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Chapter 36: Bended Knee
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2024-06-27 19:17:50Related chapters
Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 37: Safety's Gone
After a week of wallowing in self-pity, I’ve had enough. I could have kept going, but when would I have stopped? I can’t change anything that has happened, and I gave myself a week to cry and be an emotional mess with my bestie there to keep me sane, and now it’s time to return to the world of the living.Irina kept telling me to give it more time, that no one gets over trauma that fast and she is more than happy to have me around longer, and as tempting of an offer as that was, I just couldn’t do it. I’m not over anything that happened to me and I’m not sure when I will, but I know that I’ve spent my whole life being self-sufficient. I’ve never depended on others, and I don’t want to start now. Truthfully, I think the wallowing in bed was making me feel worse. At first, it helped, but then it was driving me stir-crazy. I don’t know how to sit around and do nothing all day and I envy the people who do. It’s not that I want to get back to my life and working, it’s that I need it. I nee
Last Updated : 2024-06-28Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 38: "It Could Have All Been Different"
Yesterday was my first day back at the diner and it sucked coconuts. All day long people just looked at me with pity in their eyes. Some people can see through the makeup, and I can only imagine the stories they must be coming up with for my appearance, but I don’t care. What I do care about is all the other staff treating me like a fragile bubble that will burst at any moment. Thank goodness for Estaban for whipping everyone into shape and getting them to cut it out. They’re still giving me sad eyes, but at least they’ve stopped babying me or asking if I need help.Braced for another day of stares, I kiss Ily goodbye as she sleeps peacefully on the couch and head out. I halt in my tracks, my heart beating erratically and a clammy feeling coming over me when I see a bouquet of yellow roses in front of my door. I frantically look down both ends of the hall but see no one around. With trembling hands I grab my phone from my bag and take a picture of the flowers, doing my best to follow
Last Updated : 2024-06-29Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 39: All Alone
*TRIGGER WARNING: Please skip the final paragraph of this chapter if you are sensitive to animal cruelty*The rest of my shift only got more and more bizarre. Dylan proceeded to be nice to me for the entire day and was even acting nice towards the other women – at least when I was watching. I’m still on my guard, but I embraced it while it was happening. I’m all for a pleasant work atmosphere, especially since my life is hell right now, so I’ll take the peace where I can find it.“Have a good night, Estaban!” I say, waving to Estaban as I walk out of the kitchens.“You have a safe journey home,” he calls back as he finishes switching shifts with the night cook.I exit the diner and stop to make sure I have everything in my purse.“Do you need someone to walk you home?”I drop my purse, jumping in fright when I hear Dylan’s voice. I look over at him, clutching my chest as he walks up to me. “You scared me half to death,” I breathe out, bending down and collecting my bag and everything
Last Updated : 2024-06-30Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 40: The Offer
“I fucking hope you’re planning on finding this son of a bitch and bringing him to justice,” Amber declares with authority from beside me. My body continues to shiver, the cold penetrating so deep I can feel it turning my insides to ice.“Miss, we’re doing everything we can but it’s not like anyone was hurt,” the officer says quietly, as if somehow I won’t hear.I pull the blanket tight around me, shutting my eyes tight as the tears fall from my eyes, the smell of death lingering in my nostrils while the image of my sweet Ily, mutilated and put on display torments my mind. How can he say no one was hurt? Because she wasn’t human?! She was my best friend and companion. She was the only thing keeping me sane and now she’s gone.Amber wraps her arms around me while glaring daggers at the officer, “According to the California Penal Code 597(a), it’s a crime to intentionally maim, mutilate, torture, wound or kill a living animal, and based on the state of her apartment, I think every single
Last Updated : 2024-07-23Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 41: New Digs
I feel like I’m watching my surroundings through someone else’s eyes, my entire body running on autopilot as Julian sets my bags down on what I suppose will be my bed for the time being. The spare room in his penthouse is ostentatious, to say the least. Hardboard floors covered by a white, faux fur rug lay underneath a luxurious king-size bed, an ottoman, a single sofa and a lounge sofa, all decorated in shades of white and grey with a jaw-dropping panoramic view of the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows. This entire room is bigger than my whole apartment was. I can’t understand why one person needs all this space. If I were living here, the overwhelming amount of space would just make me feel lonely.“Are you hungry? You probably haven’t had a chance to eat. I could call Brian or order us in something,” he offers with a hopeful expression.I manage to shake my head. “I’m feeling too sick to eat.”His face falls with that look of pity that makes the gross feeling in my stomach
Last Updated : 2024-08-05Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 42: Call From Home
I must have dozed off because as I open my eyes I feel my feet and hands have started to prune, the foam has disappeared from the surface of the bath to be replaced by a milky layer on the top of the water and the water itself is barely lukewarm. I shake off the sleep and reach out for one of the towels, wrapping it around my body as I get out of the tub. I’ve never had the luxury of using a heated towel rack before, but I would highly recommend them. I pull out the plug and get out of the tub, taking my time blowing out the candles. I may not have positive feelings for Julian anymore, but that doesn’t mean I want to burn his place down. I’m sure many women would love to do that to someone who cheated on them, but I’m just not that person.I make my way into the bedroom, stopping in my tracks when I see a big, fluffy black bathrobe laid out on the bed and some fluffy slippers that are several sizes too big.Did Julian give me his robe and slippers?I shake off the mixed emotions and wa
Last Updated : 2024-08-06Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 43: Bonding
It’s true when they say that everyone has their limits because I’ve clearly reached mine. When my father had his accident, I kept it together for the sake of my family. When I moved and had to start over in the US, I toughed it out and rolled with the punches. Julian cheating on me, hit me like a freight train, but I did my best to push through it. But to go from Julian’s cheating, to being attacked in my own home, to being stalked then to have my best friend and companion mutilated…that’s something not even I know how to push through.My mother has always told me my worst trait is the way I bottle things up. She said one day all my emotions were going to spill over like a shaken-up bottle of soda and she was right. I know I’m safe here in Julian’s home, but every night when I close my eyes I see that figure hovering over me, ready to do God knows what. Every time I walk into a room I see Ily’s lifeless body and it takes everything in me not to break down and cry. I constantly have to
Last Updated : 2024-08-30Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 44: Who Needs Enemies...?
