A Way Out

Chapter 22

"I'm going to make you feel so fucking good."

Jake placed his hand on my hip, squeezing it as he put his nose in my hair and smelled it. "Mmm, you've always smelled so damn good."  His hand left my hip before he tangled it in my hair, yanking it backward, which made me hiss and my scalp sting. My neck snapped back, making me gasp. The burning sensation in my head traveled all the way to my heart, causing it to beat against my ribcage.

Tears filled to the brim of my eyes, and air left my mouth in quick breaths. I stared up at the ceiling, trying to find some comfort in the grey-colored cement. He did it. Jake went over the boundary he dangerously balanced on and hurt me, not caring about what it would do to me. Deep down I knew he was capable of it, but I never expected him to do it. Or maybe I did, but I didn't want to admit it.

Jake ran his nose along the base of my neck, once again condemning it to a sensitive spot. He cursed me, putting a destructive spell on parts of my body. It ruined those parts for possible touches in the future. Touches full of care and worship. Touches that had never belonged to Jake. His were full of ownership. Ownership he thought he had over me.

"You shouldn't have broken up with me, babe." His hand pulled my hair down, straining my neck. "Now I have to show you what you are missing."

My eyes popped wide open at those words. The words reached me. They flew around my body before entering with a blast. Those few words shook me to the core before I forced them out, which made me feel strong. A fight that I buried deep down within me dug its way up and kneed Jake in the groin without thinking about it. The fight was strong, starting in the pit of my stomach and exploding to every portion of my body.

"Fuck!" Jake screamed as he lunged forward, his hands grabbing where I hurt him the most. He wanted to move up, but another sting of pain prevented him from doing so, giving me space to create distance between us. I didn't know where it came from, but I felt glad that I finally fought back. Because when you fought back, Jake didn't have control. It disabled him in his power, which evaporated his confidence.

I sprinted towards the counter to create a barrier. Somewhere inside me, I felt some sense of pride for finally fighting back, for finally showing Jake that he didn't own me. He couldn't break me, and I had enough on him that could destroy him. I felt like this time I had won.

"If you don't fucking leave, I swear to god I will do it again" I spat, feeling nothing but strength radiating through my pores.

Jake looked up, still in pain. "You wouldn't. You are just a scared pathetic little bitch," he said, before wincing in pain again.

"Let's test that theory," I countered before stepping away from the counter and slapping him across the face. That one was for Justin, who didn't deserve to get beat up by Jake.

"Fuck!" Jake screamed as he held his cheek before leaving the coffee shop. It showed Jake's weakness. He needed to be in control, otherwise, he couldn't cope with the situation. That's why he avoided Raleigh because she didn't allow him to have control over her. I was through with Jake's control. I finally stood up to him. I had let him go too far, but now I set a boundary and his ass would not cross it anymore. I wouldn't let it happen again.

At flying speed, I locked the door behind him and sunk to the ground. Still shaken up, I let the tears flow freely, not caring about anything anymore at that moment.

All the angst, doubt, and fear left my body with the tears that streamed down my face. Every single bit that flowed out of me, numbed my body. It protected me from all the overwhelming feelings that I couldn't cope with yet. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. All these years I had sold myself so damn short. I settled for less when I deserved so much more. I deserved someone who would go to heaven and hell for me. Whose world revolved around me, just like mine had revolved around Jake. I also deserved answers, and that's why I took out my phone and called the one person who wouldn't expect a call from me.