Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 76~

~Raelyn~
~June 2nd~

I woke up in a haze, the room spinning around me. My head throbbed, a dull pain that seemed to echo through my entire body. As my vision cleared, I realized with a jolt that I was in a dimly lit room, the walls discolored and grimy.

The mattress beneath me was filthy, and I could feel every spring digging into my back. Panic surged through me as I looked down and saw I was only in my bra and underwear. I quickly grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped it around myself.

The door was cracked open, and I could see Colby's dad, Layne, standing there. Fear gripped me as memories of the past came flooding back. "Awake are we princess?" He sneered.

"What the fuck am I doing here?" I shouted, my voice laced with venom and anger.

"Why can't you just leave Colby and me the fuck alone? We are happily married, leave us be!"

Layne's eyes were cold and menacing as he stepped into the room. "You think you can take him away from me?" he sneered. "Colby belongs with his family, not with some little girl who thinks she can play house."

Anger boiled inside me, and without thinking, I lunged at him, wrapping my arms around his neck from behind once his back was to me. I wrapped my legs around him as I had a death grip around his neck. But Layne was stronger. He slammed me against the wall to get me off, my head snapping back with a sickening thud. Pain exploded in my skull, and I crumpled to the floor, clutching the back of my head. I felt a warm, sticky wetness and saw blood on my fingers.

Layne kicked me in the side as I heard something crack, and I gasped, curling into a ball as the pain radiated through my body. He laughed, a cruel, heartless sound, and slammed the door shut behind him. I lay there, my head pounding, tears streaming down my face. "Help!" I screamed, my voice raw and desperate. "Somebody, please help me!"

The room seemed to close in around me, the walls pressing in as I struggled to breathe. This was all my fault, if only I hadn't stepped out, I wouldn't be in this predicament.

I had to get out of here. I had to find Colby. But as the darkness started to creep in at the edges of my vision, I knew I was running out of time.

~

I woke up on the cold, hard floor of the bunker, every part of my body aching. I wrapped myself in the thin blanket, trying to find some warmth. As I looked up, I saw a familiar face, a sinister smile spreading across it. Layne.

"Good morning," he sneered. "Sleep well?" He asked with a sinister grin.

I snapped back weakly, "Not really." He chuckled, throwing a white romper at me. "Get dressed, whore."

I backed up nervously, hitting the wall behind me. My heart pounded in my chest as I quickly changed my clothes, tears streaming down my face. Layne knelt down, shoving my head into the wall with a cruel laugh.

"Pathetic," he spat. "You're nothing." He walked out of the room and down a hallway.

I sobbed quietly, pulling the romper on as fast as I could. Once I was dressed, I walked out into the creepy hallway, my mind racing with thoughts of escape.

I need to find a way out of here.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned around, my heart stopping when I saw Liam.

"Liam!" I whispered urgently. "What are you doing here?"

He quickly pulled me into a closet, his face serious as his hand covered my mouth. "Raelyn, you need to stay in your room. It's not safe out here."