Defrost my heart

Chapter 21

Dean's POV
This was horrible, just horrible. I always thought I had a bad past, but.... what I saw in front of me couldn't compare to what I had experienced.

Since this man came and held this picture of the little girl in his hand, I felt terribly uncomfortable. And when Rose admitted to being the girl, I was wracked with guilt. I had felt guilt before because Rose had never done anything to me, and I had bullied her and cursed her out, even making fun of her scars.

But now. Now I was filled with guilt, even really sick to my stomach. I had a fat lump in my throat that wouldn't go away. I couldn't even cry. Because finally, I understood Rose's reaction from before. Where Caleb and I put her through the wringer. She wasn't pretending; she was really traumatized. I could put one and one together now. All the scars, her manner. She was an innocent, kind, heartfelt girl, which was broken by other people.

And I was one of those who had tried to destroy such an angel. I even wished that she no longer existed. And why? Because I was jealous of her.

My heart constricted. I almost couldn't breathe as Rose begged for my life. I tried to tell the guy to let Rose go free and not me. Because I, of the two of us, deserved to live the least.

I never thought Rose was weak. I really didn't. But when the guy was talking about someone called 'Tim,' and Rose started screaming for her life and crying, that was the first time I saw her pure panic, her pure fear. But even beyond! Even then, when she got herself together.

She begged for my life. I was shocked, stunned. She wanted to die. I screamed desperately for her, but through that stupid cloth, I couldn't be understood. The guy disappeared and banged on the door. Meanwhile, Rose crawled to a bucket and threw up.

I was cold; I cringed a little and looked at Rose. Actually, she should be freezing. Her dress was torn. Her face was chalky pale. Her cheek was a little swollen. Why? I did not know. There was also dried blood under her nose. Why? ... I didn't know either. Maybe the man had already done something to her.

When Rose turned to me, she first just looked at me out of lifeless eyes. Yet... she could tell that her gaze was unsettling me. So she asked me to pretend that we didn't know each other. And also that I should not react, no matter what happened. I didn't know what she meant by that and what was the point of pretending that we didn't know each other. But I just accepted it for the time being because I couldn't do anything else anyway.

Days passed, I was hungry and thirsty. My stomach growled, and it did not get better. It was quiet; you could hear my breathing and Rose's breathing. But the room was filled with our fear. It was stifling.

At some point, the man came again. He tried to get me out after a long time of talking. But at that moment, this guy... Tim came. He stood casually at the door. To me, he didn't seem dangerous. Rather average and like a family father. But quickly, his image was destroyed when he started to go to Rose while taking out a knife.

He made her upper body accessible... in the most shocking way I had ever seen in my life. The blood was pouring out of her like that. Her scars were everywhere. It was gruesome the way he stroked the scars and licked the blood off his finger.

But he stopped at some point and got mad, then he came at me. He pressed the knife hard against my temple, and now I understood why I should pretend we didn't know each other. The guy was a psychopath, and he was screaming.

I was really panicked and scared to death. He was squeezing hard and pulling my hair hard. I'm sure he pulled some hair out of my head as well. To that, some blood flowed from my neck. But that was nothing. That was little.