FATE & ATTRACTION

Chapter 10: Shattered Reflections

LEXIE'S POV:

The bathroom walls closed in on me as the waves of panic and despair engulfed me. Renee had seen my cuts, exposed the hidden wounds I had tried so hard to conceal. The voices in my head grew louder, taunting me with the belief that Renee would now hate me, that I was undeserving of her compassion.

I couldn't bear the thought of facing Renee after she had glimpsed the raw truth of my struggles. The urge to silence the voices, to escape the overwhelming shame, led my trembling hands to reach for the silver blade underneath the sink. But before I could succumb to the destructive comfort it promised, Renee's voice cut through the suffocating silence.

**RENEE:** *Lexie, please open the door. I'm not mad. I just want to be here for you.*

Her words, though kind and filled with concern, only intensified my panic. I felt trapped, torn between the fear of exposing my vulnerability to Renee and the desperate need for solace in the blade's cold embrace.

The knocking on the door echoed like thunder in my ears, each rap pushing me further into a corner of desperation. I hesitated, my hand lingering over the blade, my heart pounding in my chest. The conflict within me reached a breaking point, and in a moment of desperation, I reached for the blade, seeking refuge in the pain it offered.

**RENEE:** *Baby, please, open the door. We can talk about this. You're not alone.*

The knocking continued, and with a shaky breath, I succumbed to the voices, allowing the blade to carve through the fragile skin on my wrist. The immediate sting was a perverse comfort, a distraction from the chaos within.

Before I could hide my actions and the blood that seeped from the fresh wounds, the bathroom door burst open. Renee stood there, her eyes wide with shock and concern. She knelt beside me on the floor, gently prying the blade from my grasp.

**RENEE:** *Lexie, no! You don't have to do this to yourself. Please, let me help you.*

Tears streamed down my face as I crumpled under the weight of my own self-destructive tendencies. I felt exposed, vulnerable, and utterly defeated. Renee's touch, though gentle, felt like a spotlight on the darkest corners of my soul.

I cried uncontrollably, my apologies tumbling out between sobs.

**LEXIE:** *I'm sorry, Renee. I'm so sorry. Don't hate me please.*

Renee's voice was a calming presence, a lifeline in the midst of my storm.

**RENEE:** *Lexie, it's not your fault. I'm here for you. You don't have to go through this alone.*

I clung to her words like a drowning person to a buoy. Renee wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close. As she tried to comfort me, I felt a sense of warmth amid the overwhelming darkness. The battle within me raged on, but Renee's presence offered a glimmer of hope.

In the safety of Renee's arms, the pain and despair became too much to bear. The world around me blurred, and exhaustion settled in. The last thing I heard before succumbing to unconsciousness was Renee's soothing voice, promising to stay by my side, to face the shadows together.