Fifty Shades After

Chapter 35: Like Father, Like Son

Elena stuffs the small black phone inside her breast pocket and smiles proudly.

"Be a good boy and stay here. I'll be right back."

She bends down to kiss me.

She wipes my wet cheeks and walks behind me.

I hear a metal door open, then close.

I'm left in the dark.

Trembling.

Dead alive.

All alone.

I might as well get used to my surroundings, because I'm absolutely sure that I'm going to die here.

And for some reason, I don't care.

I'm a fool.

A fool for thinking that my problems meant the end of the world.

I'm a fool for thinking myself superior than my parents.

I'm a fool for thinking that isolation was my only solution.

I'm a fool.

And now I'm going to die.

But it's my fault.

So it's okay.

How long am I going to be here?

Another hour?

Two?

Maybe all night?

Elena isn't back yet.

If I had to guess, it's been thirty minutes, but what do I know?

I lick my dry lips.

They taste like blood.

The blood from my nose.

But it doesn't hurt.

Nothing hurts anymore.

I'm numb.

All my pain is gone and I'm questioning whether I'm already dead.

And I'm in Hell.

I hear a door slam open.

Disembodied voices of men screaming.

"Check the upstairs! Marcus, Sawyer, come with me!"

Who's that?

Taylor?

It can't be Taylor.

No one's coming.

I'm all alone.

All alone.

And I'll always be alone.

It was lesson one.

Elena said so.

She hasn't been wrong yet.

I bow my head and the blood from my nose drips to my thighs.

I'm so tired.

I just want to sleep.

And maybe wake up and realize it was all a horrible nightmare.

Then go downstairs to the kitchen and kiss Mom good morning, and read the headline of the newspaper Dad is hiding behind with.

And Phoebe running to the kitchen with Ella the Doll under her arm.

But it's not gonna happen.