Page 91 of Retribution

Someone help me.

He bunches up my dress with his other hand and I start to become lightheaded from the lack of oxygen, my eyes feel heavy, and my chest burns.

I find myself looking up at Scott through watery eyes.

My stare becomes blank as the reality of the situation kicks in, no one is coming to save me. I’m going to be raped by my ex-fiancé on the best day of my sister’s life, I have no options but to lay here and take it.

My body becomes weak and my arms flop to my sides, my brain beginning to fill with silence as he tears away my thong. I eventually close my eyes as my vision starts to waver, I can’t tell how long it’s been since I was able to fill my lungs, but I know it’s long enough to make my brain feel fuzzy, my senses seem to be closing off one by one. I feel like my head is underwater.

It’s like having an out-of-body experience, like I’m stood in the corner, watching Scott strip me of any morality I had and seeing my body give up the fight.

He begins to smirk down at me when the bathroom door is kicked open and Scott is ripped from me by his collar.

My body lays completely frozen as I stand in the corner of the room, my lips are deathly blue and my skin is washed of my usual color. I watch on mesmerized as Reed pummels fists in Scott’s face, blood splattering across the white tiles as his body becomes limp, he’s been knocked unconscious. Reed lets him go and scrambles on his hands and knees towards my body.

My eyes are open, but nobody is home.

He shakes my shoulders as he cries my name in panic, my body completely unresponsive. He lowers his ear to my lips and then proceeds to blow air into my mouth and–

I gasp a large breath and Reed pulls me into his lap as he ushers, ‘thank God’ over and over.

My body still feels weak as he cradles me, rubbing his large hands over my hair. He whispers ‘it’s okay’ and ‘I’m here, I’ve got you’ more times than I can remember.

I remain still and can’t bring my brain up to speed, I think I’m still completely traumatized and can’t find a way out of this state. He tucks me further into his chest, his embrace protecting me from the monster who is passed out in one of the toilet stalls.

My throat hurts with every intake of breath and the best I can do is offer a shaky hand onto Reed’s chest, letting him know that I can hear him. I feel a wet drop onto my cheek and it rolls down past my chin, but I’m not crying?

I finally angle my head upwards and see Reed’s eyes red and glistening with tears as his lip trembles.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers and nuzzles his face into my hair.

Grabbing onto him tightly, a tsunami of emotions, that I was keeping locked inside, begin to break through the dam. I let out a loud cry and my body shakes uncontrollably, the tears pouring out as I begin to process what very nearly happened.

We stay there for a long time, both of us locked securely together, Reed offering me as much reassurance as he can. My sobs begin to die down and I pull away from him, my big sister duties kicking in.

“You can’t mention this to anyone.” I speak for the first time since, my voice nasally from how much I’ve cried.

Reed looks at me, confusion written across his face.

“It will ruin everything, today is about Lola and I’m not being the one to ruin it.” I explain.

“You, didn’t do anything.” Reed says sternly, glaring at Scott who is still passed out.

I really don’t want to be here when he wakes up, I never want to have to look at those murderous eyes ever again.

“I’m going for a walk,” I say, the need for some fresh air has me in a choke-hold.

“Are you sure you want to be alone right now?” He asks.

Nodding, I push up from the floor, finally getting a glance at the damage in the mirror.

My face is almost completely makeup-free, except the obvious black smudges all over my cheeks. My face has a pink colored hand print on the left cheek, a purple bruise beginning to surface underneath it. I’ll have to go back to the dressing room later to correct the damage.

Sparing one more look at Reed, I murmur, “Thank you, for saving me.”

No words can actually describe how thankful I am that he found me when he did.

Chapter 22

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