Tie My Heartstring's ❦

florida

Katie

The moonlight filtered through the dusty curtains, casting an eerie glow across the worn wooden floor of Alice's family's old house.

I sat on the edge of a frayed armchair, my fingers nervously drumming against my thigh. I couldn't help but think about my father. The weight of his absence felt like it was pulling me down.

I wanted so badly to tell him I was done with Hudson. I wanted to lay it all out—how I broke up with him, the things he had done, the reasons I had to leave.

But I knew he would go crazy if I did. My father had always been the protective type. If he knew the truth, it would unleash a storm that could consume us both, and I didn't want to drag him into this mess. I couldn't have anything happen to him.

It felt selfish, but I didn't want him involved. I couldn't risk this becoming something bigger than I intended. I just wanted to escape, to find some semblance of safety. Until, I was rid of Hudson for good.

The thought of going to the police flickered through my mind, but that idea was just as futile. They wouldn't believe me without proof.

I could already hear the questions, the skepticism in their voices. "Do you have any evidence?" What was I supposed to show them? A collection of messages that spiraled from sweet to sinister? A bruised heart but not a single bruise on my skin?

What would I gain? A restraining order? It was a laughable notion. Hudson wouldn't follow it, he never followed the rules. He believed he was above everything, untouchable.

I shuddered at the thought of him finding out I had gone to the cops. That would only escalate things, and I was already skirting the edge of chaos.

I knew I had to make a choice—stay and face the inevitable confrontation or drive away and hope he wouldn't come after me. The idea of facing him again made my stomach twist, a sickening knot that tightened with every breath.

I'm not the same woman he knew, and I don't forgive him. I'm not attracted to him anymore, I refuse. He destroyed every last drop of my desire and love for him with his coldness. Now my heart is cold. My body is cold.

What had I gotten myself into? I know I had stayed too long, endured it more than I needed to. But that was how manipulative he was. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to steady my racing heart.

Memories of the good times flooded back—how we had laughed together, the way he'd held my hand like it was the most precious thing in the world. But those moments felt so far away now, overshadowed by the darkness that had seeped into our relationship.

In those moments of joy, I had overlooked the warning signs. The jealousy, the possessiveness—it had all felt like love at the time. But now? Now, it was a chain, binding me to someone who had twisted my reality.

The silence hung heavily in the air, amplifying my anxiety. It felt like the house was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. "Do you think he's found us?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Alice, who was rummaging through the sparse kitchen supplies, paused and turned to me. Her expression was a mix of determination and fear, mirroring my own. "Of course not." She moved closer, her presence a calm in the storm of my thoughts. "We need to come up with a plan. If Hudson's looking for you, we can't stay here much longer."

I nodded, but the thought of leaving this relative safety filled me with dread. Hudson was unpredictable, and since discovering our relationship, he had descended into chaos.

The last time replayed in my mind like a broken record. He kidnapped me, scared the shit out of me with his rage, the way he had shattered our peaceful world, leaving nothing but fragments in its wake. I thought he was going to murder me at one point, that wasn't normal.