Babydoll (Steel Rebels MC #1) [Completed]

TWENTYFOUR - It's just college

TRIGGER WARNING: the beginning of this chapter contains the mentioning of sexual abuse of a minor. No details though.

Isabella

Isabella woke up soaked in sweat and with a racing heart. The nightmare that had roused her from her sleep was quickly fading to the background, only leaving behind the imagined pain between her legs and the deep sense of fear inside her heart.

She had been back at her parents' kitchen where most of her assaults had taken place. Usually, Monsieur Jaques had thrown her to the floor, before holding a knife to her throat while he defiled her. Sometimes he had pressed her head to the kitchen counter and forced himself on her from behind. Those times had somehow been even worse because she couldn't see what he did. It had left her feeling completely powerless.

The same feeling was still chilling her body while her mind refused to think about the memories again. Instead it went back to note patterns printed on white paper and soft tunes played inside of her head - her old coping mechanism. She hadn't thought about music sheets in a long time. She also hadn't touched a piano in years.

"Shh, precious, you're safe. Nothing will happen to you," Knux was whispering in her ear and keeping her in a firm but gentle embrace.

Confused she let her eyes dart over the still dark room.

"I got you, my sweet girl." Knux's soft voice brought her back to reality.

She wasn't in her parents' place, she was lying next to her boyfriend who kept her safe and would fight anyone who would dare to touch her without her permission. He would never leave her alone and that realization made her start crying, partly from gratefulness, partly because she was overwhelmed by her emotions.

"It's all good."

Knux snuggled her deeper into his chest and pressed kisses onto her head and let her cry. With the help of his encouraging words and soft caresses, the tears soon faded into sniffles and hiccups.

It was the third time this night she had woken up by a horrible nightmare. Usually sleeping next to Knux kept the memories away but after talking with Roman, her head had been even more tangled than before. Isabella wasn't sure how she would be able to focus on anything in her lectures in a few hours, but she couldn't take more time off. She already missed a week of revision. While she probably would somehow pass most of her exams even if she didn't go to classes for the next weeks, she wanted to do well. The better her results were, the easier it would be to find good practical placements next semester. 

"Try to sleep some more, babe," Knux told her, when she had calmed down again.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for waking you up."

Isabella felt bad for interrupting his sleep constantly. 

He made a sound like he didn't agree with her.
"Precious, you know what I think about you apologizing for things like that."

Isabella blushed.
"You don't like it," she relied quietly. 

"Exactly." He let the word hand in the air and a word of apology was hanging again on Isabella's lip.

There were so few things that Knux asked her to do and she kept failing to do them.

"I'll try to be better," she thus promised.

"I know, you will," he agreed. "And now let's sleep."

***

Surprisingly, Isabella still got some shut eye before her alarm woke them up. She got up to shower and go through her normal beauty routine while Knux still snoozed a little on the bed.