Chapter 18

Eighteen

The lock gave a sharp, metallic crack, and the sound pulled me out of the fog that had become my mind. I sat up sharply, my wrists aching from where they had been cuffed so often. My arms, still bound to the metal pipe above the air mattress, trembled as the door creaked open slowly, spilling pale light into the basement. I blinked against the brightness. For a moment, I thought I was imagining it, another cruel dream conjured by my shattered psyche.

But then they stepped in.

Liam. Alex. Jasmine.

For a second, none of us moved. They just stood there, taking in the room: the blow-up mattress, the remnants of broken glass still scattered on the floor, the oppressive darkness Owen had confined me to. Liam’s expression hardened, his jaw tight. Alex glanced at Jasmine, his eyes full of unspoken words. And Jasmine... Jasmine’s face was pale, her lips parted in something that might have been shock—or guilt.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her voice trembling. Her sharp, composed facade cracked, and for a moment, she looked like a stranger.

I didn’t know what to say. What could I say? My eyes darted to the door behind them, my heart pounding as the reality of what was happening set in.

Liam stepped forward, his voice steady but simmering with anger. "Kira. We’re getting you out of here." He crouched beside me, his movements slow and deliberate, like I was a wounded animal he didn’t want to startle.

I wanted to believe him. But then my gaze flicked to Jasmine, and the memories came rushing back: her cruel laughter, her biting remarks, the way she used to egg Owen on when he’d corner me after class.

"I didn’t... I didn’t know it was this bad," Jasmine said, her green eyes scanning the room. Her gaze landed on the faint marks on my skin where Owen had claimed me. She swallowed hard, her hands clenching at her sides. "I knew he was... intense, but this? This is fucking disgusting."

You knew. The words burned in my throat, but I didn’t say them. What was the point? Even now, standing in the wreckage Owen had made of my life, she was trying to absolve herself.

Alex stepped forward, his expression grim. "We thought something was wrong. We just didn’t know it was this... this sick." He turned to Liam, lowering his voice. "You were right to follow him."

My breath hitched. They’d followed him? How much had they seen? And why now, after all this time, had they decided to act?

Jasmine’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts, sharp and accusatory. "Why didn’t we do something sooner? We could’ve stopped this before it got this far."

Liam’s jaw tightened as he shot her a glare. "Because we didn’t know," he snapped. His focus shifted back to me, softening. He reached out, his hand hovering near my arm. "Come on, Kira. Let’s get you out of here."

I hesitated, my gaze flicking back to Jasmine. Her eyes met mine, and for the first time, I saw something that almost looked like regret.

"I’m sorry," she said softly, her voice wavering. Her hands clenched at her sides. "For everything. I didn’t... I didn’t know it would lead to this."

The words were hollow, empty. They did nothing to ease the weight crushing my chest. But I didn’t have the strength to argue. Not now. Not when the door was open, and freedom was just a few steps away.

Liam slid his arm around my shoulders, steadying me as he reached for the keys hanging on the wall. His hands trembled slightly as he unlocked the cuffs, the cold metal falling away from my raw wrists. My legs trembled, weak from the days spent confined to this hell. As they led me out of the basement, I cast one last glance over my shoulder. The air mattress, the broken glass, the handcuffs Owen had used to bind me—it all blurred together in the darkness. But it wasn’t the room I was leaving behind that scared me.

It was the part of me that didn’t want to go.

The walk across campus was a torment. Every step felt like a betrayal. I should have been with her. I needed to be with her. The memory of finding her with the broken glass in her hands was burned in my mind, a permanent scar.

I clenched my fists, forcing my feet to keep moving. Class had been unbearable. Every second spent listening to professor after professor drone on felt like another moment I’d failed her. She’d been alone, and I hated the thought of her spiraling again. What if she was in pain? What if she tried again? The thought sent a wave of nausea through me.

The sight of the science building came into view, and I quickened my pace, my chest tightening with anticipation. I was going to see her, hold her, remind her that she was mine and mine alone.

But as I approached the door, something felt off. The lock dangled by a single hinge, broken clean off. I froze, my heart hammering in my chest as I pushed the door open. The sight that greeted me stopped me cold.

The room was empty.

The air mattress was still there, rumpled and abandoned. The chains I’d used to bind her wrists were coiled neatly in the corner. But Kira was gone. My world tilted, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

My gaze swept the room, searching for any clue, any sign of what had happened. That’s when I saw it—a bracelet lying on the floor near the door. A leather band, worn and familiar. My blood ran cold as I crouched to pick it up, my fingers trembling.

Liam.

I clenched the bracelet in my fist, my teeth grinding together as rage bubbled up inside me. He’d done this. He’d followed me, watched me, and now he’d taken her from me. The thought sent a surge of fury through my veins, and I slammed my fist into the wall, the dull thud reverberating through the empty room.

You think this is over, Liam? You think you can just take her from me? My breath came in short, ragged bursts as I paced the room, the bracelet biting into my palm. She’s mine. No one takes what’s mine.

I stalked to the door, my mind racing. I didn’t know where they’d gone, but I knew one thing for certain: I would find her. And when I did, I would remind her—and everyone else—that she belonged to me.