Page 40 of Bared Betrayal
KALLIE
Three days.That’s how long it’s been since Gabriel showed up at my door. Three days since he left me a wreck, torn between the guilt of what we did and the desire to do it again. I can still feel the leather of his belt biting into my skin. The marks are still there, a reminder of how far I’ve fallen down this pit.
“Tell me your story, baby girl. Why do you need this?”
“Because I deserve it.”
That’s my entire existence summed up in four words. Four words that have become the poison I breathe every day of my life.
“I got myself in some trouble again.” I pick at the grass. “It’s big. I don’t think I will get myself out of this one.” I throw the grass leaves in the air, but there’s no breeze, so it just flops back down. “I don’t know what to do. Well, I know the right thing to do, but it’s hard. It means change, and we both know how I handle change.” Leaning back, I crane my neck, welcoming the sun’s warmth that seeps through my pores. “The seasons are changing. Lucky for me that’s one change that doesn’t screw with my head.”
I close my eyes and allow the silence to encircle me. It’s so peaceful here. Calm. It’s the one place where the quiet doesn’t trigger a bombardment of racing thoughts.
I inhale deeply, envisioning the crisp air filling my lungs. But even in this tranquility, my mind can’t stay away from Gabriel for long. His intense blue eyes staring at me. His smooth hands and rough touch on my skin. The weight of his body on top of mine. His low, dangerous voice rasping in my ear.
“I’m so screwed,” I mutter, opening my eyes and sitting up straight. “I should call off the wedding. Break up with Sebastian. Leave town. But that means I’ll have to leave you, and we both know I can’t do that.”
Leaves start to rustle as a breeze picks up, carrying the earthy aroma of cut grass and wet dirt. “Things could have been so different.”
Her screams penetrate my bones.I jolt up from the floor and grab her trembling body, wrapping my arms around her. “Maya, wake up. Wake up. I’m here,” I say, holding her tight. “It’s just a dream, okay? You’re safe.”
Her screams turn into whimpers which turn into sobs.
“Shhh, it’s okay. No one can hurt you.” I rock her back and forth, running my hand along her naked arms and feeling the jagged scars, my heart breaking at the story they tell.
Maya clings to me like she’s afraid she’ll fall. Her sobs puncture my heart repeatedly, and there’s nothing else I can do but hold her. It’s been two months, and not a single night has gone by without her waking up screaming, crying, her body quivering with fear. She hasn’t spoken a word either. Not a single word. Not to our parents. Not to the police. Not to me.
She hardly eats. She hardly fucking breathes. It’s like her body was rescued, but her mind is still trapped down there.
“It’s okay, Maya,” I coo, soothingly stroking her blonde hair. “We’re safe. We’re not down there anymore. He can’t hurt us.” My heart aches with every breath, every word. But she doesn’t stop. Her cries don’t stop. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get her out of that hole. I can’t get through those steel bars that are keeping her prisoner.
I squeeze her a little tighter, wishing I could take it all away. Wishing I was strong enough to keep her safe. Wishing I had fought a little harder to keep her away from him. If only he had picked me. If only he hurt me the way he hurt her. If only I didn’t wake her that morning to play outside while we waited for the sunrise, then none of this would have happened. We wouldn’t have been taken. We wouldn’t have ended up in hell. And my little sister wouldn’t be broken.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, using all my strength not to break down and cry. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you. I should have, but I didn’t.”
She doesn’t hear me. She’s still trapped in the nightmare, unable to grab on to reality.
“I’m so sorry, Maya.” I close my eyes and bury my face in her hair as I continue to rock her. Eventually, her cries start to subside, her body slowly easing into me. But I don’t loosen my hold around her, keeping her tucked against my chest. “I won’t let go. I promise.”
My mom’sscreams woke me the following day, and the moment I realized Maya wasn’t next to me, I knew. I knew what my mom’s screams meant.
It meant I failed…and Maya was gone.
I place a white lily on the gravestone and trace my fingertips along the engraved name.
Maya Lily Pearson.
Peace…beautiful peace.
* * *
The minuteI walk in the door, I want to turn around and walk out. Sebastian’s sitting on the couch, scrolling on his phone, and my heart is now racing at a thousand miles a minute. And while I’m trying to calm the nerves crawling along my bones, guilt is gnawing at my chest. All I can think about is what Gabriel and I did. And the worst part, I want to do it again. Again and again. Just this morning, I had the showerhead between my legs, fantasizing about him, thinking of how good it feels to have him inside me. How alive I feel when his touch burns my skin.
I clear my throat, and Sebastian finally tears his focus away from his phone.
“You’re home early,” I say, slipping my coat off.
“One of the actors had a family emergency, so we’re taking a break for a day or two.”
