Page 38 of Make Her Bleed
His expression loosens slightly, only enough to where his teeth aren't baring at me.
I've suddenly lost my appetite.
I expected Knox to be upset but I didn't think he'd accuse me of this being a personal attack the way he is. The trust in him I had just a few minutes ago dims, like light erasing for the sky as the sun sets over the horizon, blanketing the world in darkness.
"Yeah? How long?" His accusatory tone doesn't dampen but levels like the way he scolds me with his eyes.
He doesn't believe me.
"Since I was a little kid," I admit, my lip trembling as I look away from him. I want to run but I have nowhere to run away to. "My dad didn't want to … let me be on birth control. He thought it would … stop me from ever having sex."
I'm scared out of my mind. I don't get scared. I was scared of Kai earlier because of physical pain but I retained control knowing he wouldn't kill me.
The only sort of instability I've seen from Knox since I met him is showing right now. He's a goofball, and he raped me—but he only did it because Kai made him. As far as I could tell, he never wanted to hurt me; in fact, he saved my life. I don't trust the anger I see in his eyes.
Was this Kai's plan all along?
He can't kill me so he gives me the ammunition to give to someone else that might snap.
"I th-thought you were using condoms this whole ti-time," I say as my voice shakes.
I don't want him to see or hear how frightened I am.
"Aria." His voice is less on edge but more annoyed as he touches my arm but I flinch instinctively. The movement knocks me off the stool since I'm leaning away from him and my head knocks against the wall as I fall to the ground. The bang on my head burns where my head was injured in the car accident. The pain thrums against my skull in a fast-paced tune as tears spill down my face. "Jesus, Aria," Knox's voice booms as he comes close and starts to kneel in front of me.
I cower as more tears fall and stunning realization covers his expression as if he has pieced together some puzzle he hadn't quite understood yet.
"Pretty girl, look at me." His voice softens as anguish twists his face. I can't meet his eyes though. My heart is racing and everything in me wants to run from him. "Aria," he whispers.
It's a struggle but I lift my eyes to his sad, green ones.
"Pretty girl, I'm not going to hurt you." The conviction in his voice might've helped if I wasn't in a full panic.
What the hell is happening to me? Why can't I calm down?
"Don't touch me," I beg as more tears fall.
"God, what the fuck has he done to you?"
His words, as worried and protective as they seem, just twist my heart even more.
It's so obvious now.
I am officially traumatized. Wrecked. Broken.
I became petrified that Knox would hurt me to the point of a panic attack that not even the Xanax he gave me could lessen it. I let Kai's manipulations and torment influence the way I react to other people.
Before all this, the kind of confrontation I had with Knox would've only made me roll my eyes and deal with it head on.
Malakai Harris's torture is already tarnishing who I once was. The only question is … who will I be when he is through breaking me?
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
KNOX
If it wasn't for it being Saturday, my mom might be pissed about me crashing at Kai's house, but it's a normal weekend occurrence. Even if it was during the week, I wouldn't have left, not after the episode Aria had last night when it was just us.
I've only seen someone like that once in my life, and it was when I went to visit my cousin in the state psych hospital.
