CHAPTER ELEVEN: BROKEN.

“Noah, please—stop!” she screams again, her voice breaking as she kicks against him. Her knee connects with his side, but it barely fazes him. His fingers dig into her skin as he presses his body closer, his need overpowering any sense of restraint. Tears blinds her vision as she fights, but it’s like pushing against a wall. He’s too strong, too driven by something dark and uncontrollable.

Sienna’s breathing grows ragged, her chest rising and falling rapidly as her panic turns into full-blown terror. “Noah, no—stop!” she gasps, struggling harder. She kicks again, this time with more force, her heel connecting with his shin. It’s enough to throw him off balance for a moment, but his hands are back on her in an instant, rough and demanding as they move up her leg again.

But then her body betrays her—her breath comes in quick, shallow bursts, her chest heaving uncontrollably. She’s hyperventilating, her vision darkening at the edges. Noah pauses, his hands freezing as he looks down at her, his face unreadable.

Sienna looks hurt and that breaks a part of him. Seeing her trembling on the floor, covered in bruises caused by him made him feel like a monster. His heart wants to pick her up, carry her to the bathroom and wash her up. But, his mind tells him that she deserves the pain that might become scars. Just like the one he has in his heart.

Slowly, he stands, stepping aside. Sienna is still breathing hard becoming pale by the minute. Glancing one more time at her, Noah turns and leave.

As the first light creeps into the room, Sienna slips out, her gaze cast downward. She smoothens her rumpled gown, the chill of the marble floor biting into her bare feet as she pads noiselessly downstairs. All she wants is to disappear.

Getting down, she notices that the house isn’t empty. There are servants in everywhere, going about their duty without acknowledging her presence. They were tactically avoiding her.

Did no one hear all the noise last night?

Shaking her head in disbelief, she walks out the door, her eyes maintaining the path she was dragged through last night. She keeps walking across the gravel path, glancing around the property. That’s when Sienna observes that the villa is in the middle of a land-field with captivating lawns stretching far as the eyes can see. There’s nothing beyond the beauty—just isolation.

Her feet aches with each step but she continues walking. Sienna has no idea how long she’ll have to walk before seeing a means of transportation home.

Lost in thought, Sienna barely notices how far she’s walked until she sees a bus up ahead. She feels people’s eyes on her—how could they not stare? A girl with no shoes, messy hair, swollen eyes, and injuries all over isn’t exactly easy to ignore.

A worried elderly woman passing by walks up to here. “Are you alright, dear? Do you need help?”

 Sienna shakes her head, “No,” she mumbles, the lie tasting bitter on her tongue. “I’m fine.”

But deep down, she wishes someone will come rescue her.

Weakly she gets in, securing her seat at the corner of the back seat, hoping to disappear. She needs to be left alone. Her body trembles as she keeps replaying last night over and over again in her head. Noah had leaned in close, his voice soft in her ear. “Do you know? I’ve been waiting for you to grow up for so long. All these years, and you finally show up, but you forgot me. Do you know how sad that made me? I’ve waited, hoping you’d remember me. You were right there, but I couldn’t get close. I missed you every day, and it hurt. But now, you say you remember everything.”

Sienna couldn’t believe it. He thought about her after all these years, but his actions only showed he was determined to hurt her. How could she forget the times she’d begged him to stop, calling out his name, but he never listened? He was selfish, making it clear she was something he could break whenever he felt like it. He’d marked his territory with those chilling words: “You’re mine now. If you don’t want to hear it, I’ll keep saying it. You’re mine, always mine, and you’ll never leave me.”

What confused her the most was that even when Noah was acting unhinged, he was gentle whenever he kissed her. But he didn’t care that her body was covered in bruises. How could that even make sense?

She hated the feeling of helplessness as Noah dragged her across the villa and Noah’s cold, unrelenting grip. The terrifying truth—the one that claws at her insides—is that no one would’ve stopped him. Noah is untouchable. She’s vulnerable, with no protection, no one to shield her from him.

Sienna stares out of the bus window, her face resting against the cool glass as her nails dig into the fabric of the seat. Her eyes are empty, bruises hidden beneath her clothes, and the ache inside runs deeper. It’s like a heavy knot in her chest that makes swallowing difficult. She’s barely aware of the people around her—passengers coming and going, their lives normal and detached from the nightmare that now consumes her.

She bites her lip, forcing herself to stop thinking. She straightens up as the bus nears her stop. Stepping down, the harsh daylight blinds her causing Sienna to blink.

In no time, Sienna reaches the apartment. When she opens the door, the sound of a TV playing softly in the background telling that Mia’s home.

Mia’s eyes widen the moment she sees her. The bruises, faint but unmistakable, the raw look of pain still written across her face. She doesn’t say anything, doesn’t ask the questions that are clearly burning in her mind. Instead, Mia steps forward, gently guiding Sienna to the couch.

“Let me take care of you,” Mia let out.