Left to Face This Alone

eight

You took a deep breath, getting up from the bed, you decided that you were going to go down and apologize to Dom. You knew that if you didn't, Rhea was going to be angrier than she already was. You hated it – hated her, but you knew you weren't going to win against her. You slowly made your way down the stairs and as soon as you were at the bottom of the steps, your jaw dropped when you saw Dom sitting on Rhea's lap as her mouth was on his neck.

"Mami... please," Dom whimpered, unaware that you were watching.

You quickly made your way to the front door as best as you could as quietly as you could before they could notice you. As soon as you made it to the door, you opened it quickly, not bothering to stay quiet as you took off running. You could hear Dom cry out in pain at what you assumed was Rhea pushing him off her lap.

You refused to stop and look back as you made your way down the street. As soon as you were far away from Rhea and the others, you stopped to pull your phone out of your pocket.

Rhea was calling you, but you closed your eyes and sent her to voicemail. You knew that Rhea was going to hurt you when she found you, but at that moment, you didn't care.

Going through your contacts, you sighed as you hit the call button.

——

You were surprised when Liv pulled up and even though you knew she was coming to get you, you didn't expect her to get there so fast. A part of you was hurt, surprised that Rhea didn't find you while you waited, but you shook the feeling away. Rhea was horrible and you deserved better - or, at least, that's what Liv had been telling you.

When she pulled up to you, you quickly got into the car. "Thank you so much for coming to get me. I didn't realize you'd get here so fast," you chuckled, trying your best to lighten the mood.

"You called me crying, telling me you needed help - I didn't want to waste any time," Liv admitted, causing you to smile.

"Thank you for not asking a bunch of questions," you said, and Liv placed her hand on your thigh, causing you to flinch a little. She noticed, quickly moving her hand away from your thigh. "Sorry."

"Hey, (Your Name), don't be sorry. I'm sorry for touching you without asking," Liv apologized as she began to drive down the street. You kept your eyes glued to the road, knowing that Rhea was going to find you eventually. The last time you tried to run, you felt pain you had never felt before and it terrified you to think that she was going to really hurt you again.

"You can just take me to a hotel and I'll get myself a room," you stated, and when you glanced at Liv, you could tell she was concerned.

"Are you sure? You can stay in my room? There's an extra bed and I don't mind, really, if you want?" Liv suggested, but you shook your head.

"No, it's okay, I'd rather not go to that hotel," you stated, pausing yourself when you realized what you had said, "The beds aren't really comfortable."

"Are you sure?" Liv pushed.

A part of you wanted to stay with her, but Rhea was also in that hotel and the last thing you wanted was to run into her. Not with Liv. You wanted to trust her, but you couldn't trust anyone - not after Dom.

"I'm sure, I just- Yeah, I'm sure," you said, shaking your head.

The rest of the car ride was silent, but you were thankful for that. As soon as Liv got to a hotel that wasn't anywhere near the one Rhea was staying at, you thanked her before getting out of the car.

"Wait, (Your Name)?" Liv called out, causing you to stop in your tracks.

You turned around slowly, unsure of what she wanted. "Yeah?" you asked, avoiding eye contact.