𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐚 | 𝟏𝟖 +

𝐅 𝐎 𝐑 𝐓 𝐘 - 𝐎 𝐍 𝐄

Noah

I parked Nina's Audi in the driveway and sat there for a moment, gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white. My heart was already racing, and I hadn't even stepped out of the car yet. I didn't want to face him, didn't want to walk through that door and pretend like everything was okay when it was far from it. A thousand scenarios ran through my mind, each one worse than the last, but I couldn't stay out here forever. I had to face him.

With a deep breath, I stepped out of the car, hoping against hope that he wouldn't question the unfamiliar Audi in the driveway. Maybe he wouldn't even notice. Maybe he'd be passed out drunk already.

But as soon as I opened the front door, my heart dropped to my feet. There he was, standing in the hallway with a whiskey glass in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot, his shirt wrinkled, and the familiar smell of alcohol hung thick in the air.

"Where the hell were you?" he growled, his voice slurred but menacing.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to answer. "I was... I was at a friend's."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard the sharp sound of glass shattering against the wall. His whiskey glass. My body flinched on instinct, and my heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. I could feel my pulse racing in my throat, in my ears. Every part of me screamed to run, but my legs felt glued to the floor.

Before I could even process what was happening, his hand was around my throat, slamming me against the wall so hard I saw stars. My lungs burned as I struggled to breathe, his grip like a vice around my neck.

"When I say to be home, you fucking listen." he snarled, his breath reeking of whiskey.

And then, without warning, his fist connected with my mouth. Pain exploded in my face, and I tasted blood instantly. A groan escaped me, my lips already swelling from the impact. I barely had time to recover from the punch before I felt his knee slam into my stomach. The pain was blinding, shooting through my ribs like fire. I collapsed to the floor, clutching my side, my already bruised ribs screaming in agony.

I wanted to scream, to cry out, but all I could do was gasp for air, trying to push through the haze of pain clouding my mind.

"Get to your room." he spat, looking down at me with disgust. "And stay out of my fucking way."

I waited until I heard him shuffle off, the sound of his heavy footsteps fading as he staggered down the hall. Only then did I dare to move. Slowly, painfully, I started to crawl toward the stairs. Every inch of movement felt like torture, each breath sending sharp pains through my ribs. My mouth throbbed, and I could feel the blood trickling down my chin from my split lip.

By the time I reached my room, I could barely keep it together. As soon as the door closed behind me, I crumpled to the floor and let the sobs burst out. I couldn't hold them back any longer. The pain, the fear, the anger, it all came crashing down on me at once, suffocating me.

I hate him. I hate him.

Tears streamed down my face as I pressed my hand to my aching ribs, trying to breathe through the pain. My whole body hurt, inside and out. How much longer could I do this? How many more times could I let him break me before I shattered completely?

I wanted to be anywhere but here. With Nina. With Theo. Anywhere that wasn't this nightmare. But I was stuck. Stuck in this hell with a father who couldn't care less if I lived or died. And right now... it felt like I was doing a little bit of both.

I curled up on my bed, hugging myself as more tears fell. How could someone who was supposed to protect me, who was supposed to love me, do this to me?

I hate him so much.

I lay there on my bed, still crying, when I felt the soft vibration of my phone in my pocket. For a second, I almost didn't want to look at it, didn't want to see the world outside of this mess I was in. But my hand moved on its own, pulling the phone out. When I saw Nina's name pop up on the screen, I couldn't help the slight flicker of warmth that lit up inside me. I wiped at my tear-stained face with the back of my hand and opened the message.

It was a photo of Nina and Theo. Theo was curled up on her chest, fast asleep, and Nina had this wide smile on her face as she looked at the camera. The sight made me chuckle, even through the pain and the tears. They both looked so content, so at peace. My chest tightened with a mix of emotions, happiness at the sight of them, but also a deep ache because I wasn't there with them.

I typed back quickly, my fingers shaking a little.

I miss you guys.

A few moments later, Nina responded. The house feels empty without you, she wrote, followed by a winking emoji.

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips. Even through everything, she had a way of making me feel a little lighter, a little less alone. It was like she knew how to reach out to me at exactly the right time, and I hated how much I needed that right now.

I set my phone down beside me and let out a long, exhausted sigh. My body ached, my ribs throbbed with each shallow breath I took. I knew I should rest, but instead, I lifted up my shirt and glanced down at my side. A dark, ugly bruise was already starting to form where my father's knee had slammed into me. I traced the edge of the bruise lightly with my fingertips, wincing at the sharp sting that followed.

This was my reality. The bruises, the fear, the lies I told everyone to hide what was really happening. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to push the memories of tonight out of my head, but the sound of his voice, the anger in his eyes, kept replaying like a broken record.

With a sigh, I slowly pushed myself up and made my way to the bathroom, each step a painful reminder of what I'd just been through. When I reached the mirror, I winced at the sight of my reflection. My lip was swollen, and dried blood stained the corner of my mouth. My eyes were puffy from crying, my face a mess. I hated looking at myself like this. I hated seeing the evidence of what he'd done to me.

I grabbed a washcloth and ran it under cold water, then gently dabbed at my face, trying to clean off the blood without causing more pain. I winced with every touch, but eventually, I managed to clean myself up enough to look halfway human again.

When I finally collapsed back into my bed, I felt drained. Completely empty, both physically and emotionally. I pulled the covers up to my chin and curled up on my side, wishing I could disappear under the blankets and never come out again. But as I lay there, I couldn't stop thinking about Nina's message. About the picture of her and Theo. The thought of them, of the little family we'd built together, however temporary it might be, gave me a strange sense of comfort.

I knew I had to go back. I had to face him again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. But right now, at this moment, I could hold on to the fact that someone out there cared about me. Someone wanted me around, missed me when I wasn't there. And that, as small as it was, gave me something to hold on to.

For now, it was enough.

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~ R