Page 61 of Distorted Obsession (The Distorted Trilogy #1)
eva
There were so many times when I desperately wanted life to swallow me whole—I count those moments in breaths.
Inhale… you just need to get by…
. . .
Exhale.
Inhale… you just need to survive…
. . .
Exhale.
Inhale… she was the light in my life…
. . .
Exhale.
Inhale… sometimes you’ll never know why…
. . .
Exhale.
Tears blur my vision as I try to outrun the pain ripping my heart to shreds. I didn’t expect them to care, but I also didn’t expect them to have that much hate in their hearts.
I run , even when my legs feel like they will give out.
I run to escape the heartache… to escape the betrayal.
I run to hide from my demons.
Everything was a lie. A perfectly crafted plan to lure me in and trap me before destroying me.
This was never about me getting my absolution—paying my penance.
It was about all four of them getting restitution, and my body was their compensation.
But I can’t figure out how Liam and Mason fit into all of this.
Hurdling forward before coming to an abrupt stop, my chest heaving as my pulse pounds like the drums of death in my ears.
A droplet splashes on my cheek, and I can’t tell if it’s my tears or the rain. One turns to two, and three turns to nine before the sky opens to mourn with me.
Inhaling, I throw my head back and embrace the world’s pain, allowing it to wash away the last vestiges of me. Eva Rose Pierce died here today, and the woman replacing her will be a force that Farrah will be proud of.
As gut-wrenching as tonight was, it was exactly what I needed to be reborn. A genuine smile, brighter than I’ve had in years, curls up my face.
“I’m free, Fah,” I shout, pulling off Colter’s hoodie and boxers, tossing them to the ground. Then I kick off my shoes, leaving me barefoot in the rain in a sports bra and a black lace thong.
“They thought they’d break me, but the assholes underestimated my resilience,” I mutter, strutting toward my dorm.
Farrah and I made a pact to live for each other until we could live for ourselves. ānā ?āysh lik ?ttā nqdr n?īsh l-rāsī.
I’ll live for you until I can live for myself.
She didn’t keep her part of the bargain, but I’ll be damned if the last thing we did before I left and she died was a blood oath, our promise to our sisterhood.
I failed to be my sister’s keeper, and she suffered as a result of my failure.
Yanking the door open, I stride down the hall, ignoring the shock plastered on people’s faces. But I’m too numb to feel shame… it never got me anywhere anyway.
Betrayal coats my skin, covering me with mocking glee. Its rancid taste sticks to my tongue like a filmy residue.
Turning, I spit, hoping—no, praying to wash away any bitterness. Then I waltz into my bedroom, and my smile drops. My renewed fierceness wanes when I’m greeted with the mess that made me rush to Coop and Colt’s.
I contemplate how to handle the scene as I grab the bottle of water by my bed, uncap it, and drink, quenching my parched throat. Unwilling to be anywhere near my dead best friend’s heart, I sit on the floor next to my nightstand.
Time escapes me as my vision blurs and my head begins to spin. I try to shake the spinning sensation away, but it only gets worse.
“Wharlt theeshth fuccckk.” My words slur, and my mind glitches.
I hear my door open and shut. It’s quickly followed by the snick of a lock. At least I think that’s what I hear.
A form stands over me, blocking out the light. My head lolls back, drooping as I try to focus to make out the face.
“Hello, Evie Rose,” they greet, but it feels like it’s laced with poison.
I try to speak, but everything begins to feel heavy. That’s when the person squats next to me. “I want to tell you a quick bedtime story.”
Blinking, I find a brief moment of lucidity. “Itssth youuu,” I manage to eke out, watching as they open my drawer and pull out a familiar box.
“Once upon a time, there were two best friends who were more like sisters. They grew up together in their happy castles, tucked safely away from the horrors of the world until they weren’t,” they sing-songs.
“Soon, they faced the pain, clutching onto each other like life rafts in turbulent waters, hoping to save each other from drowning. But they failed.”
The joy this person is getting from what can only be described as a Brothers Grimm fairytale is unnerving me to the point that my hands tremble.
“Well, at least the world thinks they failed,” they hum, pulling out one of my razors.
Lifting my left wrist, they hold the blade, puncturing skin. “You see, the girl was getting too close to her friend, but her friend wasn’t hers to have.”
I try to fight what’s coming, but I can’t move. I internally shriek when the blade slices through my wrists, far deeper than I ever have. Rivulets of crimson pour from the open cut.
They take my other hand, readying the razor as they continue. “So, when the friend went away for help, I took away the distraction.”
Shock hits my chest.
“I made it look like suicide,” they cackle. “And no one was the wiser.”
My body starts to weaken as I feel the blood drain from my wrist.
“The tears that ran down her face when I threatened to kill you if she didn’t write the note — probably my best work to date. Kinda like you’re doing right now,” they point out.
Farrah didn’t kill herself
Farrah sacrificed herself for me.
The range of emotions that flood me like a dam breaking drowns me in despair.
“Making her blame your brother was the cherry on top,” they say, mockingly popping the p.
The smile melts from their face as they rip the razor through the flesh of my right wrist, and a garbled scream bursts from between my lips. Then their gloved hand wraps around my throat. “You were only ever supposed to be mine,” they growl.
Tilting their head to the side, they release my throat. “But now you’re dirty. You let them all touch you, and the only way to get you clean is to purge them from your system.”
They release my throat, dropping the razor next to me before they stand. “Don’t die on me, Evie Rose. This is only meant to be your rebirth.”
I don’t know if they’ve left the room because my world fades to black.