All Chapters of Pathetically Beautiful : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Leaning my head against the cold tiles, I listened to Brax's footsteps fade as he walked away from the door. Tears still blurred my vision, but I slowly started to calm myself. But guilt still ate away at me. I would never be able to give Brax what he wanted, and there was no way I could stop spending time with him because if I did, Steve would only punish me for not doing as he told me to. My heart ached to be able to be a normal teenager and to be able to fall for Brax like my heart wanted me to. Minutes turned into an hour before I mustered the courage to emerge from the bathroom. The room was dark, save for the faint glow from the bedside lamp that Brax had left on. He was sprawled on the bed, arm across his eyes, clearly lost in his own storm of thoughts."Brax?" My voice was fragile, and the words hung in the air.He sat up instantly, eyes heavy with concern yet softened by affection. "Willow, are you alright?"I nodded, even though it was far from the truth. Walking towards hi

Brax povThe drive to my house was suffocating. The silence between Willow and me was loud, filled with unspoken words and suppressed emotions. I kept my eyes on the road, my grip on the steering wheel tightening with each thumping beat of my heart. The rage inside me was like a sleeping beast, waiting to be unleashed. I glanced at Willow from the corner of my eye. She stared out of the window, her face pale, her hands trembling. Her stepfather, Steve, was the monster who had been hurting her all along, and I was furious with myself for not seeing it earlier.When we finally pulled up to my house, I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. Willow followed me inside, her steps hesitant. We went straight to my room, the one place I could let my anger out. As soon as the door closed behind us, everything felt too small, too confining. I couldn’t contain the rage any longer.“Brax, can we—” Willow started, but I was already losing it. I grabbed a photo frame off my dresser, the image of m

Willow's POVThe ticking of the clock was the only sound filling the room as Dillon and I sat on a chair across from Dillion. I looked out of the window. I watched the city lights dance in the distance, drawing some comfort from their familiarity. My mind replayed Brax’s rage outburst over and over again. Dillon shifted, breaking the silence."I just need to call Brax and let him know I found you,” he said, his voice gentle. “I’ll tell him you’re staying with a friend for a bit. Is that okay?”I nodded, feeling a pang of guilt for making Dillion lie to his best for me. Watching Dillon leave the room, I couldn’t help but think about him. He had always been kind to me, a bastion of calm in my otherwise chaotic life. That simple, consistent kindness made me feel safe, even now.When he returned, Dillon's face was tinged with concern. “Brax is really worried about you, Willow,” he said softly. “He hopes you can forgive him.”The mention of forgiveness made my heart twist. I knew Brax neve

Willow's POVI don’t know when, but at some point, I fell asleep in the chair. When I woke up, the sun was beaming down on my face. I looked around the room, seeing that Dillion was gone, and my heart ached a little. I couldn’t work out why. Looking down at my phone, I saw the millions of missed calls and messages from Brax. I wasn’t ready to talk to him, not just yet. I had other things I needed to focus on, and there was a big part of me that was still scared of Brax. I got up and headed towards the bathroom, and just as I reached for the bathroom door, the front door swung open. In walked Dillion, carrying a tray of coffee and a bag. “Good morning,” he said with a warm smile. “I didn’t know what coffee you liked, and I didn’t want to wake you, so I just brought a few different ones.” He placed the coffee down on the bench and held out the bag to me. “And here are some clothes.”I thanked him and took the bag. “Have you spoken to Brax?”Dillion's face grew serious, his eyes filled

Brax's POVI sat on the edge of the couch, anxiously tapping my knee. A glass of water remained untouched on the coffee table. The silence was suffocating, every moment a reminder of how awfully I had screwed up. My mind replayed the scene over and over—Willow’s horrified expression, her wide eyes, her retreating footsteps. “Get a grip,” I muttered to myself, running a hand through my hair. But the tension in my chest wouldn’t ease. I wanted to punch something, anything, just to release the pressure building inside of me, but that’s what got me into this mess in the first place.I heard tyres crunch on the gravel outside before the front door creaked open. Dillion walked in, his face unreadable as usual, but I could see the concern in his eyes. He took one look at me and sighed. "Hey, man," Dillion greeted, kicking off his shoes. He plopped down into the armchair opposite me and stretched out, trying to seem casual, though I knew he felt the tension, too. “Have you spoken to Willow