Nausea rolls through me with each spin of the car’s wheels. The windows are sealed so tight I can’t get air. And he’s so, soloud.
“In fact, I haven’t seen a day this lovely in, oh, I don’t know ... four years, ten months, and sixteen days.”
I shut my eyes, but it doesn’t keep him out.
He’s not real, I tell myself. This time, the pathetic lie is smoke that chokes me. I’ve fought so hard to suffocate the nightmare that lives inside me, and now, a monster has climbed out of my broken box. It’s impossible to fight when I can’t even breathe.
“You’re a hard one to catch, I’ll give you that.”
I force my eyes open to see salt and pepper, salt and pepper—and suddenly, I’m so, so small. “Let me go,” I whisper.
Stupid little girl.
His icy gaze pierces me through the rearview mirror. “I think we both know I can’t do that.”
“What do you want from me?”
“What would any man in my situation want? To reunite with their long-lost little girl, of course.”
The car sways. Bile stings my tongue.
“I’m not yours.”
Hetskswith disappointment, and the vehicle slows. “Maybe I didn’t make this clear enough in the past, but our arrangement is special to me. At least, it once was.” His voice lowers, and the grating sound burns like venom beneath my skin. “I admit, your choices have left me ... bitter.”
He pauses for a stop sign, makes a right, and I look out the window at my surroundings. I don’t recognize the street or suburban houses. Blue skies are the backdrop, thin rays of sunlight beaming through white clouds. My stomach twists. It really is a beautiful day.
He pulls into a covered driveway, turns off the engine, and unbuckles his seat belt. My muscles tense. He opens the door and gets out. I hold my breath, stare at the crisp lines of his suit while he slinks around the car. Then he stands at the passenger door opposite me. My lungs are sealed without oxygen. I’m light-headed. I blink, and a monster is sitting beside me.
Empty blue eyes lock on mine, cold fingers brush my hair, my neck. My limbs are leaden, and I’m thirteen years old, perched at the foot of a bed that isn’t mine.
You’re a good little girl, aren’t you?
Blunt nails stroke my cheek.
That’s right, sweet, sweet girl.
Trace my jaw.
I’m your new daddy.
His other hand comes up, and a white cloth appears through my spotty vision. I realize too late what the material is for. The cloth covers my mouth, my nose, catching my scream. I clutch his wrist with both hands. My nails cut into his skin, alarm seizes my nerves, but I’m already gone.
Lost.
Lost.
Lost.
My eyes are heavy, and my heart stutters as every lie I’ve ever told myself twists and knots together.Strong. Brave. Unbreakable.They weave around my neck and strangle me. Everyone knows how this story ends.
Because bad men don’t meet Karma.
And bad girls don’t get their happily ever afters.
My eyes drift open, and an ache splits my head in half. I groan and wait a moment for my hazy vision to clear. A bedroom takes shape in front of me. My gaze travels along the wall, and it lands on a window. A window with bars lining the outside of the glass. My breath catches in my throat.
Déjà vu.
