Page 308 of Redeemed

Anger builds up in my chest.I want to burn this place to the ground.

Ultimately, it’s rage that brings me to my feet. I’m not thinking, just following my body as I stumble to the sink. I take the dirty dishes and throw them against the wall with a scream. They shatter, and hundreds of tiny pieces of porcelain fall to the floor. I do it again with Isaiah’s coffee mug, and then I’m opening the cabinets and flinging the plates across the room. Then the bowls, then the glasses, then the mugs.

By the time I’m done, the floor is covered in shards, and my feet are bleeding. I barely feel the pain as I dash upstairs. In our bedroom, I rip out the drawers in Isaiah’s dresser and send them flying. The corners of one of the drawers dents the wall, and I stare at the spot of white plaster where the navy blue paint has been destroyed.

I’m writing my own death sentence, I know, but I don’t care. I can’t do this. I can’t let him put his hands on me again. I can’t let him ruin me again.

Only Isaiah’s sock drawer is left. I throw it at the wall the hardest to wreck it as much as possible.

And then I freeze.

As the drawer crashes to the floor, a piece of wood falls out, and then a phone.Myphone.

With a gasp, I dart forward. It looks like there was a false bottom in the drawer, and that must’ve been where Isaiah was hiding my things.

My phone is almost dead, and it doesn’t take the same charger as Isaiah’s, but it has enough battery for a short phone call. Colton is first in my contacts, and I jab the button to call him with shaking hands.

He picks up on the first ring. “Haven?”

All it takes is hearing his voice, and the dam breaks.

“Colt,” I sob. My knees give out, and I hit the ground hard. “Colt, please get me out of here.”

“We are, angel, I promise. We’re coming tonight. Are you okay?”

No. No, I’m anything but.

“I…”

“Haven? What’s he doing to you? Is he hurting you?”

More tears fall, and I stifle a whimper with a hand over my mouth. How am I supposed to tell him?

“Angel. Haven, I’m so sorry.”

The anguish in his voice only makes mine worse. I wish he was here. I just want to feel his arms around me so I can feel safe again, even if it’s just for a moment.

“Are Xan and Luc there?” I ask, voice wobbling.

“No. No, I… I’m alone at the moment. If you can give me fifteen minutes—”

“I don’t have that long. My phone is almost dead, and I’ve got no way to charge it. And… Colton, I think Isaiah is going to kill me tonight.”

“We’re not going to let that happen,” he says firmly.

“You might not get here in time. I told him I’m not on birth control, and he’s going to find out I have an IUD in this afternoon. That’ll be the last straw for him. We’re supposed to have a vow renewal ceremony this evening, but… he can turn it into something else.”

“Something else—” Colton blows out a harsh breath. “Haven, don’t tell me you’re talking about some type of public execution.”

Silence.

“Haven.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“No.No.We’ll stop him. We found a way in, we just need a little more time to get there. You can hide until we break in, or—”

“Colt.”

---