How To Love Her

Chapter Thirty-Three

~~Sophia's POV~~
We were so close, so close to escaping. But he had arrived already, he had arrived and broken a piece of my life once again. It was almost as if everything froze, and I was the only one who could move. I could see. I could see through my life like it was glass, and the first crack began not in the corner, but the middle. It started in the middle and spread outwards. Then everything paused. And the only thing he had to do was tap. One little tap on the glass and the shards fell at my feet.

"Hijita," the man before me smirks, placing a finger underneath my chin and lifting my head gently, "You look thin. You haven't been eating lately?"

I glare at him, wanting to rip his eyes out of their sockets. I was so close to leaving. To escaping. Why didn't I move faster?

His grip on my chin tightens, and I want to immediately retract my body from his grip. From his hands; the hands that did nothing but hurt me. The hands that brought back so many horrible memories. The hands that..

"You speak when spoken to, you hear?" He grabs my face in one hand, squeezing my cheeks tightly. I try not to whimper in pain as my teeth digs into the skin on the inside of my mouth.

I nod quickly, hoping he'd let go of my face.

He didn't. Instead, he laid a jewelry covered hand on my shoulder, applying pressure. "You remember the last time you didn't listen, right hijita?"

I cringe back, trying to keep my eyes open. If I closed them, I'd only see him and what he did behind the shutters. Like watching a horrible movie and trying to forget and sleep, only to see it in your mind. Playing, over and over.

"Yes." I whimper, wanting to be in the safe confines of my home. My home I made with Emilia. The one person I could, and would ever call home. My love.

I wish my mother was here. I wish she could hold me, rock me to sleep or tell me everything would be okay. I wish she could sing to me one last time. I wish I could hear her voice. I wish I could go back, and save her. Save everyone who was burned by this dumb excuse of a man. No man would ever feed off of fear. He was a monster. An indestructible, unforgivable monster.

"Good girl." He grins evilly, the smile stretching across his face as if he won the lottery.

"Get her into the car. Cover her eyes." I look at him as his eyes flicker over to Gloriana, knocked out cold. "Hmm..and kill her. We have no use of her now that we know she's not following along with what she's supposed to." He shrugs.

My eyes widen, "No! Don't you fucking dare!" I hiss, tugging at my restraints.

They had found out that the rope was loose, wrapping them tighter around me. There was no way I could untie them now.

A sting spreads through my face, and behind my eyes. I let my eyes flutter shut as I feel warmth travel down my skin. It was blood. I could never forget what it feels like to feel the warmth of the liquid seeping from my skin. I'd never forget.

"Do not speak when you aren't spoken to." He roars out, the spit flying from his big mouth causing me to flinch back.

"Get her out of my sight." He waves his hand.

Leonardo walks over to me with a blindfold, and wraps it around my head tightly. Then, they gag me with what feels like another cloth. I struggle, fighting to get the gag out of my mouth.

Another slap.

"Be a good girl, hijita." He spat.

My head drops, my body suddenly becoming too tired to offer me any more adrenaline.

I'm yanked up roughly, feeling as they drag me out of the room and into the hallway. I let my head sag, suddenly feeling nauseous.

The movement stops.

"Did you hear that?" I hear Ricardo the Rapist whisper, his voice edging on fearful.

"Hear what? You really need to stop with the drugs, dude." Leonardo responds, amusement highlighting his voice.

"Stop fucking around and let's go. We don't have time for this."

Silas. The one who acted as my friend, and protected me. Just to betray me.

They start to move again, and I feel the ground change. We must've been outside by now.

Boom.

"Fuck!" I hear someone cry out as a body thuds to the ground.

"They fucking got Ricardo man!" The tight grip on me falters before I dropped to the ground.

Multiple gunshots ring throughout the chilly night, making my ears ache.

I put myself into a fetal position, counting to three to relax myself.

One, two, three.
Again.
One, two, three.

I take a deep breath, almost crying now that the gunshots stopped.

I whimper, hearing footsteps pounding towards me. I scream against the cloth, only hearing muffles.

"Sophia." The voice says softly, gently, calling me home.

The person kneels next to me, whispering my name gently while they untie my blindfold.

My eyes remain closed, not wanting to open them and seeing how this was a dream. I'm hearing things, and this isn't real.

"Sophia, love. Look at me." The voice says again, whispering my name softly.

I open them slowly, blinking to get the blurring sight to leave.

"E-Emilia?" Her light colored eyes blink at me, filled with unshed tears.

She smiles with relief, happiness gleaming in her eyes. "It's me, baby girl." She sniffles, untying the rope from me.

I stare at her, wondering if this was still a dream. If I was hallucinating.

But, as her arms wrapped around me in the most warmest, love-filled embrace, I finally realized that it wasn't a dream. She wasn't fake, this was real. She was here, and she had saved me.