The rest of the day passed in a blur as I went through the motions of attending classes and interacting with my classmates. But no matter how hard I tried to push Brax out of my mind, his presence lingered like a ghost haunting me at every turn.After school, as I walked out, I heard footsteps behind me. Turning around, I saw Brax standing there, his expression unreadable. My heart clenched at the sight of him, but I forced myself to remain composed."Willow," he said softly, his voice breaking through the wall that I had built around myself.I swallowed hard, steeling myself against the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. "Brax, please... it's better this way," I whispered, unable to meet his gaze. My eyes searched the ground as I played with the bottom of my sleeves.He stepped closer, reaching out to gently cup my face in his hands. "I don't care what anyone says or thinks. All that matters is how we feel about each other," he said earnestly.Tears filled my eyes as his w
The sound of someone moving around the room quickly woke me up. I sat up, staring around the room as my eyes adjusted. I realised I wasn't at home, and it took me a few minutes to remember that I was at dillions. My eyes fell on Dillion. He was standing over at his dresser with his back to me and without a shirt on as he rummaged through his drawers. I couldn't help but admire the muscles that rippled beneath his skin, the way his back tapered down to a narrow waist. Guilt overcame me as I shouldn't be admiring Brax's best friend.I watched as Dillion grabbed a fresh shirt and slipped it on before turning around to see me awake. His expression softened as he met my gaze, and I felt a rush of warmth in my chest."Morning," he said softly, walking over to sit at the edge of the bed. "Did you sleep okay?"I nodded my head, clearing my throat. "Yes, thank you. How about you?" My voice was tired and rusty."The couch is not my favourite place to sleep, but it did the job", he joked. "Mum m
Brax Pov"Hey dude, what's the name of that blood girl at school?" Kasey yelled from across the room. I lowered my phone, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "There are over a hundred blonde girls at school," he said. he let out a sigh. "The blonde one with really big boobs that you slept with at that dude's party over Christmas".I rolled my eyes at him. That was not a night that I wanted to be reminded of right now. Girls are the last thing on my mind. "Emma"."Yeah, that one. Why don't you give her a call?" he said while cracking another beer. I went back to my phone, scrolling through only photos of Willow on her Facebook. She is all that I can think about; she is the only girl that I want to be with. "Give it a rest, Kasey," I said to him, wanting him to stop trying to make me think about other girls."Dillion," Kasey said, getting up off the couch. "Brax here is being a sad sack of shit".I looked up and saw Dillion walk through the door. "Hey, sorry I'm late," he
Days passed, and I stayed by Willow's side, watching over her as she lay there. I was starting to lose hope that she would ever wake up. My family and friends came to visit, but never Willow's mum or stepfather. Nat came a few times, but the last time she was here, she said she was sorry, but she couldn't stand to see Willow like this.One night, as I sat holding Willow's hand, willing her to wake up, Kasey spoke up softly. "Brax's, you know how much she means to you. You can't lose hope now. She needs you more than ever."His words struck a chord in me, and I realised he was right. Willow needed me now more than ever before, and I couldn't give up on her.As I sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair, staring at Willow's pale face, my mind raced with thoughts of revenge against the people who did this to her. I clenched my fists, trying to push down the anger that threatened to consume me. But then Willow's hand twitched ever so slightly, and my heart leapt in hope."Willow?" I whisp
Willow's POV:As I slowly started to regain consciousness, my head was spinning, and my body felt heavy. The sound of beeping machines filled my ears, causing a sense of panic to rise within me. I tried to open my eyes, but the bright lights above me made me squint in discomfort."Willow?" a familiar voice whispered, sending a jolt of recognition through me. Brax. His voice was like a lifeline, grounding me in reality.I could feel his presence beside me, his warmth radiating towards me as he spoke softly. "Please, Willow, I need you to be okay," he pleaded. "I don't want to live in a world that doesn't have you in it."His words pierced through the fog in my mind, slowly waking me.Suddenly, everything around me seemed to go into chaos. The machines beeped louder, the room filled with urgency and fear. Brax's voice faded into the background as panic gripped me once again. My body was overtaken with pain, and the memories of everything flooded into my mind.I shot up, gripping my thro
After hours of me just laying there staring at the wall and Brax sitting across the room watching my every move, the door opened, and in walked a doctor. I turned my head to look at him for a second before looking back at the wall. He came over, standing next to the bed, holding his clipboard in his hands; I watched his every move out of the corner of my eye. "I just need to ask you some questions, willows, if that's okay?" he asked me, keeping his voice low and kind. I didn't answer him; I just kept looking at the wall, hoping that he would leave me alone. "Do you know where you are?" I continued to ignore the doctor, not wanting to engage with him. He sighed softly before trying a different approach."Willow, can you at least tell me how you got here?" he asked gently, his eyes full of concern.Suddenly, Steve's face flashed in my mind, and my heart clenched. The memories flooded back, making my chest tighten with pain. I started to move my arms that were restrained, feeling the
