”
Nodding, I trail behind him as we walk up to the girls.
Malishka sees us, concern flashing over her face.
“Ghost? Come here, baby. I've got you,” she tells me, and I sink gratefully into her arms and start to cry. My shoulders shake with the strength of my sobs.
“We’ll give you some privacy. Come on, Cynthia,” Valley says, leaving us alone.
“Okay, let me say some things you both need to hear,” Frost starts. “I know you’re livid with Synn, and I understand.However, the alternative is unthinkable. His father taking you again, then killing you? Not a fucking option. Yes, the way he went about it was wrong. He should have come to all of us directly. But he didn’t. The thing you need to realize is he saved your life, Killer.”
Malishka's head jerks up. “So, are you saying I should forgive him? Stay married to him? And this doesn’t upset you?” Killer asks incredulously.
“Of course, it bothers me. I love you more than life, Killer. But it honestly was the only option. In my opinion, yes to staying married and forgiving him.”
