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The grass is long, another confirmation that my mother hasn’t been here for some time. Not that she would ever be caught dead mowing the lawn. It just means she’s not spending money on someone else to upkeep it. I reach the front steps and look up at the huge white door. This place used to be my home, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see it as a home again. It’s a reminder of how broken my family is.
I shake the thoughts away. In my haste to escape Corium, I didn’t get the chance to grab my keys, so I flip the ugly gnome near the front door over, where the spare key is.
My eyes light up when I spot the metal key, and I pick it up from the concrete and shove it into the door. I turn the key, and the lock disengages. Slowly, I twist the doorknob and push the door open.
At least I didn’t have to break in.
I step inside the dark house and reach for the light switch. The lights flick on, and I must admit that I’m shocked. The shock gives way to sadness when I close the front door and find myself alone in this gigantic house. I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, still surprised that I brought it with me.
My chest feels heavy, and my fingers move across the screen, involuntarily typing out Quinton’s name into my contact list.
No, no. I can’t call him.I won’t.He left without a goodbye, and I don’t want to be the first to give in and try to contact him, even if it is to let him know I’m no longer at Corium. I don’t need him. It’s time to grow up and take care of myself.
At a snail’s pace, I walk through the house and up the grand staircase. I always thought this house was too big for three people to be living in. Lonely and quiet.
When I reach the landing, I walk the short distance to my bedroom. With a twist of the knob, I’m back in my bedroom, a space that was mine but feels like a thousand light years away now.
The sheets are still crisp, the bed made, not a single pillow out of place. It’s so perfect, it’s almost creepy. I stare in rage at the perfection of the room, of the emotions left inside of this place.
I want to cry, scream, and yell. I want to break things and let the ground swallow me up, but I do none of those things.
Instead, I walk over to the bed and fall face-first on it. I’m beyond exhausted, and I just want a hot shower and some food, which I’ll be lucky to find. I peel the sweater off my body and toss it onto the bed when I hear the creak of the front door opening and closing.
“Mom?” I yell and rush toward the stairs, where heavy footfalls are approaching.
No, that can’t possibly be my mother.
My heart leaps out of my chest, and I stop just before the landing, realizing my mistake of calling out for my mother. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when my eyes land on Matteo, who is mere feet away from me.
Oh, god! No one is here to save me this time. Behind him are two other men, and I stumble backward before I twist around and start running down the hall.
I can hear Matteo gaining speed. His heavy boot-covered feet slap against the hardwood, reminding me that if I don’t find a way to escape him, I will become the rat stuck under his foot.
“Where are you going, Aspen? You don’t want to play a game?” I swear I can feel his breath on my neck. Sweat breaks out across my forehead and straight ahead is my door.
If I can just make it to the door. If I can make it inside the room and shut the door behind me, it’ll buy me a little time. I reach forward, my fingers graze the knob, and I’m sure I’m safe when Matteo’s thick arms wrap around my middle, breaking the false sense of hope.
He tackles me to the ground, his hulking frame lands on mine, knocking the wind out of me. I shove at his body as we roll, trying to escape his grasp, but his fingers dig into my flesh. I ignore the pain and lash out with my hands and feet, kicking and hitting any part of his body I can touch.
“Yeah, fight me, bitch. Fight me. It makes me so fucking hard when you struggle. I can’t wait to sink deep inside you and fuck the thought of Quinton right out of you. By the time I’m done with you, he won’t want you anymore. No one will. I can promise you that.”
I slap at his hands as he grabs me by the throat, squeezing it like he’s trying to bend steel.
“Get the rope, Rico,” he growls at someone over his shoulder. Black dots fill my vision, and I grit my teeth, struggling to breathe.
Matteo’s grip on my throat lessens a bit, and I suck a ragged breath of air into my lungs. He smirks and leans down, licking the lingering tears that have escaped my eyes from my skin.
“You will pay for this!” I scream, my voice hoarse.
“Maybe or maybe not.” He shrugs. “Either way, this will be so much fun.”
Before I can respond, I’m tossed onto my stomach. My hands tugged painfully behind my back. The rope, some Rico guy got for him, is wrapped and knotted around my wrists. Next are my ankles, and I can feel the tears building in my eyes. I should’ve gone with Lucas. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn.
As fast as I was tossed onto my stomach, I’m picked up. Matteo’s meaty hands dig into my skin hard enough to leave bruises as he throws me over his shoulder.
“You don’t want to do this, Matteo, please…” I beg, but my plea falls on deaf ears.
Every step down the stairs and out of the house is another crack to my fragile being. Another man is standing outside the house, and I only see him for a moment as I’m tossed into the open trunk of the vehicle.
