Hostage

The End Of It All (II)

Roxi's POV

Even though Will tried not to show it, I could see the horror on his face as he listened. I could see the blood drain from his face as he lowered his gaze to the sheets.

He was trying to keep his expression stoic, to not come off as judgmental. But it was hard to miss the fact that he couldn't even bring himself to look me in the eyes.

I knew it was a lot to take in all at once. But if I stopped talking now, I would never have the courage to bring it up again. I might never have the opportunity to have him hear it from me again.

Come what may.

My heart was racing as I flicked my tongue over my lower lip and then sniffed.

"At the party, I felt like I was suffocating."
I continued from where I left off, my voice barely audible. "I was surrounded by so many people, yet I felt so alone. I needed to get some air." I pursed my lip. "Samuel came at me......."

The night of the Monroe party
8:00PM

Roxi's POV

Biting down on my lower lip, I rubbed my hand against the fabric of my dress as I looked around the grand hall, my eyes secretly searching for my brothers among the crowd.

If only it was as easy to bury the unease I was feeling inside as it was to hide my sadness behind a wide smile.

I let my eyes stop moving when they found Keenan, the loud chattering of the women around me slowly fading out until it all became more of a background noise. I watched Keenan stare intently at the woman in front of him, his gaze unwavering as he listened attentively to whatever she was saying to him. He appeared so relaxed and unbothered but I could see his fingers fidgeting with one another as he folded his hands behind his back.

I bit down on my lower lip and then looked away, letting my eyes move once more until they settled on Will, who was at the far end of the hall, my breath hitching when our eyes met. He pulled his gaze away almost immediately and then took a drink out of the champagne in his flute. I watched him turn his head to the side, saying something to the lady beside him as he did and I watched her laugh flirtatiously, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ears. He turned to face me once more, his gaze daunting when our eyes met. It felt like he was daring me, like he was trying to get a reaction out of me. But I would never give him the satisfaction of knowing I was affected... of knowing that I was hurting.

As if on cue, Jason stepped in, taking an awkward stand between Will and the lady he had been talking to earlier.

I watched him say something to Will and even though he had a small smile on his face as he spoke, I noticed Will's smile falter, his mouth hanging slightly open as the lady gasped, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, after which she turned around and stormed away.

I drew in a deep breath and then exhaled, fighting back my tears as they fought their way to my eyes.

And then I saw Andre.

Standing at the balcony,

Looking down at the rest of us like he would never get the chance to do it again.

His hands were wrapped tightly around the railings of the staircase and for a brief moment, our gazes met.

He offered me a small smile and my heart stopped. Suddenly, I wasn't breathing anymore. I wasn't thinking anymore. I wasn't strong anymore.
Suddenly, I was suffocating. Surrounded, but yet so alone.
And I was scared.

Because even if he was smiling down at me, I could see that he was barely managing to keep his shit together. Fear and discomfort clung to him like a second skin and the fact that I couldn't do anything to make him feel better, the fact that I couldn't say anything to make him feel relaxed broke my heart into a thousand pieces. I knew deep down in my heart that turning himself in was doing the right thing. I knew that it was time to stop.