All Chapters of Pathetically Beautiful : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I woke up to the sound of my phone going off. I sat up, grabbing it, confused. No one had ever messaged me, and I didn't have friends. Picking it up, I opened the message. good morning, beautiful. I hope your day is as beautiful as you. a smile came to my face, my cheeks burning red as I felt a mix of things that I could quite put my finger on. morning who did you get my number? A few moments passed before my phone buzzed again with a response. I have my ways ;) I giggled at his response. Maybe this could be the start of something good in my life. But before I could reply, the door to my room burst open with a loud bang, causing me to jump. My heart sank as I saw Steve standing there, anger written all over his face. "What do you think you're doing?" he growled. I quickly scrambled to put my phone away, trying to hide it from his view. "I-I was just... woke up," I stammered, fear creeping into my voice. His eyes narrowed as he took a step closer to me. "I have a Job for you

After a while, Brax fell asleep. I slowly moved his arm off me, getting up, ignoring the pain that shot through my body; I went to the bathroom. I went to the mirror, standing there holding onto the sink. I looked at myself; my face was unrecognizable. Swollen and bruised, my eyes were red, and my lip was split. The sight of myself sent a surge of anger through me; memories of the four men who had done this to me came flooding back. even know they were the ones who did this to me. My rage wasn't for them. It was for Steve. He was meant to protect me and look after me, not use me to pay his debts. Without thinking, I raised my fist and punched the mirror with all the strength I could muster. The glass shattered into a thousand pieces, reflecting my fragmented self back at me. A blood-curdling scream escaped my lips. I stood there gripping the sink with both hands so tight my knucks turned white. breathing heavily with my head hung low, I tried to calm myself down. The pain in my hand

I was scared to go home, but I knew that I had to do it for so many reasons. From the second I told them that I wanted to go home, I didn't say a word. Brax tried to talk me out of it, but I had my mind set on what I was doing. I wished I could tell Brax the reason I wanted to go home, but I can't. During the car ride there, I could feel Brax looking over at me every now and again, but I kept my eyes on my hands, which sat in my lap, playing with the bottom of my jumper. He dropped me at the end of the street only because I made him. As soon as I got to the end of the drive away, my heart started racing, and I regretted my choices. There was no turning back now.I slowly made my way up the path to my run-down flat. The closer I got, the more I let fear overtake me. I knew what I was coming back to.I could hear Steve's voice from the house. As I came around the corner, I locked eyes with my mother, who was heading back inside. She had a look of disdain on her heavily botoxed face. He

we sat out by the foundation for hours. Brax gave me his suit jacket, and we just talked about it. Well, Brax did most of the talking; I just sat there listening for once. My body was relaxed and at peace. the sun started to peer over the hill in the distance, casting a warm golden glow over us. Brax's voice was soothing as he shared memories and thoughts with me, his words intertwining with the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze. as I sat there in peace, listening to him talk, I realised something that scared me: I was falling for him, and there was nothing that I could do to stop that. "come on" Brax stood up, taking my hands in his and pulling me to my feet before leading me into the house and up to his room. As we got to his room, it crossed my mind: what if he was expecting me to sleep with him? That was something I wasn't ready for and I don't know if I ever will be sex to be something that brought trauma and pain. I stood moving, my body starting to shut down as my mind rac

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