Shadow Of The Past | Ongoing

58| "issues"

Naomi

My eyes flutter open, and they slowly adjust to my surroundings.

A person stands in front of me, but my eyesight is blurry, but i can see this figure coming towards me and squats down right in front of me.

I try to move, but my body's being held down. My eyes start to adjust and find their way to the figure, and my heart drops.

"Relax, you're fine." A familair voice speaks.

Xavier.

I try to speak, but my mouth is held shut.

I try not to panic, but everything starts rushing back to me like a slap to the face and a punch to the heart.

My heart begins racing as my mind remembers what had happened and immediately thought of Amara.

A hand goes to the side of my bare thigh, and i try to move it but he continues to tighten his grip.

"Relax Naomi. I'm not gonna hurt you." He says smiling, and I just stare at him.

I still refuse to let him touch me wheather he was gonna hurt me or not.

I just stare at him with a blank expression and breathing is heavy.

He starts to stand up, and I don't bother looking at him but that changed when his thumb and index finger holds onto my chin, lifting my head.

His other hand comes up to my face, and I feel his fingers caress my cheek and move to tuck a piece of my hair behind my ear.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a second, not liking the way he's interacting and touching me.

I open then a few short seconds later, and he's just smiling down at me, and I couldn't be bothered to do the same.

His hand then moves to the tape that's covering my mouth, slowly starting to remove it and I run my tongue along my teeth.

"Ask what you want to ask." He said.

There was only one thing that had me worried and scared for. Everything else didn't matter. I just needed to see her safe

"Where is she?" I asked.

"She's safe."

"Bull fucking shit." I said.

He leans down to my ear, and I suck in a breath.

"Watch the way you speak to me, Naomi." He warned.

"And why shouldnt I?" I whispered into his ear.

He's quiet for a bit.

"Since I love you, I'll give you one last chance." He said, coming back to standing straight.

My jaw clenched at the mention of him "loving me." He didn't, really. I thought he may have, but now that I think about it, he didn't. He did nothing -besides kisses and any other physical touch. He did nothibg that seemed like a genuine love.

"You don't love me." I said, looking him dead in the eye.

He narrowed his eyebrows at me.

"You never loved me, Xavier. And even if you did, you didn't show it. You never made an effort. You didn't love Amara. you never made an effort to pick her up from school. You never had a time where you just took her out so you two would bond. You were never at the house. I was the one loving her. You were never home. And you say you love me. You loved us? Wow." I spoke my voice stern but soft.

My words didn't seem to hurt him at first, but the more I continued, you could see the anger raging in his eyes.

"At first, I didn't mind you. And even after you, I didn't have an issue with you, but now. Now I have issues with you. I was staying under the house of a gang leader for three years. You cut my arm because I didn't want to satisfy your needs yet. You did this to yourself, Xavier, and you expect me to think you love me. I should've left you the moment you did that but I came back not because I wanted to but because I did it for my child, so don't fucking think in this world your gonna have me again, because I would rather die than to be with you again. Im glad that I found Ace because he is the complete opposite of you -" he cuts me off with a slap to the face, causing my head to turn the opposite way.

I felt a sting on my right cheek, and I proceeded looking the other way, but not even five seconds go by before his hand grabbed onto my neck, turned my face to look him dead in the eyes and leaned his head down so he was close to me.

"Im done with you. I'm done hearing this mans name come out your filthy mouth and everyone else. I will kill him. And that's a promise." He says, his voice stern and sounding dangerous, but it didn't scare me.

He then let go of me, harshly and turned around, walking towards the door.

"And you won't be seeing your daughter anymore." He says and closes the door before I could say a word.

I stare at the door he left, and my eyes don't leave it.

I don't regret my choice of words at all. He had to hear it, but what I do regret is that they've become consequences to not getting a chance to see Amara, if he was even gonna let me.

My head is now going everywhere. Bouncing through the worst possible things that could be going on with my daughter whilst I'm tied to a chair, locked in a black room with only a light.

I keep bouncing between two people who have me worried the most.

Amara and Ace.

_

Ace:

I haven't dared to close an eye since, and I won't until I find them.

I can't sleep, I can't think properly sometimes, I get angry quickly and I need to find them.

It's been two days since what possible could be my worst nightmare. My head has gone insane. I, myslef, am going insane.

I'm really struggling to find them, and it's only making th8ngs worse for me.

I'm in my office currently, drowing myself in my thoughts.

I glare at a glass of whiskey that's rested onto my thigh in my hand.

I hear a knock coming from my door.

"Come in." I said, and Tristain stands at the door.

"We found her." He said and that's all it took for me to stand and we began making our way to her.

__