Page 82 of Beaten

The day I finally get enough strength to leave my room, I go outside to the backyard. It’s summer time now, so the flowers are blooming.

Nina has come around and we’ve become sort of friends. Susanna is still cold to me but she’s at least not as rude and I’m not worried she’ll try to kill me. It’s progress.

I know Alek has been working with a man named Luca Moretti in case my brother tries anything again. There’s something simmering under the surface but I’m not sure when it will come to a head.

I sit down on the grass and soak in everything around me. Panic doesn’t seize my heart like it once did. Instead, it’s been replaced with a sense of calm.

Alek comes outside and sits down beside me. His presence brings even more peace to my mind.

That’s when I take a deep inhale and breathe in the warm, summer air.

I’m no longer a prisoner to my room. I have blossomed into a woman I’ve always wanted to become.

I take Alek’s hand and give it a squeeze. We’re ready to start our lives together and nothing could make me happier.

The End