Shattered

Chapter 57

How do I go on living now?

How do I re-enter the real world after spending just about two months—although it felt incredibly longer—being some deranged man's toy? It's hard to say I even felt like myself. I'm not even sure I remember what I was like. Learning to be happy, that's where I was. For the first time since my adolescence, I had finally made progress. No longer had the unwavering cloud of constant depression hung over me, my health was better than ever, and I was working my dream job. All of it ruined because of one selfish man.

No one deserves that power, and should they have it, they aren't meant to use it. It was my life to live, and now—for the foreseeable future at least—I would be living in fear, like a prisoner in my own body. Thinking about how he threatened my family was almost enough for me to want to turn around and give myself back to him. Without them, there truly was nothing left in the world for me.

There was a lingering feeling in me... it wasn't as simple as just going home. He knew too much about me. There was a period of time when he knew me, but I didn't know him, and in that time, I had no doubt he learned many details about me. I would have to uproot my life all over again just to feel some peace of mind.

The next morning, Nyx received a package—my passport. With how fast it arrived from an international location, I had no doubt that shipping cost my father a lot. I had asked Nyx if I could talk to him, but she had been communicating via a burner email. She said they initially used her phone, but she needed something more inconspicuous as Soren would notice an unknown number appearing too often in her call logs. I didn't ask why he kept track of her phone, I think I already knew the answer.

Holding something from my old life—even as minor as my passport—felt like a breath of fresh air. A weight off my shoulders. I couldn't help but ask her what she had told my father, admittedly still ashamed I was in this situation. He only knew that I had landed in some kind of mess and needed help getting back. My dad knew I wasn't exactly the "daredevil" type, so I'm sure he knew there was much more to the story, and I would tell him the barebone details at least. As soon as I was gone, I intended to shut this door of my life for eternity and never think of it again.

"How much cash did you swipe from Chandler?" Nyx asked from across the dining table, peeling a mandarin with her long nails.

"Everything that was in his wallet," I answered with a little smirk—despite feeling a lump form in my throat at the mention of his name—but knowing that sum was probably pocket change to him. "It's probably still in the pocket of my pants, along with the keys, you didn't throw those out yet, right?"

"No, not yet," Nyx answered as I took a bite of my oatmeal, now cold. I had taken too long to will my appetite back. Honestly, I still didn't want to eat—the image of my bloody hands still fresh in my mind. After all the things that man did to me, I don't know how he slept at night. He was a deeply tormented man.

Her phone on the table began to vibrate. When she turned it over, her frown was immediate. "It's Soren," she said, "Don't make a sound." I nodded, watching as she lifted the device to her ear.

"Hello?" she said after she answered, and I could just barely hear his voice. Nyx's eyebrows furrowed together. "Today? Why?" Below the table, her leg began to shake, like she was anxious. "Okay, what time? I can go get you." Oh no.

They exchanged a few more words before she hung up, breathing a heavy sigh. "Soren is coming back today," she said somberly, a desperate look in her eyes. "We still have a few hours until then, I promise I'll get you out of here before then." There was something else she wasn't saying... I couldn't pinpoint it but I knew something still irked her.