Nightmares

Chapter fifty: Harper

I stared into the dark.

"Carter?" I whispered.

"Hmm?" A mumble.

"Promise me something."

"What?"

"If you leave me, promise to let me know." I whispered.

"Where is this coming from?" He asked, stroking my hair away from my face.

"Because he left me and it took too long for me to heal." I said softly.

"Who?"

"Ben."

"What happened?" He asked.

"He used me. He manipulated me in too many ways to count." I spoke softly, slowly. Not sure whether I should tell anyone this. "He was...abusive. He...he never hit me. But, well, he used whatever means available to him to control me. He never wanted me to be my own person. And he always left me when I needed him most."

He was quiet, holding me in a way that let me know things would be okay more than words ever could.

"He tried to break me. And sometimes he came so close..." My whisper tailed off into nothing.

"I've got you now, Harper. I promise. And I'll pick up your broken pieces if you ever lose them again." He promised.

And somehow, even though his words didn't fix everything. Even though nothing could ever really heal the scars he left on my heart. Somehow I believed him.

Somehow I had hope that things would be okay.

And I think as long as I had hope, I could do this. I've survived this long. I could handle whatever comes next.

Couldn't I?

~*~

My eyes flickered awake the next morning and I yawned.

"Morning princess." Carter said.

I smiled sleepily.

"Come on, get showered and dressed. I need to take you home." He said softly.

I did as he said and we set off along the path. And I wondered how, exactly, I would explain this to my parents when I got home.