Days passed, and Brax never left my side. I shut myself off from the world, letting the emptiness inside me completely overtake me. The doctors had been in and out of my room, speaking in hushed tones as they discussed my case. I could hear snippets of their conversations, but nothing they said seemed to register in my mind.One day, as I lay motionless on the hospital bed, a group of doctors entered my room with grim expressions on their faces. They began talking amongst themselves before turning to me with concerned looks. One of the doctors said gently. "We think it would be best for you to receive proper care at a psychiatric facility."I knew what he was implying. He didn't need to say it out loud. They thought that I was crazy and hurting myself. I should have felt angry or sad or anything at all, but I felt nothing. I just lay there staring at them blankly, the words barely making sense in my mind. Brax stood up from his chair."No, she's not crazy! She didn't do this to herse
Brax's shoulders sagged in defeat as he looked at his father. "Please, Dad, I'll do anything. Just help her," Brax begged, his voice cracking with emotion.His father studied him for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "You know what this means, don't you? If we get involved, there will be consequences," he warned.Braxs started pacing the room, his footsteps echoing in the tense silence. I sat there watching his every move. I wanted to tell him to just let me go and to move on with his life because there was nothing that he or anyone else could do to help me. I was broken beyond repair."I don't care about the consequences," Brax said firmly, turning to face his father with a stern look on his face. "I can't just stand by and watch while they do this to her. I'll take my place as heir and name myself as your second if that's what it takes."His father's eyes widened in shock at Brax's declaration. "Are you sure about this, son? You'll be giving up everything - your future, your
Willow’s POVTwo weeks had passed since that horrible night, and yet, standing on the steps of the courthouse, it felt like a lifetime. The sun was high, casting long shadows across the stone pavement, but I couldn’t feel its warmth. Instead, I felt a coldness inside me, a hollow space that nothing could fill.The trial had been long and draining. Steve had been convicted, but the moment they started discussing how long he would be sentenced to, I couldn’t bear it anymore. It didn’t matter. Not after everything he had done. No matter how many years they gave him, it would never be enough. Not for the hell he had put me, my friends, and my family through. Not for the life he had stolen from me.I didn’t feel free, but I felt at peace. For the first time in so long, I felt like I could breathe without that constant weight hanging over me. I was standing here on the threshold of something new, something better, and it wasn’t because of the verdict. It was because I had the people I loved
Willow’s POVPanic ripped through me as Steve fired the gun. The noise was deafening, but the silence that followed was even worse. Dillion and Kasey were screaming Brax’s name. Nat was crying out in terror. My heart thudded painfully in my chest, each beat louder than the last. This was all my fault.If I had stayed silent and suffered in the dark like I always had—then maybe none of this would be happening. Maybe my friends wouldn’t be here, maybe Brax wouldn’t be lying on the floor, bloodied and beaten, and maybe, just maybe, Steve wouldn’t have that sick, satisfied look in his eyes.But here we were. And it was all because of me.Steve’s voice broke through the chaos, booming with authority, demanding silence. “Shut up!” he yelled, his voice cold and commanding. The room went still, but the tension was thicker than ever.My head was spinning. I could feel the blood dripping down my face, my body screaming in pain, but there was something more important now. I could see the gun I h
Brax’s POVThe weight of the gun in my hand felt unbearable, like a thousand pounds pressing against my chest. The cold steel had been my only comfort, my only chance of ending this nightmare. But now, standing in front of Steve, with the barrel aimed at his chest, my thoughts were no longer about me. They were about Willow, about Nat, about Dillion and Kasey. My family.And then Kasey’s voice shattered the moment.“Brax, drop the gun!”I froze. The world seemed to stop around me, the silence deafening. I looked around at everyone, my eyes scanning their faces—Dillion, Kasey, Nat—each of them terrified, caught in a trap they never asked for. The tension in the room was unbearable, my heart thudding in my chest.I had no choice. I couldn’t fight him, not like this.I lowered the gun, the weight of the decision sinking into me like a knife. The instant I did, Steve waved his hand dismissively, his men rushing in, seizing me by the arms with brutal force.Before I could even react, the b
