She was lost and so was he.
Who knew that two broken hearts can connect to one.
Arabella's world has been rigged since the day she was born. Her fate had been decided for her much longer before she even had been conceived in the womb. So it came as...
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Three month later
These past few months have been gruesome.
It felt like so much happened, even though nothing really did. I spent most of the time recovering and trying to rebuild my health. That sounded simple enough—just lying in bed with someone always a button away if I needed anything. There was nothing required of me.
That, however, was the worst part. You start to zone out when you have nothing to do. You're left alone with yourself. I tried to find solace in my thoughts. But Nicholas... Nicholas was the most effective form of mind control. He knew this would happen. He knew I'd try to find comfort within myself to keep from going insane. And he wanted the opposite. He made sure of it.
He encouraged his bodyguards to hurt me. To leave as many scars on my body as they pleased. And then he'd come in and twist the screws inside my head. He may have raped me, but it was his words that stung the most. The descriptions, the things he forced me to see—it's all stuck in my brain. The images replay in my mind at night when I'm trying to sleep, and his words loop through my ears on repeat.
It's like listening to a broken record that scratches against my skull. The darkness of the room is perfect for projecting every horror I've seen. Every single thing stays with me here in this place. An endless void. The same place I've been stuck in for the past month.
I hate it. I hate it here. Maybe that's why I already have letters written for the important people in my life. Just in case.
I hear a knock before the door creaks open, and I jolt out of my trance. I turn my body away from the door, lying on my side. I shut my eyes, hoping they'll think I'm asleep.
"I know you're not sleeping, Arabella."
My face tightens at Alejandro's voice, and I pull the blanket tighter around me. Things between us are still awful. He's given me my space. And I despise it. I might've asked for it, but deep down, I wanted him to fight through it—to prove me wrong. To show he was still my brother. He hasn't done that yet.
"Ang—Arabella..."
Tears gather behind my closed lids at the slip. I wanted to be Angie again.
His hand grazes my back, and I feel my body stiffen under his touch. He pulls away gently, then the bed dips beneath his weight as he sits beside me.
"Please."
My control shatters at the crack in his voice. Sobs claw out of my chest, my tears breaking free in a flood. I try to hold them in, to choke them back down, but they just keep coming. I feel like I'm sinking into the mattress.
When I turn to face Alejandro, I see tears in his eyes too. He bites the inside of his cheek, clearly struggling to keep it together.
"I'm so sorry, Arabella. I can't apologize enough for not being there. I should've run to you the second you woke up. I should've hugged you after all that time. You deserved that. As your older brother... I fucked up. On so many levels. You have every right to never speak to me again. It's your choice. I'll accept that. I just need you to tell me straight."
