Nikolas's POVSix, seven, eight...It burns. Like a hot Lava washing over my lungs.Nine, ten, eleven...It suffocates, like a tight grip over my throat, rapidly strangling the life out of me.Twelve, thirteen, fourteen...It's painful, but pain...pain lets you know you are alive still.With his tight grip over the back of my hair, he pulled my head backward and removed it from under the water. The oxygen rushed back with full force, a shock to my now weakened lungs, and temporarily blocking my brain from functioning the way it should; everything felt foggy and in a distorted haze. My eyes stayed shut, trying to regain or keep my consciousness afloat, trying to wash the ache away but he waited no more as he pushed my head back into the water for the fifteenth...sixteenth...I don't know, he's been doing this for too long, I've lost count.It's painful, isn't it? Frank's words echoed in my head again, as if they were coming from somewhere under the water. But be thankful for the pain, b
Nikolas's POVCara's terrified eyes met mine, silently begging me to do something and I whirled my head to Isaac again, "Let her go, your fight is with me," I snapped, so close to losing my mind at how much helpless and useless I felt at the moment, "I am the one who tried to hurt him not her, you want to burn me, drown me, electrocute me, then fucking do it, do whatever you want, just leave her out of it!"Isaac stared back at me with full satisfaction, regaining his calm demeanor at my infuriated state, "Sounds fun actually, how about we do this then-" He motioned to someone behind me to do something and a few seconds passed before I felt the brutal agonizing slap of the cane against my bareback. Air caught in my throat and the unexpected sensation had me stumble forward, and almost brought me back to my knees."Since you agree on it," Isaac carried on, explaining the reason behind the caning he will subject me to, "I won't hurt her, as long as he keeps using the cane on you," He ad
Nikolas's POVThe picture reached the ground, landing and falling right under my path of sight. My eyes gazed into it, into the person it held inside it and every nerve in my body hurled – pressed and pulsed with crushing pain, one more intense than any physical torture he could inflict on me."Maxwell, right?" He asked, checking, "Small little Max," He added, probably wickedly smiling, "What would you feel now if I were to set him on fire as well?"His words, adding to the fact that this is the first time I am actually seeing his face, the first time to witness how he looks like. This whole situation in general, it had a tear trickle down the corner of my eyes and fall over the picture.Cara was cursing him somewhere in the background, threatening him to steer away from her kid...my kid. My kid...and also not mine. My heart skipped a beat, it cracked under the affliction as I slowly brought my shackled hands to the picture, my shaking fingers resting over his small tiny face, caressi
Cara's POVI feel numb. Actually, I don't know what to feel anymore. After Isaac finished his speech, they hit him with a last shock that knocked him back to unconscious land. He was barely even awake by the time they did it anyway. Isaac's eyes fell on me one last time, accomplishment reigned in his gaze, so proud and pleasured that he broke his son down. Without a word, he left after, his men following behind, their mission completed, leaving the two of us alone. Him, unconscious. Me, trying to comprehend the weird tightness pressing and pulling over my chest. I let my forehead rest over my knees, mentally exhausted. I could only wonder how worn-out he must be feeling at the moment. What they did, it was brutal. For god's sake, it's not important who is at the receiving end of it, it wasn't humane. It's barbaric. I lifted my head up, my arms hugging my legs, pulling my knees closer to my chest as I stared at him for a long couple of minutes. This time he looks dead for real. Bru
Cara’s POVNikolas’s eyebrow raised and I shot him a glare. A low sigh pushed out of his mouth and he did as told, sitting down back where he was, wincing slightly at every move he made. I looked at where he placed the rock, reenacting my small plan in my head over and over again, hoping it will work somehow or we're royally screwed. "Hold on, I am gonna need this to look legit," I mumbled, placing the tray down before I inched to Nikolas, my eyes on his chest, "I am gonna need some of your blood," I pointed out and he gave me a what-the-hell look, "So, I am gonna have to touch you," I explained, "And I am not going to like it, but I have to," I grumbled out as I crouched down. He hesitantly nodded, giving me permission, even though he seemed utterly clueless. My fingers went to one of his fresh wounds and I wiped at the blood, transferring some to my hand. His eyes pressed shut, and his jaw twitched, badly trying to show he is not in pain. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes; Men a
