Page 64 of Fallen Petal

“Liliane, are you okay?” Christopher asks, shaking her by the shoulders to get her attention.

She looks at him, shaking her head with a lack of understanding.

“Who...,” she utters, neither recognizing her own name nor the man who used to be a close friend for most of her youth.

Christopher growls, throwing me a hateful look from the side.

“What did you do to her?” he barks at me. “Did you do it again? Did you erase her memory?”

I don’t deign him with a reply, only reciprocating his spiteful look with a quick glance before my focus returns to Petal.

“It’ll be okay,” I promise her, tuning out the raging asshole and the policemen who keep me in a tight lock. “Trust me, it’ll—”

“Trust you!” Christopher cuts me off. “You fucking maniac!”

He nods to his colleagues. “Take him to the station. She’s coming with me.”

My chest tightens. I knew it. I knew this is how it would go down. I saw it coming.

And I let us walk right into it.

Petal’s face is white and pained with confusion. She’s visibly uncomfortable in Christopher’s molesting grasp, but he ignores her disposition entirely.

“Come,” he says, lowering his voice to a soft and loving tone as he slowly turns, letting go of her shoulders only to move his hand to the small of her back, giving her a gentle push as he leads her out of the house, while her eyes remain glued onto me.

I watch as he leads her down the driveway toward one of the two cars that are parked in front of my house, while I stay behind, fighting the urge to come after them, to protect her, to take her away from him.

My girl. My Petal.

It hurts to see his hands on her, and it hurts even more to see her this distraught. I only find solace in the knowledge that this horror will be short-lived and over very soon.

He opens the door for her, nudging her when she hesitates, her eyes searching for me still. I suggest a nod, moving slowly as the policemen guide me through the door.

Her eyes remain latched onto mine, never breaking eye contact until Christopher turns the car around, leaving my property with irresponsible speed.

As soon as the car is out of sight, I’m met with the questioning gaze of one of the policemen, whose name I know to be Carlos.

“Get me out of these.”

He beckons for the other guy, whose name I don’t know, to unlock the cuffs around my wrists.

“You sure about this?” he asks, hurrying next to me as I jog to the car.

“I am,” I reply, exchanging a short glance with him as I get the driver’s door. “But it’s still a risk. We have to hurry.”

My eyes trail to the street, my chest racing at the knowledge that she’s out there, with him.

My Petal is in danger, because of me.

But soon this will all be over. For good.

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