Chapter 18
I had a very long dream–in it, I wore my school uniform, holding a transparent umbrella.
It was a rainy late autumn day with puddles everywhere. I carefully avoided them, fearing mud splashing onto my
white socks.
Jade had skipped tutoring to meet her boyfriend. She’d informed the driver in advance, leaving me to find my own way home.
By the time I left the tutoring center, it was already eight o’clock.
I called Maddox, but his end was noisy, with people encouraging him and some girl.
When I asked if he could pick me up, he said: “I’m in the middle of something important. The rain isn’t heavy–just grab a taxi.”
It was such an ordinary day.
But on that particular evening, before I could exit the alley, Victor Pierce blocked my path.
He said: “Lyra, I like you.”
The Pierce family had spoiled their youngest son rotten. When he liked rabbits‘ fluffy ears, he cut them off. When he hated dogs barking, he had their vocal cords removed…
I feared him, but I couldn’t escape.
I said: “That’s not liking someone. And I don’t like you.”
“No, liking means wanting to possess. Not liking means wanting to destroy. Let me prove how much I like you, shall
I?”
He pushed me down, covering me in dirty water.
He crushed my umbrella and grabbed my throat.
His disgusting lips pressed against my cheek, my neck.
I kept thinking I should have walked faster, even if my socks got wet with mud.
The dream sequence gradually blurred.
I only remember someone arriving to rescue me before the final violation.
My brother held me tightly, repeating “I’m sorry” over and over.
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Chapter 18
Afterward, I locked myself in a cramped room, keeping the curtains drawn, losing track of day and night.
At my worst, I survived on sedatives and intravenous nutrition.
Until I received a misdirected package with no sender name. Opening it fearfully, I found only a cluster of lilies of
the valley.
Other flowers droop their heads when nearing death, but not lilies of the valley. Their bell–shaped buds hanging from the stem signified they were in full bloom.
The card inside read: “Sweetness and a Return to Happiness.”
They say receiving lilies of the valley brings the blessing of the luck goddess.
Perhaps, I thought, perhaps things really could get better.
When I awoke, my parents and Maddox surrounded my bed.
Raine stood in the doorway–I could only see his violently trembling shoulders.
Maddox looked like he hadn’t slept all night, his eyes bloodshot.
“I’m so sorry, Lyra. I had no idea he’d been released early.”
Less than four years into his sentence, Victor had been freed, which likely connected to the Pierce family’s rising
influence.
They spoke at length, but I absorbed nothing.
In my dazed state, I recalled Julian telling me to breathe deeply, not to be afraid.
His voice had been so reassuring.
When Maddox went downstairs to fetch my medicine, Raine entered with heavy steps.
He kept his head down, not daring to come too close. After a long moment, he looked up. I saw his reddened eyes and the blue shadow of stubble on his cheeks.
“I had no idea you went through something so terrible. I’m so sorry, truly sorry.”
I didn’t understand why he was apologizing–this had nothing to do with him.
Yet he seemed consumed with guilt, repeatedly apologizing, saying he shouldn’t have hurt me.
“You must have needed so much courage to trust me. I failed you.”
To this day, the mere brush of a strange man’s shoulder on the street makes me instantly tense.
When I decided to try changing, a dejected Raine appeared in my life.
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Chapter 18
I thought someone as wonderful as him deserved my leap of faith.
Even when my palms sweated during our first hand holding, even when I trembled uncontrollably during our first embrace, I still felt happiness outweighing fear.
As he rambled on, exhaustion overwhelmed me. I turned away to sleep.
In my half–conscious state, I thought I heard his stifled sobs
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.