Page 1 of Corrupted Memories
Prologue
Gianna
Six Years Ago
I don’t rememberhow I returned to my dorm room, but I do remember briefly stopping to throw up in the closest patch of grass. A bloomed bush with red flowers less than a block from the bar, just far enough thathecouldn’t hear. I remember the bite of the cold as I walked the few miles back to campus. The sidewalk had been a blur before me, each passing car that casted shadows made me flinch.
My stomach turns when I climb the familiar steps, ones he’s carried me up plenty of times. I can still taste the bitter bile from earlier when it threatens to rise again. I wipe my mouth, and my hands shake as I try to unlock the door, my vision still hazy.
When the key finally finds its place, I turn the lock and step into my dark room. It feels preordained considering all the memories it once held no longer bring any color or joy to me. It’s all been poisoned, corrupted by what I witnessed because that’s not the man I’ve grown to love. The man I thought I knew wouldn’t be capable of such… violence.
The piercing trills of my phone ringing make me scream. I drop my keys and pull out the loud device, my blood chilling down to the bone at the sight of the flashing name.
“Hello?” I answer, my voice hoarse. I cover my mouth to muffle my quickening breaths.
“Where are you? The math building is cleared out,” he says. I had forgotten that he always meets me at my last class, and then we walk over to the bar. The bar where I watched him?—
I flip the light on, basking in the brief light to chase away the dark thoughts. My mind whirls to come up with an excuse. The longer I take to answer, the less he’ll believe me. Sebastian is a suspicious man by nature. I have maybe ten minutes before he makes his way back here if I give him any indication I’m not coming.
Picking up my keys, I jingle them dramatically. “Sorry, just getting back to my room. I spilled my coffee and I needed to shower again. I’m almost ready, and I’ll head over.”
“Coffee? This late?”
I squeeze my eyes briefly. Fuck, why’d I choose coffee. He’s right, I would never drink it this late. I laugh, and grimace when I'm not convinced by it so I clear my throat. Shutting my door, I glance around my room, determining what I need to take.
“Uh. It was free. Who turns down free stuff?”
There’s a brief silence before he sighs. “You sound…”
“Long day,” I drawl, my eyes watering from anxiety because he’s probably going to come here regardless of what I say. “I promise I’m almost on my way.”
“Alright,” he finally agrees. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Yup, love you,” I force myself to say, knowing it will stall him just a little bit.
He hangs up promptly like he usually does when I say those words. I breathe out a sigh of relief and call my brother immediately. I grab my backpack, balancing the phone on my shoulder as I pull out the binders and books.
“Hey, G.”
“I need to leave. Like right now.” I finally allow the tears to start falling.
“What?” My brother’s voice strainsat my desperation. “What happened, Gianna? Did he hurt you?”
I shove my school supplies under my bed, keeping them from view as I turn to my closet to grab a few things. I have to make my room look normal, untouched, as if he just missed me when he eventually comes looking.
“No, no. I can’t explain too much right now. Can you get me out and make sure he can’t find me?”
My brother needs no explanation of who I’m talking about. He’s hated Sebastian since the moment I introduced them. He’s hinted on more than one occasion that my boyfriend isn’t someone he’s pretending to be. I’d been too in love to notice or care, considering he’s never mistreated me.
I move to the attached bathroom, grabbing my make-up and birth control. The latter falls as I rush back into the room.
“Shit,” I curse at the packets spread out on the floor. My clumsiness is going to be the death of me. My body flinches at the thought of death.
“What?” Matt demands before yelling loud enough at a few other people in the background that I can hear. I’m sure it’s the guys he works with. My brother owns a well-known security company, which is why I trust him to get me out of this.
“Nothing, I’m packing. Can I explain later?” I plead, remembering the breathing exercises he taught me to stay calm. “I need to leave,please.”
I kneel, scooping up the medication, and pause when I grab the first packet. I pull it the rest of the way out of the sleeve, looking at the dark pink color of the pill, and then grab my current one on my nightstand. My stomach knots when I see the difference. Maybe it’s paranoia speaking, but I’m sure these are not the same. I get mine in packages for six months at a time, and I just opened this one.