With a shrug, I decide to take a seat at the kitchen island, but before I can sit down I hear the sound of the elevator. Call it PTSD or just me being on edge, but that sound instantly has my body going rigid and images of a masked man barging in with a knife taking over my thoughts. I suddenly feel something touch my hand and I almost jump out of my skin, my heart pounding erratically as my eyes suddenly meet Julian’s concerned sapphire ones. As I see his hand reaching across the counter, I only then realise it was just Julian reaching out to touch me.“Hey, it’s okay. Only a handful of people know the code to get in here, you’re not in any danger, I promise,” he assures me, his voice soft and unthreatening as he attempts to lull me into a state of security.I acknowledge his words with a nod, but I can’t stop my heart from pounding or make my hands stop shaking. The jolt of adrenaline that had rushed through my system left me with an almost pins and needles sensation in my legs and I
Last Updated : 2024-08-30
Latest chapter
Treasured Yet Discarded EPILOGUE
Three years LaterI continue to stir the pot on the stove while studying the textbook I have propped up on the counter like a recipe book. Next week is the week I go for my teaching license, and I am a bundle of nerves. I thought when I moved to the US I had to give up my dreams of being a teacher and that all my hard work and education were wasted, but since moving back to the Dominican Republic I’ve spent the last few years diving back into my studies and working hard to get my teaching license and get enough teaching experience to get a job as an educator.Ideally, I would love to teach children under the age of 9, but just being able to get a job anywhere as a teacher would be a dream come true. I thought Julian was insane when he suggested me moving back home, but when he said he wanted to move with me I was sure he’d lost his mind.I feared Julian would struggle to adjust to life here, but he’s taken to Dominican life like a fish to water and he is exceptionally good at the langu
Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 64: Starting Over
I burst into applause, cheering like an over-enthusiastic groupie as Irina finishes debuting the first song from her very first album. My cheeks hurt from smiling as she takes her bow and throws an excited wave our way that I eagerly return.“I knew she’d make it here,” Áine declares, cheering beside me.I smile and nod in agreement, clapping with all the other guests. I quickly glance around, realising Áine is now standing alone.“Where did your guy vanish off to?” I query.“Bathroom,” she answers, getting that same adorable flush in her freckled cheeks whenever I call her boyfriend ‘her guy’.I can’t believe how much has changed in a year.My life has improved in ways I never expected. I absolutely love my job and as it turns out, I am really good at baking. I always liked to dabble, but it was never something I did outside of a sweet craving or wanting to do something for someone’s birthday. In the past year, I’ve gone from working front of house at the bakery to being one of the b
Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 63: Progress Pt 2
I’ve been debating on this next question but avoiding it won’t do any good so it’s best to just rip the band-aid off.“Have you heard from Carter?” I ask apprehensively.His body tenses and I see him take in a deep breath through his nose.“I’ve not heard from him, but someone else reached out recently…” he responds evasively.The evidence against Carter was overwhelming, especially when police searched his home and found the evidence that he had been stalking me for months, including all the items he’d stolen from my apartment that I was completely unaware of. I’ve switched perfumes for that very reason. He was looking at up to thirty years in prison for a long list of charges from stalking to aggravated assault, attempting murder, sexual assault, holding someone against their will, animal cruelty, burglary and breaking and entering. He ended up pleading guilty - much to my relief - because it meant we didn’t have to go to trial. The only downside was that he agreed to a guilty plea
Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 62: Progress Pt 1
I sit patiently waiting, nursing my cup of coffee as I watch the pedestrians passing along the sidewalk going about their day. I glance down at my watch seeing it’s now 12:10 pm, making him ten minutes late. I take a slow sip of my coffee deciding to give it another five minutes, which was the right decision because a minute later, Julian rushes over.“I’m so sorry I’m late, the traffic is insane today,” he pants.I stand up, giving him a kind smile. “It happens, but you’re here now.”He relaxes and goes in to hug me. As I move in to return the gesture we freeze awkwardly with our arms raised in the same position. We each go to switch our positioning, resulting in the same problem. We let out an awkward chuckle at our miscommunication as Julian runs his fingers through his hair.“This used to be easier,” he muses.I take the opportunity and move in, wrapping my arms around him in a hug. I feel his body relax as he wraps his arms around me, giving me a comforting squeeze.“It’s good to
Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 62: Wake Up Call Pt 2
“Miss? Miss?” a voice gently whispers. I open my eyes and see the nurse from earlier hovering over me. “Mr Easton is out of surgery and recovering nicely. I thought you’d like to know,” she says kindly.I spring up, immediately feeling my head spin and throb. “Where is he? Can I see him?” I ask in a rush.“He’s in recovery, but yes, you can go and see him.”I throw back the covers and jump out of bed, instantly regretting it when my knees give way. Thankfully the nurse has quick reflexes and catches me, helping me back onto the bed.“You’re not going to see anyone like that.”“Please, I have to see him. I have to know he’s okay,” I stress, starting to panic.“Breathe or you’ll end up passing out,” she warns. “Now stay put while I grab a wheelchair and then I’ll take you up to see him.”I let out a deep breath. “Thank you so much,” I say appreciatively.“Your boyfriend is very lucky to have such a concerned girlfriend,” she teases.I frown, suddenly feeling awkward. “Actually, he’s my
Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 61: Wake Up Call Pt 1
“I’m sorry if this hurts,” the nurse gently apologises as she cleans and dresses my head wound.I mumble a reply, my eyes fixed on my hands in my lap. The nurse did her best to clean me up, but I can still see the dried blood embedded around my nails and cuticles. I pick at it, trying desperately to get rid of it but it won’t go away.When I was admitted, the nurses took photos of my injuries. They did that the last time I was attacked too but this time it felt so much worse; so much more invasive. They took photos of my head, face, hands, wrists, ankles and chest. I guess there were marks there too but I don’t want to think about it. They did so many other things, but I just tried to tune it all out, even though they were being so kind and gentle the entire time and always asking if I was okay to continue. I wasn’t, but I just wanted to get it over with.“Excuse me, we were hoping to have a word with Miss Contreras,” announces a masculine voice.I look up to see a male and female off
Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 60: Hold On
Suddenly I hear a knock at the door and my tears stop dead in their tracks. Hope floods my system when I realise someone might be able to save me from this hell.Carter is quickly up on his feet, retrieving the knife and pressing it to my throat as he leans in and whispers in my ears, “Not a fucking sound, do you understand me?”I stare at the door, hope and panic rolling through me. Help is just on the other side of the door and yet it’s never felt further away. Another couple knocks rap on the door, followed by a voice I never wanted to hear again but now couldn’t be more grateful for.“Nalani? It’s me, Julian,” sounds his sorrowful voice. “I really hope you’re in there. I’ve been trying for days to reach you. I know you don’t ever want to see me again, I just…I just need you to know how sorry I am,” he sighs.Carter fists the back of my hair painfully and as I look up I see the rage filling his eyes. If I don’t do something, he’s likely to kill me out of anger and I am not ready to
Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 59: Lifting The Mask
[TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter depicts mild moments of SA. This may be disturbing or triggering for some readers, for those people, please proceed to the following chapter. To those who choose to read on, please proceed with caution]As I start to wake up I feel a horrible and familiar throbbing ache in my head and the skin on the side of my face feels tight and crusty, like something has begun to set there. I try to open my eyes, but my vision is blurry. I blink a few times and with each action, my vision starts to clear a little more. I immediately realise I’m in my apartment but I don’t remember coming inside. The courtyard lights shine through my window allowing me to see my room. I go to move but feel a sharp tug that makes me wince.Confusion and panic flood my system when I glance down and see that I’m sitting in one of my kitchen chairs with duct tape binding my wrists and ankles to the arms and legs of the chair. My breath starts coming in fast bursts as I try to yank and pul
Treasured Yet Discarded Chapter 58: Empty Pt 2
Immediately I feel dread wash over me and those unpleasant gut bubbles rising in my stomach. The urge to check behind me starts to creep in and quickly my head begins to spin.“You couldn’t have phrased that another way?” Áine chastises Irina.“Nothing terrible has happened,” Irina quickly assures me, only easing my dread by a fraction.“Then why did you sound all foreboding like that?” I prod, breathing through my anxiety as Áine rubs soothing circles on my back.“Okay, so that’s on me. I was just going to say…Julian’s been calling me. He’s shown up to my place and left voicemails and text messages, all of him looking for you. I haven’t told him where you are because it’s none of his fucking business. I just thought you should know he’s clearly desperate to talk to you,” she informs me.Just hearing his name causes a pang in my chest. Since I left the penthouse I blocked and deleted his number. He came to the diner a couple times but each time someone covered for me and told him I was
