The Captured

Chapter 29

I never thought I'd had to give you a warning before we proceed. But here it is. *Trigger content warning* this chapter involves child abuse.

It was an emotionally difficult chapter to write.

Mom? How had she discovered our whereabouts?

I glanced back at Mason, and we shared a shocked look. Mom strode toward us, her determined face sending my heart plummeting. I felt small and terrified, unable to move a muscle.

"What do you think you're doing? I had no idea where you were going! Did you attempt to deceive me? Didn't I explicitly forbid you from seeing him? How dare you defy me!?"

Mom's voice reverberated with anger, drawing the attention of neighbours, who began peering out of their doors.

Pushing me aside, Mom stormed toward the door, causing me to stumble into Mason, who landed in the bushes. As I looked up, tears welling in my eyes, I saw Dad standing in the doorway, glaring at her. Both of them radiated hatred and anger, and for the first time, I felt true fear.

Mom's enraged voice echoed through the air, slicing through the tension like a knife. "How dare you snatch my daughter away from me!? What gives you the right?"

I couldn't comprehend the sight before me-my mother, shouting at my father. It was the first time I'd ever witnessed such a confrontation between them. My heart raced, and my palms grew slick with sweat. Glancing at Mason, I could see the fear mirrored in his eyes. "And don't you dare act innocent! You knew exactly what you were doing!"

"She's my daughter too! I have every right to see her, to spend time with her." Dad's retort thundered back, rattling me even further.

Mom's arms crossed defiantly as she leveled a sinister smirk in my direction before turning back to face Dad.

"Would you mind if I told her your secret? Your daughter would despise you for it."

Her voice had lost its volume, sending shivers down my spine. What secret was she referring to? And why did she suddenly seem restrained? Dad's gaze flickered between me and Mom as the weight of their conversation hung heavy in the air.

"It's not just mine; it's yours too." Dad countered, his voice strained. "And what if she does the same to you? She's old enough to know whom to love and hate. Don't try to manipulate me emotionally; it won't work."

Mom's eyes bore into mine before turning back to Dad, her expression filled with malice.

"Think again. It won't be long before I turn her against you. She won't even want to see you again. You'll lose her forever."

Dad's expression darkened as he squared his shoulders, his voice laced with defiance. "I won't be blackmailed by you. Anna deserves better than this."

Confusion and fear gripped me as I moved closer to Dad, seeking refuge from the storm brewing between my parents.

"Dad, what secret is mom talking about?"

Mom's eyes flickered to me, her gaze icy and unforgiving.

"You think you're protecting her? You're only pushing her away."

Dad's defeated expression tore at my heart as he placed his hands on my arms.

"Anna, go back home. Your mother needs you, Daddy will see you soon."

I stumbled back, shock rendering me speechless as Dad retreated inside, leaving me alone on the doorstep. His sniffles haunted the air, leaving me to grapple with the weight of his sorrow.

Why was he crying? What had rendered him so helpless?

He shut the door on me, leaving me standing there in bewildered disbelief.

Facing Mom, her grip on my arm was vice-like, threatening to draw blood. With my free hand, I pleaded, "Mom, let go. You're hurting me, please."

As I pleaded with her, desperation clawing at my throat, she mercilessly dragged me out of the passage. Mason, attempting to intervene, was met with a brutal blow that sent him crashing to the pavement, blood staining the concrete. My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled against her iron grip, every attempt to break free futile.

Frantically, I lashed out, striking her in vain, and screamed for help, but my cries dissolved into the cold evening air.

With a cruel forcefulness, she hurled me into the backseat of her car, her form silhouetted against the darkness as she assumed the driver's seat. The engine roared to life, propelling us away at breakneck speed, leaving behind the scattered remnants of our aborted Christmas shopping.

Tears blurred my vision as I cried out in anguish, the sound of my sobs lost amid the rush of the wind.

In a sudden, vicious motion, she turned on me, her fist connecting with my face, sending shockwaves of pain reverberating through my skull. The world spun around me, my senses overwhelmed by the onslaught of violence and fear.

"SHUT UP!"

Her voice was a thunderous command, cutting through the chaos like a knife.

"DON'T YOU DARE MAKE ANOTHER SOUND, OR you'll be responsible for the consequences."

Her words hung heavy in the air, suffocating me with dread. Through the haze of my confusion, I glimpsed a shadowy figure seated beside her, his presence ominous and foreboding.

Straining to focus, I searched for answers in his enigmatic silhouette, but before clarity could take hold, darkness enveloped me, swallowing me whole.