Veronica
Weeks Later…
The days turn into weeks, and we find ourselves getting no closer to freedom. We have become nothing but sexual breeding pets. And my favorite fruit has become something loathsome. The smell of eggs triggers my brain to run and escape to a place where they can’t harm us. Our captors’ hold on us is like a vice, tightening with each passing day. Thankfully, Isaac’s leg has improved from his infection. Even as my mind plummets into the abyss. I guess a bonus is that I’m not pregnant this month. It hasn’t worked. I’m once again bleeding, and by the looks of it, Priscilla isn’t pregnant either. And that makes me happy. It would be a lie to say anything else. The only thing I feel is relief, and I let it flood through me. Until I’m all tingly and floating. Drowning in the intensity of it all. Feeling anything but happiness knowing I’m not carrying Harry’s child, and she isn’t carrying Isaac’s. It’s astounding what I worry about now. Compared to what I used to. It’s no longer about deadlines, marriage or long-term. Now, my time is consumed with surviving. I watch Priscilla hang up a new calendar and make a mark for today.
“New month,” Harry says as he attempts to hand me my breakfast—the usual boiled egg, banana, and water. The rotten smell reaches my nose, causing it to wrinkle. I don’t bother to look up or even make the effort to grab it. My stomach grows nauseous, leaving no room for appetite when he places the contents on the ground with a tsk of disapproval. Priscilla mutters something before basically skipping over to Isaac, not that I bother to look. But I can hear her careful stepsbecome loud and quick. Thankfully, they don’t stick around for long before they leave us alone. Iz is the first one to break the silence once the door closes behind them. “You remember when I first kissed you?”
My brows pull together as my head tilts to the side. Wondering where he is going with this? And why is this the topic he wants to talk about? I indulge him either way; it’s not like there’s much else to do. “How can I forget?” I ask softly, watching him as he motions for me to eat. Attempting to give me the courage to push away the discomfort that comes with the nutrients and accept them for their role in keeping me strong. Once again, I indulge him. Isaac stares quietly until I grab the banana and take an apprehensive bite.
“Good. It took me forever to work up the courage to do that. I punched my father that night. You know, I’d never even raised my voice at him, and that night, I struck him.” I stop chewing for a moment, the banana growing bitter in my mouth. My eyes lift to meet him as he takes a sip of his water, leaning his head on the wall. He never told me this, now that I think of it. Nelson didn’t come around for a day or two. When he did, he had a busted lip. “It broke my heart that they did this to us. Your mother might have been oblivious to how you felt, but my father was well aware,” he confesses. I look at him, confused. Why is he saying this… to distract me? Why? My ears feel hot, and there’s a tingle in the base of my neck that shoots down my spine.
“Come again?”
Isaac’s eyes meet mine, filled with a mixture of pain and determination. “My father knew how I felt about you, about us. He knew that I loved you, and yet, he still pursued your mother. Then Nixie happened, and things got so fucking confusing between us. And I still love you very much.” I don’t respond, having lost my appetite. A lump forms in my throat as I take in his words and remember that night.
The room grows smaller, everything blurring as my eyes fixate on the shape of Isaac’s lips. His tongue licks the bottom lip. “I think like you.”
My heart matches the rhythm of my restless legs. Small sparks of electricity explode through me, making me jittery, my breath stuttering as Isaac tucks a loose curl behind my ear. I thought he liked Lex, but the admiration in his gaze is impossible to believe. If anything, it only reinforces his confession.
“I likeyou too,” I squeak out, almost a breathless whisper. I’ve never been kissed, and all I want is to share all my firsts with the boy in front of me. Without a word, I lean into him. “Kiss me.”
There’s not an ounce of hesitation as he cups my face in his hands. Softly, he brushes his lips against mine, making me melt into him. I close my eyes and lose myself in the feeling of it, my lips parting for him, allowing his tongue to sweep into mine. Both of us are inexperienced, yet our tongues brush against one another like we’ve done this before. His hands tangle in my wet curls as he deepens the kiss. I could kiss him forever… There is nothing more that I want than to do this forever. Love. Is this what love feels like? Because I’m drowning. A groan escapes his lips as he takes my lower lip between his teeth, pulling away. Pressing his forehead against mine, we remain there, just breathing each other in.
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway startles us. Iz jumps to his feet, quickly peaking out the window. Whatever he sees out there angers him. My heart skips a beat, my breath hitching in my lungs. His fists clench at his sides, and his jaw tightens. Then Alexa’s words come to mind. “Your mom is definitely shagging his dad.”
I didn’t believe it then—maybe it was denial—but I believe it now as I watch them walk hand in hand. Time stops. The world around me drains of color. That’s when I lose all control of my senses. They begin to speak. I see their lips moving, but I can’t make out any of the words over the sound of my breaking heart. All I can do is look down and watch the tears fall onto my open hand. Small droplets of water quickly stormed into my flesh. There’s a loud crash, and I’m sure someone’s shouting. Seconds later, Iz storms out, and then I break, running as fast as I can to the comfortof my room.
