Page 163 of Closer

Suddenly, something snags my ankle. I yelp, eyes flying open. Daddy’s hand clamps around my leg, his face contorted in rage.

“Run, Lilian!” Mommy screams.

I kick wildly. His grip loosens, and I wrench free, stumbling over my own two feet. Mommy lays crumpled against the wall, her nightgown stained red.

“Hide!”

I run, bare feet slapping against hardwood, Mommy’s screams echoing in my ears. I don’t look back. The world blurs, and I race down the stairs, lungs burning. I have to get away, have to find help.

Hide.

I burst outof the mansion. My feet catch on the top step, and I stumble, slamming into the ground. Pain lances through my palms and knees. I lift them, staring at the crimson smears.

Hide. The monster will get you.

A small hand appears. “Dummy. Who runs with closed eyes?”

I jerk back, meeting a pair of familiar green eyes like sunlight shining through a forest canopy. Sebastian?

“You don’t need to be scared. Not with me around.” His voice is gentle and soothing. “I’ll protect you.”

“Are you a knight?”

“Are you a princess?”

My head bobs up and down.

The boy bows, blonde curls flopping. “At your service, my princess.”

“Did my Mommy send you?”

He tilts his head, considering, but then his expression shifts, eyes widening. I whip around, following his gaze.

It’s Dad, but he looks wrong.

He staggers toward us, shirt drenched in blood, eyes vacant. No, no, no, this can’t be real. The boy darts between us, arms spread like a shield.

“No!” I scream as Dad lunges, grabbing the boy’s throat. I scramble up, pummeling Dad’s back. “Let him go!”

He drops the boy, turning on me with a snarl. “Right, let’s finish what I started.”

I stumble back, and Dad’s hands close around my throat, squeezing. “You little brat. I knew you were not mine.”

I claw at his fingers.

Hide.

I can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t—“Daddy…”

His eyes soften and—

Beeping fills my ears, loud and insistent. I thrash against restraints. Where am I? What’s happening?

“Lil, calm down, you’re safe.” A voice, distant and muffled. Hands on my arms, gentle but firm.

A room swims into focus.But then it’s gone, replaced by Dad’s snarling face, his hands tightening around my throat.

“Please,” I choke out, tears streaming. “Daddy.”

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