Page 45 of Betrayal (Corrupt Empire 1)

“Aiden, please. I’m begging you. Don’t put me through this again. I can’t do it. I can’t. Please.”

I pounded the door until I had no energy left. Sliding down it, I sobbed.

“I hate you. I hate everything about you. You make me hate myself. I hate how I feel about you. I hate wanting you. I hate needing you. Aiden, please, stop hurting me like this. You don’t need to break me anymore. I’m already yours. I’ll do what you want me to. I don’t even know what it is, but I’ll do it. Please, I’ll do anything. Please. Aiden.”

I had nothing left. There was no point to this any longer. My life felt worthless. I felt like nothing. Nothing and nobody. The darkness crept into my skull, rattling my brain with thoughts of what happened last time he left me in here alone.

“Aiden, let me out,” I whimpered.

The locks turned in my brain. I knew it was a trick of the mind. Aiden wasn’t letting me out anytime soon. I’d pushed him. I didn’t know why me giving him my body would cause this reaction when it was clear he wanted me. Was he struggling with his attraction to me? It was fucked up we wanted each other, sure, but it didn’t warrant me being thrown in the cell.

“Of all the things you’ve done to me, Aiden, this is the worst. You know what will happen if you leave me in here. I’m already broken. Don’t you see that? Why do you want to hurt me further? You told me you didn’t hate me. I feel like you do now. You hate me because you want me, don’t you? You think I don’t see who you are. Reality check, Aiden, I see you. I know you’re hurting and stupid me wants to help you. Stupid, idiotic girl.”

It didn’t matter if he could hear me or not. I could be talking to thin air for all I cared. I just had to get my thoughts out. Had to say something to fill the silence. The silence which clawed at me and made me want to scream.

I closed my eyes and all I could see was my parents. My parents staring back at me with bullet holes in their heads. Then I really did scream. I screamed and tried to tear my face off because the visions were still there when I opened my eyes.

“Stop. Go away. No. You’re not real.”

“Why didn’t you save us?” they both said to me.

“I couldn’t. No. Stop.”

“Why did you let him take us away, sweet angel?”

I buried my head in my knees. They wouldn’t go away. I could still see them in the corners of my eyes.

“Avery, look at us, baby girl. You can stop him. Avenge us.”

“No. I won’t. I won’t do it.”

“He took us from you. Take his life. Avenge us, baby.”

What the hell was happening to me?

“No. I need him and he needs me.”

“He doesn’t need anyone. He doesn’t want you.”

Lies.Aiden did need me. He needed me to help him. If he didn’t, then he would’ve killed me too. The fact I was even trying to justify Aiden’s behaviour to the parents I was hallucinating, the parents that weren’t even real made everything worse.

“You’re not real. You’re not real. You’re not real.”

“Baby girl, we are real. We’re here. Avenge us. Take his life.”

“Not real. Not real. Not real.”

I crawled away from the door and huddled in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth.

“Not real. None of this is real.”

“Avenge us. Avenge us, Avery. Avenge us.”

“No. No. You’re not real. None of it is real. I can’t see you. I can’t hear you.”

Done. I was just done. Even though I hated Aiden for putting me back in here, when he let me out, I’d fall at his feet and beg him to forgive me for whatever it was I’d done.

I’d beg him to keep me with him.

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