Page 73 of A Twist of Poison

My son.

My vacant eyes stared down at the poetic words I’d scribbled messily, in a haste to get my thoughts on paper. To get it out.Because you, beautiful boy, deserve to be remembered.

But I was too weak to keep him at the forefront of my mind. He lingered softly in the background like a bittersweet caress. But once again, for the millionth time, he had to become inaccessible.

Lock it down. Padlock the door.

I held so much hatred for the man who purposely put distance between myself and my child. For leverage, to keep me submissive and bent to his will. The saddest thing was, a small part of me couldn’t despise him because he gave me something I never knew I wanted. Half him, half me.

There were many times I wished I had a caesarean scar, stretch marks, or a saggy stomach. Anything to show I had given birth. I saw women complain about the after-effects of childbirth and the body they’d been unhappily left with. But they got to hold their child, love them, care for them, raise them.

Even the sight of a woman pushing a pram made me divert my attention elsewhere. I held onto the agony of the instant afterbirth effects. I treasured the stitches where I’d torn giving birth. They took six weeks to heal, but that pain cemented, it was real. I didn’t imagine him up.I wasn’t going mad.

Submitting fully to Adam allowed him to open up—not much, but enough to tell me about our boy. A few photos here and there. What he liked, his words. Tiny pieces that I treasured that I would hang onto in the darkest times alongside three other men’s coloured eyes.

I became a statistic. One which I couldn’t confess to, one which Adam kept surprisingly well hidden, which didn’t make sense. Until I discovered The Pavilion.

Adam kept Kai hidden away from everybody. I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I did. They would seek to hurt him, use him. And heprotectedhim. What infuriated me more than anything, was knowing he coveted that father son bond. Adam loved him in his own warped way. Yet a shred of human decency wasn’t extended to me.

Grabbing some sneakers and a lighter from the kitchen drawer, I ventured from my room into the woodland area. I stepped over branches, coming across the small peaceful lake I’d initially set out for.

I dropped down on my ass, my back held up against a tree. I skimmed across what I’d written again, and again.

I always wrote the same thing, except for a few changes. But the basis remained the same. If that made me a bad parent, then so be it. I’d never gotten the opportunity to be one.

What good would it do for me to mope about every single day, bawling my eyes out? It wouldn’t. I found a way to endure. And while at times, I berated myself about the situation and pushed myself to do more, I was always met with the same stone wall, pushed back into place and removed from privileges that kept me going. A maze with no end.

I rolled my lips together, taking the lighter out my pocket and setting it against the corner of the piece of paper.Another year, another torn edging.It caught alight, quickly burning through every word I’d written, never to be seen in the light of day.

The heat licked my fingers, I let it scold me for a few seconds before dropping it on the floor, stamping on it to make sure it didn’t spread. I swung around with what felt like a heavy weight pressed against my chest and made my way back.

I saw the entrance up ahead, so close. I jolted to the side abruptly, something didn’t feel right. My neck prickled. I glanced around apprehensively, and as I went to yell in alarm a body pounced on me, silencing my sounds with a gloved hand.

A strange smelling item was stuffed against my mouth and nose. I struggled, trying to dislodge whatever it was. But the person was too strong. My body weakened, not obeying my commands. With the last blinks before my eyes closed, I held the gaze of whoever was doing this, not recognising a single thing about them.

* * *

The sound of a door that slammed and a lock clicking into place jolted me awake. All the air left my lungs in panic. Where the fuck was I? I struggled to move, and quickly realised someone had tied me to a cool metal chair.

When I tried to rock it, hoping it would tip and fall over, I admitted to myself that I was completely and utterly fucked. They’d bolted it solidly into the flooring. The ice-cold chill made me reel in recognition of the fact I was in some sort of basement, the lighting was dimmed. I was positioned to the back of the room with a direct view of the heightened metal locked door that was the only way in and out.Dammit. I had a feeling that it was another part of the warehouse I discovered but didn’t venture into.

My hands were restrained tightly in metal cuffs.Sensing a theme here. I rubbed them as they chafed against my skin uncomfortably, making me grit my teeth in discomfort. I’d endured a lot of pain in my short lifetime, and I wouldn’t let this situation alarm me to the point where I couldn’t think properly.

A desperate urge came over me to find my calm, safe space. I took a deep breath in and out repeatedly until my heart rate slowed and the shield that protected my fragile emotional state was firmly wrapped around me.

Thoughts ran through my mind, trying to piece together how I was here, why I was here. The last thing I could recollect was walking into the woods with my note. And then… nothing.

I felt clean. Glancing down, I realised I couldn’t have been here too long. I still wore the clothing I’d left the hospital in.

I was unsure how long I sat there for when Mayor Adrian West appeared through the doorway. He donned a cocky expression and the blood in my veins froze. His son followed him and flashed me a concerned look. I didn’t know how he had the fucking nerve. Four, five… six others followed through and positioned themselves around the room and to my back, out of my sight.

“Milla Rossi,” Adrian announced, in a deceptively calm voice. His tone made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. This wasn’t good at all.

I hardened myself in preparation for whatever spurred from his disgusting mouth. Nothing good would ever fall from it. He was much worse than his son. He stepped forward, putting himself within reaching distance of me. I was shackled and couldn’t move.Shame. I’d have loved to have scratched his eyes out.

My thoughts must have shown on my face as he laughed, studying my body. Not much was displayed. I was dressed in leggings and a cami top that thankfully covered my stomach.

“You are a wild one. You certainly had my son wrapped round that tight cunt of yours.” He looked me directly in the eye. “You’ve outlived your purpose with us and are ready for your new owner.” The Mayor barked a laugh, it boomed in the space that surrounded us.

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