Page 71 of Rescuing Sophia

Blake nods, still half-asleep. “Okay, be safe.”

Those words, so casually spoken, nearly break me. I want to confess everything, to beg for his protection, but the fear of what might happen if I do keeps me silent.

As Blake drifts back to sleep, I wander through the apartment. My heart breaks with each step. There’s nothing to pack—anything I take with me will be removed and discarded.

Still, I can’t help pausing over certain items. The sweater Blake bought me on our first real date still carries the faint scent of his cologne. The photo of us at the Guardian Grind’s opening, our smiles frozen in a happier time.

Each one is a memory I want to cling to but have to leave behind.

I pick up the framed photo from the dresser, my throat tight as I look at our smiling faces. With a shaky hand, I place it face down. I can’t bear to see it as I leave.

My phone buzzes, a stark reminder of why I’m doing this. I check the message, my heart sinking at the instructions.

It’s time to go.

I take one last look around the apartment, trying to memorize every detail. The coffee mug Blake always uses is still in the sink from last night. The throw blanket on the couch where we spent so many evenings cuddled up together is neatly folded. His favorite book, dog-eared and worn, rests on the nightstand.

Tears blur my vision as I clutch the doorframe, my heart shattering with every passing second. My legs feel like lead, and I fight the urge to collapse onto the floor. I trace my fingers over the doorframe, the familiar grooves a painful reminder of our time together. With every ounce of strength, I take a deep breath, feeling my chest constrict.

With a trembling hand, I walk out, closing the door softly behind me. The click of the lock feels like the slamming of a coffin lid, sealing away a part of my soul. I linger for a moment, my heart breaking, unable to move forward but knowing I must. The emptiness swallows me whole as I step into the cold, harsh reality waiting on the other side.

I take a golf cart and drive toward the front gate of Guardian HQ. The drizzle turns into a steady rain, mirroring the turmoil in my heart, as if the sky itself is mourning my departure. Tears blurmy vision, and I choke back a sob, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turn white.

Memories flood my mind, each one a stab of pain. Jenna, who became a true friend, always there with a comforting word or a shared laugh. The regulars at The Guardian Grind, whose orders I memorized, their familiar faces now a part of my routine. And Blake…

God, Blake.

I will never forget his smile, his touch, and the way he made me feel safe and cherished.

A deep, wrenching sob escapes my throat, and I struggle to see through the torrent of tears. My chest heaves with the effort to breathe, each sob tearing through me like a jagged blade. The rain pounds against the golf cart’s roof, drowning out the sound of my cries, but does nothing to soothe the ache inside.

I barely maintain control of the cart as I drive, my vision clouded by the relentless downpour and an endless stream of tears. The gate looms ahead, a stark reminder that I’m leaving everything behind.

Another sob shakes me, and I pull over, unable to go any further. I bury my face in my hands, the weight of my actions crashing down on me with unbearable force.

The thought of never seeing Blake again is too much to bear, and I let the grief consume me, the rain mixing with my tears in a symphony of sorrow and loss.

At the gate, I abandon the golf cart as instructed. The guard barely glances at me as I pass through, with no idea that he’s letting a traitor walk free.

Outside the gates of Guardian HQ, a nondescript car waits for me, its windshield wipers fighting a losing battle against the rain. The driver’s face is unfamiliar, but the cold efficiency with which he ushers me into the back seat is all too familiar.

As we drive away, I allow myself one last look. Through the rain-streaked window, Guardian HQ blurs and fades like a dream slipping away upon waking. The realization that I might never return hits me like a punch to the gut.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, though there’s no one to hear my apology. “I’m so, so sorry.”

I draw my arms and knees up to my chest, curling into a ball on the seat. Rocking myself gently, I try to find some semblance of comfort in the self-embrace. Each sway is a silent attempt to soothe the storm raging inside me, but the tears keep falling, mingling with the rain that drums against the window.

The car turns a corner, and Guardian HQ disappears from view. With it goes the life I’d dared to dream I could have; the happiness I’d foolishly thought I’d earned.

Ahead lies raw fear and the crushing weight of what I’ve done. I know exactly what’s waiting for me—abuse, manipulation, punishment, and a return to invisible chains.

Every turn of the wheels brings me closer to the men who abducted me, to a life where freedom is a distant memory.

I close my eyes and allow myself one last moment of weakness. In my mind, I see Blake’s smile and feel the warmth of his embrace. I lock those memories away, deep in my heart, where they can’t hurt me—where Malfor can’t use them against me.

It’s time to become an empty shell again. To bury Sophia and extinguish any trace of humanity they could exploit. I must be nothing—a hollow vessel—to survive the dehumanization awaiting me. However, a small part of me that learned to love and be loved in return will always belong to Blake and the life we almost had.

The car speeds on, carrying me away from everything I’ve come to cherish, but the echo of Blake’s voice, the ghost of his touch, the memory of the life we shared—these will stay with me, a bittersweet reminder of what could have been.

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