“Ronnie.” The sound of Isaac’s voice snaps me back to reality. “Talk to me. What’s on your mind?” I shake my head, feeling my breath catch in my throat. “Just thinking of that night. I cried for hours, possibly days. I was completely heartbroken. I didn’t speak to Mom for days, and then, one night, I saw them together dancing. I saw the smile on her face, how happy she looked, and I understood.” I take another bite of the banana. “You know her story, mine. My father was abusive. My mother deserved that happiness. She gave up so much for me to be happy. Why couldn’t I do the same?”
Isaac listens intently, his eyes full of understanding, before the shadow of heartbreak takes hold. “You carry so much pain on your shoulders, Ronnie. You deserve to be happy. We both do, and let’s face it, happiness for us is that. Us. Or would you still deny it?”
Isaac’s words hit me like a ton of bricks, stirring up emotions I try my hardest to keep buried deep inside. Yet, his words cause them to stir, to unleash and demand to be felt. His unwavering support and love envelop me, offering a glimmer of hope in the darkness that had consumed me for so long. I set aside my half-eaten banana, tears welling up in my eyes as I search his face, seeing the depth of his feelings reflected back at me.
“Isaac, I… I don’t know what to say,” I lie, knowing exactly what he needs from me. What I need from myself. I don’t know why I’m struggling when I was willing to confess before. So what’s stopping me now? Why is it so hard for me to voice my…
“Truth,” he echoes my thoughts, finishing my sentence. I see it in his eyes—all the love he has for me, I feel it in that one word. The longing. I can do that, give him that. Fuck it. Why not? “I came back for you,” I begin. His eyebrows knit together, and he leans as close as he can. “After Halloween, I showed up at your apartment with Sledge and found you with Alexa.” His eyes grow wide as my words sink in. “Maybe I do think of others too much, but seeing her smile as you railed into her…” I continue, taking a deep breath. “It was painful, my heart broke, but all I could think of was how happy she looked. She’s always been so in love with you. And I couldn’t take that from her. Then I thought how silly of me to show up and confess my love to my stepbrother. Imagine explaining that to our family.” I shrug. “I put a stop to us before we could even start.”
Isaac’s expression is a mix of surprise and realization crossing his features. “You came back for me?”
I nod. “When you left that night, I realized that I wasn’t in love with Max. It wasn’t right, and I couldn’t keep fighting with my heart. I was tired of the warbetween my heart and my head,” I say with a smile. “But I was too late. So, I pretended to still be with Max while you and Alexa did your thing.”
Isaac pulls against the chains, trying to get to me, but as always, it’s futile. I’ve thought I’ve seen pain, but nothing beats the torment in his eyes. “Fuck… Ronnie.”
He pulls again before sliding down the wall and letting his head hang between his legs. “Ronnie, I had no idea,” he admits. “I thought I had lost you for good that night, when Alexa came to me. I was so full of rage. So much pain. I just—”
“It’s okay… it took me six months… until I finally got back with Max. It was the best…” I give a lazy smile and half-ass shrug. “Maybe we aren’t meant to be,” I say, not meaning one word, because, deep in my heart, I know we are. We are two halves of one soul—that I’m certain of. My love for him transcends time and space, and it doesn’t matter that fate opposed us when our very souls chose long before we did.
Isaac looks up at me.
“No, Ronnie. We’re meant to be together. We both know that. Marry me.” His voice cracks, allowing all his longing to pour into those two words. “Don’t marry Max. When we get out of this fucking hell, marry me instead. You can’t stay with him. We both know… It’s a mistake. Stop depriving yourself of love, and stop starving me of yours. I want all of it… the pain, the joy, the tears, the laughter… I want it all with you by my side.”
Suddenly, my eyes burn, and I can’t focus on Iz as he blurs out of view. How badly did I want to run to him… to feel him… I wish I wasn’t lost for words and I could scream, ‘Yes, Iz, I’ll marry you.’ But the truth is, we are chained up in a basement, and even if I wanted to, the Veronica he fell for is long gone. At the same time, we might not make it out of this basement alive anyway. Might as well indulge him, feeding him a false hope that keeps him alive. Even with tears streaming down my face, I smile.
“Iz… if we get out of here, I will follow you to hell and back. I will marry you, Isaac,” I whisper, the weight of my words hanging heavy in the stifling air of the basement. Maybe it’s just a deadman’s dream, but it’s the truth nonetheless. One I could never follow through with, but feels good to say out loud. Isaac’s eyes widened, disbelief and joy mixing in his expression.
“My pretty sunflower,” he murmurs, his voice full of emotion. “I will do everything in my power to get us out of here. I promise you that.”
And I believe him.
