Once they’re satisfied, I’m tossed aside. Snot, tears, drool, sweat and blood cover every inch of my being; I’ve been reduced from human to fluid, washing away in a rainstorm.
Cleanse me of this nightmare.
Eternity passes.
Rain comes and goes.
Bruising throbs and knife-like stabs escalate.
Death… please take me.
But Death isn’t listening. No one is.
I can’t stay here. I need to leave this hell of a town. I have to break my promise because if Remy finds out… it’ll destroy him. I have no choice but to break him.
Breakus.
Even if it kills the last sliver of my soul.
52
Win
Who I am— this fragmented version of myself— is held together by bloody, fraying stitches. But they’ve been snipped. I’m unraveling into a pool of tainted memories. Old pain renews, grinning menacingly as its sharp teeth sink into scars, ripping them open and exposing the rot beneath.
Internally, I’m screaming, fighting, thrashing.
Externally, I’m huddled in the corner of my bedroom, staring into the abyss.
A bang shakes the walls of the guest house.
The paralysis breaks.
I spring to my feet, muscles twitching, eyes darting to the door as a figure crashes through.
“Win! You better be in here or I swear to fuck…”
Remy’s voice trails off as panicked hazel eyes lock on me. He sags in relief, his grip on the doorknob the only thing holding him upright.
You’re torturing him.
His lips part—
I can’t do this. Not now.
“Go.”
My voice is a serrated blade.
He recoils like I slapped him.
“No.”
I roll my jaw as the agony inside mutates into volcanic anger. Flinging my arms wide, I paste a sardonic smile on my face.
“Then say it. Say what you’re really thinking,” I hiss, stalking toward him. “I’m unreliable. I’m not worth the hassle. I’m atrainwreck.”
“Win,” he pleads.
