Page 35 of Sanctuary After Dark

"You did the right thing, Linc. He'll see that once he calms down."

Sucking in a breath, I just nodded again and watched as he left our room. I followed not long after and stepped over to Elias's door, which was closed. Sitting down on the floor, I leaned back against the wall and ran my hands over my face.

Luke said that I did the right thing, but after hearing Elias, I sat there wondering if I had. He said he was starting to trust us.

Maybe we needed to start to trust him too.

Chapter 12

Standing at the foot of my bed, I stared at the pile of clothes I had thrown on the comforter. My hands shook as I ran them through my curls on my head. My breath picked up as I just stood there, replaying everything that had just happened.

The feel of the ropes against my skin, my anxiety lessening, my filters starting to fall, thinking that I could trust them. And then their lips on mine. Their hands grabbing at me and anchoring me so that I wouldn't float away.

It all felt so good.

I was finally getting something that I wanted. I was choosing it myself because I knew I could trust them. That they wouldn't hurt me and would take care of me. They've been taking care of me since I came here. And I knew it was platonic, but it always felt like there might have been more.

The cuddling, small comments, little touches here and there.

We spent every morning together, just the three of us. Eating breakfast, drinking coffee, and just getting to know one another. I loved that they were letting me into their life. A life full of so much love between them, and it was gorgeous to see.

I knew that most people didn't understand the love that they had for each other, but it wasn't any of their business. They weren't hurting anyone, so why couldn't they love one another?

I thought accepting them would be enough.

But I should have known that it wouldn't be.

Not after they saw my body and how others destroyed it.

My arms came to wrap around my stomach as I bent over and let a sob out, tears finally flowing down my cheeks as I stood there in my room.

I thought it would be different with them.

I thought maybe they wouldn't care about the scars covering my body and my mind.

Gasping for breath through the sobs, I realized it was too good to be true.

I was always going to be broken.

I was always going to have his voice in my head.

Ugly.

Pathetic.

Useless.

Worthless.

I don't even know why I was trying anymore. Why was I trying to be better when I knew I never could be? It was pointless. I was lying to myself, thinking that I could be better and get away from everything that had happened to me. I was dragging everyone down with me who tried to help because there was no help that could make me better.

Alec.

Lincoln.

Lucas.

They all had better things they could be doing instead of being saddled with my pathetic ass.