Page 109 of You Saw the Best In Me

I need to keep myself from throwing up everywhere with disgust.

“I was a fucking child! Do you not understand that? You were an adult. You should’ve walked away, knowing that our age difference was wrong. Instead, you saw me as a broken little girl and used me to make yourself feel better,” I try to argue, but he elbows me in the nose, blood gushing from my face.

I hold the blanket over my nose, but I’m positive that he broke it. There’s blood all over my face, shirt, and hands.

I hold in my pain and act like he didn’t phase me. We don’t speak for a while, and I take in every exit sign and mile marker I see.

We’re going south on a major highway, and when he stops for gas and snacks at a rest stop, I refuse to get out.

“Karina, let’s go. Go to the bathroom,” he suggests, but I shake my head.

The last thing he wants is for me to make a scene. I kick my feet and yell before he holds a hand over my mouth.

“Your hands and feet are tied. I will circle back and kill that man if you try to escape,” he says, and I don’t even blink.

I lock my eyes into his and hope he sees something genuine in them.

Asher walks away from the car, taking the key with him and locking me inside.

I should panic or cry for help, but I have one mission in mind.

I maneuver my hands to launch myself into the passenger seat and go straight for the glove compartment.

I go for my power instead of wasting my time waving down help.

I beg, plead, and pray to everything I believe in that my weapon is still there.

I close my eyes and lift the lever, and the small piece awaits me.

I take it and look around my car for a safe place to stash it. An armrest in the back seat can come down or stay tucked into the trunk. I stuff it in there, knowing I’m going to need it.

It’s my only hope, and instead of pushing my luck, I lie back and pretend I didn’t make mastermind moves.

“You’ve been such a dream, princess. You’ll get your reward soon,” he sneers, and I turn away.

I’m crying silently, wondering how I got myself into this situation, but in this moment I slowly realize this isn’t my fault. All these years, I’ve blamed myself for being young and dumb. I was a baby, and I was preyed on.

Asher was happy to corrupt and ruin me. He was an adult, and nothing would ever come back on him. I’ve spent years tearing down anything that connected me to Asher, constantly rebuilding my life in order to stay far away from him.

I refused to be that miserable little girl. Instead, I grew into an adult and built something worth fighting for.

My family and the friends who love me.

It’s easy to fall into the traps of my mind when I have nothing to do but think and reflect.

All of my mistakes, triumphs, and everything in between are swirling through my head like a cruel tornado.

Why won’t this fucking die? I sob quietly, praying that I can survive this.

“We’re almost there,” he says, breaking our long silence, but I don’t bother asking where we’re going.

I don’t care.

“Don’t you want to know the surprise I’ve planned for us, Karrie?” Asher asks, turning to face me at a red light.

“Not even a little bit,” I roll my eyes, and he warns me to behave.

“We’re going to a cabin. Nice, secluded, and it’s on a lake,” he explains, and I fight the urge to laugh at him.