Made for crime

Heartbreak

Rosetta 's POV *

I couldn't sleep. Something gnawed at the pit of my stomach, a feeling that something wasn't right. My room was silent, but it felt too quiet, like the calm before a storm. I stared at the ceiling, my mind running through all the chaos that had consumed our lives since Nina's kidnapping. I couldn't stop thinking about her—her pale, fragile face when she was brought back, her haunted eyes.

She hadn't been the same since she returned, and why would she be? We all saw it. The bruises on her skin might fade, but the ones inside her heart... those would take much longer to heal, if they ever did.

I tossed and turned for a while, trying to shake off the unease, but the feeling only grew stronger. My heart beat faster, my skin prickling with a strange kind of dread. Something was wrong.

Nina.

Without thinking, I threw the blanket off me and rushed out of bed. My feet barely touched the floor as I hurried down the hallway, my mind racing with every possibility. She'd been so quiet tonight, withdrawn in a way that unsettled me to my core. I should have checked on her earlier. I should've known.

I reached her door, my hand hesitating for a moment before I knocked softly.

"Nina?" I called out, my voice quiet, not wanting to startle her if she was sleeping. But there was no answer. Not even a rustle of movement from inside.

My heart sank, my pulse quickening as I twisted the knob and pushed the door open. The room was dim, but empty. The bed was unmade, as if she had gotten up suddenly. Panic started to rise in my chest as I scanned the room, my eyes darting toward the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar. A sliver of light spilled out from the crack.

"Nina?" I called again, louder this time, stepping closer to the bathroom. My hand shook as I reached for the door, pushing it open slowly.The sight that greeted me made my blood run cold.

Nina was lying on the bathroom floor, crumpled in a heap like a broken doll. Her skin was as pale as the tile beneath her, her hair tangled around her face. And there, glistening under the harsh light, was blood—on her wrists, on her legs. Red streaks stained the white tile, the metallic scent sharp in the air.

I froze, my heart slamming against my ribs as the scene sank in. No, no, no..."Nina!" I screamed, rushing forward, dropping to my knees beside her. My hands were shaking as I reached out, unsure where to touch, how to help. Her body was limp, unresponsive.

"Oh God, no... Nina, please!" I sobbed, my voice breaking as I gently lifted her head, cradling it in my lap. Tears blurred my vision, my fingers trembling as they brushed her hair away from her face. She was so still, too still.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. All I saw was the blood, seeping from the cuts on her wrists, her skin cold under my fingertips. Panic flooded through me, thick and overwhelming, but I forced myself to move, to do something.I reached for the sink, turning the faucet on, splashing water on her face. The cool droplets trickled down her cheeks, mixing with the blood. Her eyelids fluttered, just barely, and my heart leaped into my throat."Nina!" I called her name again, my voice desperate, pleading. "Wake up, please! Please, wake up!"

She stirred, her face twitching slightly as her eyes slowly blinked open. For a moment, there was nothing but confusion in her gaze, her expression blank. But then she looked at me, and recognition flickered in her eyes.

"Rosetta..." she whispered, her voice hoarse, barely audible.I let out a sob of relief, my arms wrapping around her as I pulled her into a tight embrace. I didn't care about the blood staining my clothes, or the fact that my hands were shaking so violently I could hardly hold her. All I cared about was that she was awake, that she was here.

"Nina, what did you do?" I whispered into her hair, my voice breaking as fresh tears streamed down my face. "Why... why didn't you tell me?"

She didn't say anything at first, just leaned into me, her body trembling as she let out a shaky breath. I felt her hands gripping my arms weakly, as if she was trying to hold on to something—anything.

"I-I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice so soft I could barely hear it. "I couldn't... I couldn't take it anymore. It all came back, Rosetta... everything."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I held her tighter, my own sobs mixing with hers. "What came back?" I asked, though part of me was terrified to know the answer.

Her voice cracked as she spoke, her words tumbling out between broken breaths. "When I was thirteen... I was kidnapped. A man... he hurt me. He... he hung me from the ceiling by my wrists. He bruised me, beat me, and... and he—"

Her voice broke off, and my heart shattered into a million pieces as I realized what she was trying to say. I pulled her even closer, my own tears unstoppable as I rocked her gently in my arms.

"Nina... oh my God, I'm so sorry," I whispered, my throat tight with grief. "You didn't deserve that. You didn't deserve any of it."

She was sobbing now, the weight of her trauma pouring out in every tear, in every choked breath. "I thought... I thought I'd moved on. I thought I was okay. But when they took me this time, it... it felt like it was happening all over again. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I—"

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay now," I murmured, even though I knew nothing about this was okay. How could it be? She had been through hell. And she had kept it all inside, alone.

Rosetta, I failed her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, her voice so broken, so lost. "I didn't know what else to do."

I held her tighter, feeling my own heart crack open under the weight of her words. How could she think she had to do this alone? How could she believe, even for a second, that she wasn't worth saving?

"I'm here," I whispered, my tears falling onto her hair as I pressed my cheek against the top of her head. "I'm here, Nina. I'm never leaving you."

We stayed like that for what felt like hours, clinging to each other as the world fell apart around us. I couldn't stop crying, and neither could she.

The bathroom was a mess—blood on the floor, her wrists still raw and red. I needed to clean her up, needed to help her. But for now, all I could do was hold her. She needed to know she wasn't alone. Not anymore.

And then the door creaked open, a shadow falling over us.

Kai stood there, his face pale, his eyes wide with shock as he took in the scene before him—Nina in my arms, the blood on the floor, the tears streaming down both our faces.

He didn't say a word.He didn't have to.Because in that moment, I knew—everything was about to change.