Cara’s POVNikolas's back tensed up, and agitation spun through him, twitching his muscles. My eyes fell into his hand, the one holding the gun, his fingers shook before they wrapped so tight over the gun's grip, the gun still down but Nikolas's finger was by the trigger still, as if ready to just aim it forward and fire. He won't...shoot the kid, right?"Let's go, what are you waiting for?!" I hissed at him. We could get caught still, why isn't he moving?Nikolas wasn't listening to me now, busy in his own head. The kid's eyes left me and went to Nikolas, they slowly moved down, falling into the gun safely tucked in his hand and the boy's throat bobbed, swallowing hard and involuntarily taking a step backward. He looked behind and around him, "Dad!" He shot out, fear enveloping his tone and my eyes widened, "Alastor!" He tried to scream again but his voice came out all shaking as he backed away from us and to the center of the room, "He is here!" What the hell-Please tell me this i
We've been walking for more than forty minutes, definitely more, an hour maybe. It passed in utter silence. I refused to speak and Nikolas didn't seem to be big on conversations anyway. It's been long though, my feet ache, my chest hurts, my stomach is making all kinds of noises, tumbling up and down, in hunger, and nauseous. I am tired, I am exhausted, I am cold, hungry, and thirsty. "Can we take a break," I mumbled, my throat dry and I swallowed hard, rubbing a hand over it, trying to blunt the ache away as I heaved a strained breath out of my lungs. Nikolas paused in his steps, "I know you're tired but look-" He said, pointing at something behind me. I twirled around, looking at a distance across the road where a gas station can be clearly seen from over here, beside it stood a small building, two or three floors maybe, it had the word 'MOTEL' on its top in lightening colors but the letter E had its purple color flickering on and off, so it looked more like 'MOTL'.Oh, finally. I
Cara’s POV I moved backward, sitting down by the edge of the couch, my fingers twitching, my nerves flaring in a way I didn't quite understand, "What you said to him...the truth that-" I couldn't get myself to say it out loud, my eyes focused on my lap, fidgeting with my fingers, "Was it true?" His silence had me meet his gaze and he shook his head, bewildered and terrified, "Don't ask me about that," Something seemed to be fighting in his eyes, "I am not mentally prepared to deal with what I said back there." My jaw tightened, my lower lip quivering slightly and I pulled it under my teeth, stopping myself from reliving that past again. I was okay, really, I was moving on, I think maybe I did, I moved on from the incident as a whole but one thing for sure is...I didn't move on from him. Today, all of this, it's just one big reminder, pushing me down that memory lane, pushing me to face my attacker, my villain, once and for all. "You liked it, didn't you," My voice came out weak, t
By lunchtime, Tanya came back, she asked for the kid's attention, and the responsible attendee tried to calm them all down, ushering them to leave the toys, sit and listen. Alex let go of his legos and scooted backward, accidentally laying his back against me as he intently listened. I looked down at him, unable to have enough as Tanya announced that one of the kids was leaving, that he got adopted and she urged the rest to bid him goodbye. I think it's just one of the things they do around here. My eyes were on Alex still, so I noticed the way his shoulders slumped down at the news, a low breath leaving him as he pressed his chin over his pulled up legs, staring at the kid as he hugged the others, happy and giddy that he has his own family now. "What's wrong?" I asked, inching my head closer to his face, so he could hear me through the loud shatter around us. He turned his head to look at me, his brows pinched in sadness, "I want to go too," He said, his voice the softest sweetest
Leya's POV"Do you know a story?" He asked, out of the blue, his eyes closed still, I even thought he had drifted off minutes ago, but apparently not."Uh...a story?" I asked, confused."Hmm," He hummed, "I didn't have anyone to tell me bed-time stories before Frank took me," He explained, "After that, Linda used to tell me a story every night, it used to help me sleep," He was speaking but his tone proved that he was half here, half on the way toward unconsiousness."Oh, I don't know any story, I am sorry," I mumbled."I knew you wouldn't know," He said, his tone wasn't accusing or anything, just low and tired, stating a fact he believed in; that I lack any characteristic a mother should have, which isn't a lie anyway.A couple of minutes passed till he was finally fast asleep. My eyes never left his face all through, for the very first time in so long he was right beside me, his head resting over my lap. He wasn't shouting nor pushing me away. I didn't know what to do or even say.