Brax’s POVI floored the gas pedal, the engine roaring as I sped toward Steve’s house. My mind was a haze of dread and fury. I had to get to Willow. I had to stop her from doing something she might regret, something that would end with her paying the ultimate price.The further I drove, the more my thoughts swirled. I could see her—standing there with the gun, determined to end it all. I could hear her voice in my head, telling me she was done running, telling me that when Steve came for her, she was going to fight him, no matter the cost.I wasn’t ready for this.The headlights of my car illuminated the dark road ahead as I rounded the final corner, the house coming into view. The familiar sight of Steve’s twisted domain loomed in front of me, and my stomach clenched.I slammed on the brakes and threw the car into park. Without thinking, I threw open the door and sprinted toward the front door.The house felt silent as I stepped inside, each footfall heavy with the weight of the fear
Willow’s POVThe gun in my hand felt both heavy and light at the same time, like an anchor and a weapon. My fingers wrapped around it, white-knuckled and shaking, but I didn’t care. I was standing outside Steve’s house, and everything inside me screamed to run, to turn away, to go back to the others. But there was no turning back now. I had made my choice.I stood still for a moment, staring at the house, the place where everything had gone wrong. The house that had become my prison. The house that had watched me become something I wasn’t, something I never wanted to be. But I had done it for survival. I had done it to get out. Now, I was here, facing the monster who had dragged me into this life.Steve.I took a deep breath, steadying myself as much as I could. I wasn’t sure if I was afraid of him, of what I had become, or of what I was about to do. But one thing was clear—I had to do this. I couldn’t let him control me any longer. I couldn’t let him win.With trembling hands, I step
Brax’s POVThe room felt thick with tension. Everyone sat around the table, their faces etched with worry, eyes darting back and forth between each other as the situation continued to grow more desperate. We were supposed to be figuring out how to protect Willow and how to deal with Steve, but all I could do was focus on the empty space beside me.Willow hadn’t said much before she went to the bathroom. She was quiet like she was trying to process everything that had happened, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.David was talking about reaching out to contacts, trying to pull more people in to help, but his words were fading into the background. I couldn’t focus on anything but the space where Willow should have been.I glanced around the room again. Dillion and Kasey were strategising, speaking in low, hurried tones. Nat sat nearby, fidgeting, her eyes constantly scanning the room, looking for any sign of danger. We were all trying to find a solution, trying to
Willow’s POVThe living room felt suffocating, the walls closing in with every passing minute. I couldn’t shake the image of the head; it still burned into my mind. It was like I could still see the blood on the walls, the lifeless stare, the words written in crimson. I see you. The words echoed in my head relentlessly, and every time I tried to push it away, it came rushing back, louder than before.The others sat around the room, silent, tense. No one spoke, each of us trapped in our thoughts, none of us knowing what came next. I could feel their eyes on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to meet their gazes. I couldn’t.And then, after what felt like an eternity, there was a knock on the door. My heart skipped a beat, and I jolted slightly in my seat. Dillion stood up immediately and went to open it, ushering David into the house. Without a word, Dillion led him straight to the bathroom.I just sat there, staring at the gun on the table in front of me. I had a hundred different though
Willow’s POVKasey slammed into the bathroom door, desperation in his every movement. His breath came in ragged gasps, his body shaking with panic. Every ounce of fear in him was for Nat, but as the door burst open, my eyes were drawn to the horror inside.There, standing frozen in the doorway, was Nat, her hands clutched over her mouth as her body trembled uncontrollably. Her wide, terrified eyes locked onto something in the room.I followed her gaze, and my stomach dropped. On the toilet seat, casually placed in a way that shouldn’t have been, was a head. The bathroom stunk of vomit and blood, the smell almost too much to bear. But what hit me the hardest was what was written on the wall in blood: I see you.The panic seized me, choking the breath from my lungs. He knows where we are. We thought we were safe here, but we were wrong. We were never safe, not with him.Dillion’s voice broke through the horror, frantic. “Kasey, get Nat out of here!”Kasey didn’t hesitate. He rushed forw
Willow’s POVMy fingers gripped the doorknob, the cold metal biting into my skin. My heart raced as I took a steadying breath, trying to push aside the panic that threatened to suffocate me. The gun was heavy in my hands, the weight of it a reminder of everything I was about to do—or perhaps everything I hoped would happen.I knew how stupid this was. I knew that Steve would shoot me before I even had a chance to pull the trigger. But in some twisted, dark part of me, I wondered if that was what I wanted. If I was dead, then maybe, just maybe, I could be free of all this. Free of the fear. Free of the constant chase. Free of Steve and his hold over me.But that was a lie, wasn’t it? No matter how much I told myself I was ready for the end, a part of me still wanted to fight. Wanted to survive.I took a deep breath and pushed the door open, my hand steady on the gun. I didn’t know what was waiting for me on the other side, but I was ready.But then my vision blurred, and my heart skipp