Page 67 of The Freedom in Captivity

Am I? Despite Dad’s determination to make me cold and unaffected, the emotional effects cloud my heart.

What—who—broke me? Why now? Why after days of keeping the truth inside, determined to design this plan so Dad knowsI’mthe reason he’s losing.

Was it Della’s visit? The reminder of my past, of seeing Ariella there, representing my own sister? Della and I aren’t any different, after all. Both losing our mothers, both the eldest of two daughters, both stuck on Stefano’s designed path, all in the name of bettering him. Ariella and Yasmine share similarities too, besides being the youngest. Ariella’s soft demeanor is so much like Yasmine’s, I understand Della’s entire determination to do right by my father, only to keep her safe.

Or was it Aurora’s visit? The reminder of what I did forhim. He’s the one who put the hit on her. I was trapped because I was being watched. One wrong move, and I likely would have had a bullet in my skull.

Or, was it Flynn who destroyed me, the very way he vowed to? He was the safety net for me back then. The embrace to heal every bruise left by my father. The smile I saw in my dreams and the person who reminded me I was surviving. All for Dad to rob me of my stability when he commanded me away from Flynn.

Or was it the amount of time passing? Being down here did exactly what the Corsettis always planned for it to do—break me. My mind wandered so many times, it officially isn’t a part of me any longer.

“Rozelyn,” Flynn repeats, an echo in my mind. I loved that tone.Love—present tense. Flynn’s always had this way of chipping away at pain in my head and making things clearer.

He used to tell me the same. That his world had been grey until I came into it. But then, I made it black when I left.

“Rozelyn!”

Pressure.

Pain.

Air.

Life.

His lips move against mine, his hands gripping the sides of my face as he holds me steady, even while I remain limp. Lifeless. There’s a desperation in his actions to get me back. I doubt it’ll work…

Until his tongue licks the seam of my lips, and I respond.

Until his tongue finds mine, and I respond.

Until I grip the bottom of his shirt and lift onto my knees, trying to get closer.

“You were gone,” he mumbles against my lips, and for once, there’s fear and concern in his tone. His thumbs stroke my cheeks as his hands move to cup my neck. His forehead drops onto mine with a tenderness I’ve never experienced from him, even in the past. “There you are.”

“You say that like you were worried.”

He doesn’t respond, but it’s in his lack of answering that he truly speaks. If he wasn’t worried, he’d agree with me and deny the emotion. He doesn’t.

Because he was worried.

“Just making sure you’re not broken. Can’t have that yet.”

Words spoken to mask his true feelings—his care. An explanation accompanied by sneer and a callous tone, when he means everything opposite, but I get it. I’m still the enemy and he’s the enforcer.

So before he pulls away, I lean forward and initiate the kiss. He’s still against me, his lips firmer than moments ago, but he doesn’t push me away. His fingers pinch the back of my neck, and I’d like to believe, it’d hurt anyone else, but he and I were made for one another’s pain.

When I pull back, I’m ready for everything to change.

“I’m ready to tell you where my father is.”

Flynn

Since it was well past midnight when Rozelyn agreed to admitting everything, and most of the family was asleep already, with Rafael off consoling Maurice’s daughter after telling her some facts about her own history, Nico instructed me to wait until morning.

So I do, waking Rozelyn with my entry. Much to her obvious dismay, I retrieve the chains from the far corner.

She scowls, pushing into a sitting position inside the sleeping bag. Her hair is slightly erratic around her face, her eyes sleepy and blinking quickly to wake. For a second, I pause to watch her, before recalling why I’m down here in the first place.

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