Nikolas's POVAlex grumbled something as I pushed him inside the car. He immediately fell into the seat, his head tilting backward and pressing against the headrest, eyes closed, more than ready to fall back asleep. He was a gone case after all that we drank but for some reason, I still felt sober and aware. No amount of alcohol served its purpose to make me forget or at least lessen the pain pulsing through my head and body.It was near impossible to let loose or relax after all that happened.A loud sigh parted my lips at my failed attempts before I joined Alex in the backseat, exhausted and de-energized as I fell down beside him. Ronald looked at us through the rearview mirror, "Where to?"Alex opened his eyes, "I am way too drunk," He slurred out, "Do not take me home," He added, moving to the side and leaving the wide space of the car to press himself into me. His head fell into my shoulder, using it as his pillow, moving his head around and picking up a comfortable spot as he cl
"We are not driving," I pointed out when I saw his eyes flicker to his car. He groaned and I pushed him with me down the road, "Where the hell are we going?" He said, being a whiney bitch per usual.I kept ignoring him as my drunk mind navigated the way, we were so close anyway, so no way we'd get lost, my drunk brain assured me as I walked us to the targeted destination. We reached the Huntington beach pier shortly after. I internally praised myself for being able to reach here even in my intoxicated state. We walked along the bridge, the air chilly and brisk as we descended down the stairs. Nik kept mumbling some words and whining, disturbed that I pulled him out of his little comfort zone in the bar.I reached the bridge's pillars, right beside the sea, and picked a clean spot before I dropped down, placing the liquor bottle beside me and opening up the cap. Nik hovered over, glaring down at me and I patted the space by my side, "Sit and stop being so unpleasant."He rolled his eye
He was looking at me as I counted a few, the frown between his eyebrow deepened at my words, and his lips curled up in annoyance, at himself I guess because he nodded his head, sighing, "Yeah, you're right. I am all of those."I nodded, "Yeah, but at least you're honest with yourself about it, that's a good thing," I tried to praise him a little, you know, trying not to kick a man when he's down, "You're also a little good looking, which sometimes could slightly compensate for your annoying persona."He stared back at me in pure puzzlement, "We are blessed with good genes, be grateful for that," I added, "Me blessed more than you of course, but yeah."His eyebrow raised, not satisfied by me constantly undermining him. He placed his hand over my arm and pushed it away from around his shoulder. I shot him a glare and placed it back. He huffed out loudly, irritated by my mere presence, "Stop touching me!""Shush, you love me," I said as I pinched his cheek.He groaned in annoyance and I
Alex's POV"Hello?" I said, my tone questioning at the unknown number calling me at this hour as I leaned my back against the car, my eyes focused on the bar across the road from me, my gaze studying the interior and searching for someone in specific as I gazed through from the ceiling-length glass window.No answer came from the other line, but I could distinctly hear someone suck into a deep breath, hesitant or maybe playing a game on me. Having no time for this bullshit, I almost hung up at the lack of answer but right then, a specific voice mumbled a low, "Alex."My jaw tightened, my eyes pressed shut immediately, and a harsh breath pushed its way out of my chest; where the hell did she even get my number from? Does she ever give up?"What do you want?" I asked, rather harshly but I didn't care. She should be grateful I didn't shut the call the second I heard her annoying voice.My eyes caught a glimpse of Nikolas inside, my head tilted as I tried to get a better look, preparing m
Nikolas's POV"Are you just gonna follow me everywhere?" I shot out, glaring at Ronald as he followed me to the parking lot, he has been on my tail since I woke up."Where are you going?" He asked, pushing his nose into my business.I unlocked my car and opened the door, my hand rested on its edge as my eyes flickered to him, "Ronald, look, you are like my least favorite person in the world, so if you don't leave me alone, I might actually kill you," My words didn't sound threatening at all. I was still tired, and energyless, whatever meds they put in me is still active and is messing with my head.Not waiting to hear more from him, I got in and roared the engine to life, taking off before he tries to join me as well. I lowered the window as I sped down the highway, letting the cold air in, hoping it can blunt off some of the ache in my chest as I drove to my new apartment. I am slightly better now, mental-wise, I am kind of ready finally interact with them.Parking the car in its spo
The one thing to shake me out of my thoughts was the ringing of my phone. A loud breath left my lungs as I gave it a look to find a very unexpected call from Natalie. My eyebrows pulled closer as I pressed the answer button, "Hello," I said, my tone a bit questioning, taken aback by seeing her name."Hey, Alex," Her voice enveloped the inside of the car as I started the engine and took off into the road, "I am sorry to disturb you but uh-""No, no, you're not, what's up?"A low sigh came from her side, "If you are available, can we meet, I just want to talk, just a couple of minutes only, I won't take much from your time.""Yeah, sure," I said, checking the time, "I am free now, where are you, I can come wherever you are," I can go to Nikolas right after that, because whatever she wants to talk about is Nikolas-related for sure."I am at my house now, you can come by here if you want, or I could meet you somewhere if you are far," She sounded somber, a bit dejected, so not like her ch
Alex's POVI covered Cara and Lilly well before I carefully took Max in my arms and placed him in his crib by the bed, dropping a kiss on his head before I pulled the blanket over his body. I moved toward the door, my eyes taking one look and making sure all is okay before I left the room.Grabbing my jacket and keys, I left the house, silently closing the door behind me while texting Katherine to drop by and stay by Cara's side while I am out. Emma already left two men by the house, guarding and assessing the whole situation, just in case something happens but still, I would rather not have Cara be left alone for the time being.I got into my car but didn't drive away yet. I rested my back against the seat and closed my eyes for a brief second, breathing in and out. The air very tight in my chest, anxiousness wrapping over every alive nerve in my being, my body and mind unable to relax for some reason, as if sensing that something is just not right, something waiting to happen and im