Page 13 of Broken Empire
WINTER
Agroan escapesme asIcome to, my head pounding with what has got to be the worst headacheI’veever had before.Isqueeze my eyes shut, hoping that it will do something to make the pain go away.
Itdoesn’t.
Whichisn’t a surprise.Ilet out a sigh asItry to turn over so thatIcan lie on my back instead of my side.Theslight movement causes pain to shoot across my body which makes me halt my movements and stay in the positionI’mcurrently in.
Itfeels like everywhere on my body is on fire andIdon’t even know why.Whatthe hell happened?Irealize my mind is a little fuzzy asIdesperately try to recall whyI’min pain right now.Itdoesn’t take long for all the memories to bombard me andIinstantly wishIdidn’t remember any of it.
Fuckinghell, what a clusterfuck of epic proportions!
First, the fake video with the guys andIgot leaked somehow, thoughI’msure everyone who saw it no doubt thinks it’s real.Ilet out another sigh at the thought that this is just another one ofMason’smany betrayals added to the never-ending list he already has.
Iremember running away from school becauseIjust had to get away from everything.Allthe whispers and stares.ThehumiliationIfelt when everyone started to laugh and point their fingers.Itfelt like the first time all over again, only this time seemed worse somehow.I’mnot sureI’llever be able to live that shit down.
So,Iran.
Iran all the way toLondon.Inthat moment, allIwanted was to see my dad.Thisplace also has so many bad memories thatIwishIcould get rid of.Thenext thing that plays through my mind is the fact thatIwent to the cemetery to visit my father’s grave but thenIcame face to face withArchieandMelaniewhileIwas there.
Atear slips down my face asIrecall their words to me.Theirbetrayal.Itfucking guts me all over again asIlay here thinking about it.Atleast nowIfinally know the truth of what happened that weekend.Theywere the ones to drug me and they were the ones to carry out that whole ploy to makeMasonthinkIwas cheating on him.Whichthen led to seeing him in bed with that skankAmber.Allof that would’ve never happened if they didn’t fucking stab me in the back,Ithink bitterly.
Whateverthey gave me worked really fucking good becauseIstill couldn’t remember that night no matter how hardItried.IguessIshould thank them for finally filling in the blanks for me.ButIwon’t because they don’t deserve it.
Theirbetrayal cut so fucking deep, it’s hard to get past it.Ithought they were my friends, while they ruined my life for money.Ireally do need to choose better friends.Howthe hell could one little lie fuck my entire world up like that?
Iguess peoplewilldo anything for money.AndIhave first-hand experience with that sinceMason’sdad and mynotmother is after me for mine…
Idon’t thinkMasonwill ever know how much it fucking crushed my soul when he didn’t believe me.Whenhe believed all the lies over my truth.I’vebeen paying for their lies with my blood and tears andI’mstill paying…
Thesad part of this whole shit show is that had they asked… had they asked for help or even money,Iwould have gladly given it to them.Iwould’ve helped them in any wayIcould without a second thought because that’s what friends do for each other.Butthey chose to royally fuck me over and destroy my life instead.Whathappens now?Anddoes it even end?
Mythoughts are still a jumbled mess asItry to remember what happened after that.Oh,Iremember storming out of the cemetery becauseIcouldn’t bear to look at them anymore.Ijust had to get away from them and their betrayal.Iwent back to the hotel…
Ah, and thenMasonand my brother showed up at my door not long after me.Gotto give it to them, they tracked me down pretty fast.
Iremember screaming and fighting withMasonand then showing him the documents that contained information on his mother and how she died.Istill can’t believe that his dad had her killed.Butthen again after dealing withAlisterand seeing his true colorsIknow he’s definitely capable of committing murder.Theman really is a fucking monster.
AfterhandingMasonthe documents,Ileft him alone to go over them.Inthat moment, his betrayal was still fresh in my mind and the added pain of finally getting confirmation thatIreally was innocent all along was too much soIleft to get some air because suddenly being inside the hotel was suffocating me.
Ihad to get away from him, from the pain that always follows me around whenever he’s near me.Howcould the person you want to take all your pain away be the one to cause it all in the first place?
Then… fuck, my brain feels like it doesn’t want to function right now.Whathappened after that?Moving, car—ah,Iwas driving, not paying much attention to my surroundings.Instead,Iwas only focused on getting the hell away fromMason, again.Andthat, as they say, was my downfall becauseIdidn’t realize what was happening around me until it was too late anyway…
Myeyes suddenly pop open whenIremember the crash!Someasshole intentionally ran me off the road causing me to crash into a small ditch and then everything went dark around me.AndnowIunderstand why my body is in so much pain.
Itake in my surroundings and see thatI’min a roomI’venever been in before.It’sdark but there’s a light on outside in the hallway whichIcan see from my prison-style door.Yeah, you guessed it.Thedoor is made up of bars.Idon’t know whereIam or whyI’mhere butIalready hate it becauseIknow that nothing good is coming my way.Ifeel a slight chill go through my body at the possibilities floating through my mind.
It’sa little dark in here but my eyes have adjusted a bit from the glow coming from outside andIsee that the room is small.Onone side of it is a toilet and sink andI’mon the other side on an extremely uncomfortable twin-size bed and there’s nothing else in here.
Idon’t even see anything that can be used as a weapon, once whoever has me here comes for me.Iknow that someone will, butIjust don’t know who it is yet…
Ilet out a groan.WhatIreally want to do is scream this place down.Canlife get any fucking worse?Itry to sit up and wince at the pain that seems to intensify with any kind of movement on my part.Ittakes a little longer thanIwould have liked, butIfinally make it into a sitting position and go to move one of my legs off the bed whenIhear the clinking of what definitely sounds like chains.
Ilook down and sure enough there’s a leather cuff attached to one of my ankles and there’s a long chain connected to the cuff which is nailed into the wall.You’vegot to be fucking kidding me right now!
Itlooks just long enough to move around the room with.Mywrists are thankfully not restrained.Notthat it’s much but at leastIhave that.MaybeIcan scratch my kidnapper’s eyes out or something.Let’sjust hope for a miracle.
Withthis new development,Iforget all about the pain in my body for a moment asIslowly get to my feet and walk over to the foot of the bed where the chain is connected to the wall.Itry to pull and tug at it, to wrench it out of the wall but it’s in there good, almost like it’s molded into the wall.I’mdefinitely not getting out of here until someone releases me since there’s a lock on the cuff.