Page 16 of Scarred in Silence

“And?”

He pauses.

“I think it is where I found Destiny…”

Fuck. Dante’s sister died after being sold into sex trafficking. He showed up too late.

“I’ll be there.” I don’t hesitate. If any of the fuckers are there I’ll take them out with him.

“Thanks. Oh, and how is your fucking prisoner doing?”

I roll my eyes.

“Good. She will adapt sooner rather than later. I have a plan.”

Dante chuckles on the other end of the phone.

“Let’s hope this one works out.”

“It will. See you Thursday.”

I end the call, opening up the live feed once more.

My Siren sleeps curled up on the bed. Astra is so peaceful when she sleeps. She will never leave me. She won’t have a choice.

5

Astra

My entire body aches from the withdrawal. Every time I wake up, I am nauseous. My limbs twitch, my skin crawls as if there are bugs beneath my flesh.

Lucien has been kind enough to leave fresh clothes with my breakfast. There is a small shower nozzle in the corner by the toilet that I found. I have been showering there with my honey-scented soap. Lucien’s favorite smell.

Yesterday was weird. I wasn’t sure how to feel about him. I know we have a history, but he used me. He always used me, just like everyone else. He doesn’t value me.

The way he touched me sent me back. It reminded me of how simple things once were between us before I betrayed him.

I never cheated on him, despite what he might think. I slept around a lot in high school, sure, but never cheated. After he gave me that ridiculous ultimatum, I had to see what I was missing.

It turns out I wasn’t missing much.

Do I regret selling my body for drugs? No. It was what I needed. I still need it. He will never be able to fix me. No one can.

I stand to get my breakfast, and my ankles throb. I need the chains to come off. Who am I kidding? He will never free me. This is where I will live out the rest of my days.

I open the bag to find a blueberry muffin, bacon, and yogurt. Next to it is a coffee. Thank god. My head feels like it could explode at any minute. I need caffeine.

I drink the coffee and place it back down on the floor before I eat my muffin.

How long will he keep me here, honestly? There is no way Evelyn would let him, right? She might let him… Considering I left her wedding abruptly and told her not to look for me. Sometimes I don’t think things all the way through, but I definitely thought I would be dead by now.

Lucky me. I’m not.

Instead, I am being held captive by my ex-boyfriend. My body responds to his touch so naturally. I don’t want to like him. Lucien cheated on me. He didn’t even fight for me when I left him. He just gave up.

I finish my breakfast and walk over to the shower. The shower is the only thing that quiets my brain these days. I feel like I am going insane, even though it’s only been a day or two… I think?

I step into the cold water and let it take me somewhere else. Somewhere happy.