Freed

25

**Trigger Warning**
sexual assault.

I walked until my feet ached and my legs went numb. The roads were strangely empty, and a little too quiet for my liking, but I didn't let that stop me. I'd reached the heart of town by now, and I was walking alongside the path. Small business lined both sides of the street, but all of them were closed because of the time. Occasionally, a car drove by or a group of people walked by, but I didn't pay them any attention.

I continued walking in silence with a heavy heart. My throat was thick with emotion, and I kept thinking of the way I'd woken up alone. It wasn't surprising anymore. Just disappointing. And that was so much heavier in a way.

There comes a point where you don't even have room in yourself to be angry at the unfairness of the world. Their broken promises had turned into my expectations by now, and I felt like all I had to do each day was wait for the next blow.

My feet dragged against the cement, and when I began to see black spots because I was so dehydrated and exhausted, I found a bench outside of a small bakery, lining the path. I shuffled over and took a seat, slipping out my phone as I tried to calm my racing heart.

My fingers had a mind of their own as I scrolled through my contacts and clicked on Ethan's name.

There were a few things I'd figured out throughout the night and miles I'd walked alone.

I was mad at Caleb for leaving. I didn't care about his condition or the fact that he'd discovered Elena was his biological mother. The anger had an undertone of guilt present inside of me, but I didn't care.

My mom raised him. She was his true mom by heart. Blood didn't mean anything when family let you down. I hated him for not understanding that Elena shouldn't mean anything to him. I didn't care if it made me selfish. So be it. I deserved to be selfish when I always put everyone else's feelings before mine, even if it killed me inside.

I was mad at Elijah for breaking his promise. Day after day, he did the same thing and I hated him for it. I hated his work, I hated his men, I hated his stupid lifestyle for ripping him away from us. He always chose the violence and thrill of power over his family and I was so sick of it.

I was mad at Kaiden for leaving me behind without even a note to warn me beforehand. I didn't care what he found more important. He'd left me to wake up alone on the one night he knew I didn't want to be. It seemed like he was always running from things and people because he didn't know how to deal with his feelings.

The only person I couldn't find myself to be mad at was Ethan because he'd asked me before he left if I wanted him to stay home. I'd declined because I'd seen the way his face looked pale as if he hadn't slept. And I knew that if he'd stayed inside the house a moment longer, he'd collapse from the weight of the memories. I let him go because out of all of us, he was the one who needed to be the most away tonight since he was the one suffering from the trauma.

And he'd made sure I was okay before he left. Something no one else had done. Something people did very rarely for me.

The thought alone made my throat tighten with emotion.

"Izzy, you there?" I snapped back to reality, realizing he'd been calling my name ever since he'd picked up. I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes downcast as I sat on the bench. "You gonna answer me or....?"

I stayed silent. On the other end of the phone, I heard a door slam shut and background music along with voices fade away.

"Everything okay?" Ethan asked quietly, his voice clearer now and I figured he'd gone somewhere private. A long, tense moment of silence passed. "I'm gonna take that as a no. What's going on?"