Masukšššš¼šMy eyes batted as I slowly opened them to find Papillon sleeping beside me on the floor. My arms were wrapped around her waist.She was sleeping gently.Morning had already come. The rain was still falling in a soft, steady drizzle, tapping gently against the windowsābut the thunder⦠the thunder was gone.I shut my eyes tightly, recalling how vulnerable I was last night.Papillon saw me.Not the man everyone fears.Not Logan Hellfire.She saw himāthe fragile little boy I buried so deep I thought he was long dead.She saw the weaknesses behind the devilish person I had turned myself into.I was scared of thunderānot because of the sound it always makes, but because of what it brings back.Every single thing that broke me as a child happened under a thunderstorm.I donāt feel that trauma when it only rains. When itās just rain without the thunderstorm, Iām okay, but when the rain comes with thunderstorms, I am not.I thought I could get over it. I thought I was over it, but w
š¼š½š½ššI was still slung over Demonās shoulder when we got home. He didnāt put me downāno matter how much I yelled, kicked, or protested. Eventually, I was the one who gave up.Demon wasnāt the type of person to start a competition with. He does only what he wants to do, and not what anyone tells him.Always unpredictable.I can never know what runs through his mind. Whenever I think heād do something, he ends up doing the opposite.āWe are home now, arenāt you going to put me down?ā I murmured when we were a few steps away from the entrance of his house.āStop talking,ā he said, smacking my ass.āOuch.ā I flinched, heat rushing to my face. Without thinking, I bit the crook of his neck in retaliation.āAre you asking for a death wish?ā he said, and I laughed.āAbbie.ā I suddenly heard Rubyās voice.Demon stopped walking, and he finally set me down. My feet barely steadied beneath me as I looked up⦠and saw her. She was sitting a few feet away from me, but she eventually walked up
š¼š½š½ššMy fingers kept hovering over my phone screen as I waited for Demon's reply. This was my first time wearing jeansāand for some reason, it mattered. I needed to know if I looked good. If he thought I looked good.I was so used to wearing long dresses and skirts that it feels awkward wearing jeans. Though I have always wanted to dress like this, but Mom was always on my case, so I got used to dressing like a reverend sister.Manon and Zenia weren't with me. It would've been a lot easier. They would've laughed, hyped me up, spun me around, told me I looked amazingāeven if I didn't.I called them and invited them to shop with me, but they gave me excuses. Manon said she had work to do, while Zenia claimed she was busy helping Pacard out.I knew they made up those excuses because they didn't want to hang out with me.I don't blame them.I understood them. They didn't want to be involved in anything that has to do with Demon. If they had never befriended me, they would've never c
šššš¼šPierre and Ox werenāt in the Onyx Room when I arrived. It was quiet, but somehow, it was exactly what I needed. A place where no one would speak. Where no one would look at me. Where no one would dig into things better left buried.Papillonās words kept echoing in my headāsharp and relentless, like a blade that refused to dull.She reminded me⦠that I was birthed by the worst parents on earth.It wasnāt her fault. She didnāt know. She couldnāt possibly know.She thinks her mom is the worst parent on earth. Maybe to her⦠Regina is the worst parent on earth.But to me, Regina was just⦠a beginner. A learner, in terms of being a bad parent.My parents?They were monsters who mastered it.I was born in North Carolina. Iām an American, but I grew up in almost all parts of the world thanks to the people who called themselves my parents.Lynn and Thiago.How can I ever forget the name of those two?It was impossible to forget their names. The name of my parents. They were the foun
š¼š½š½šš"Do you know how to play the piano?" Demon asked as he pulled away from the hug, but his hands were on my waist. There was no inch of space between us, so I could feel his breath on my face.I turned slightly toward the piano behind me and slowly shook my head, avoiding his eyes."I'm sure you know how to play. Play something. I want to hear it," he said, his voice low, almost demanding... but not harsh."I really don't know how to play," I muttered."If you can rap and freestyle, I'm sure you know how to play the piano. I saw your hands hovering around the keys... you just weren't in the mood to play," he said.My brows furrowed, and I looked up at him, startled."How long were you here watching me?""The moment you sat on the piano chair," he replied."That was like thirty minutes ago? You've been here for thirty whole minutes?" I asked, sounding surprised.He noddedācalm, unfazedālike it was nothing."Play something. Whether it's perfect or not... I'm going to listen to
š¼š½š½ššI sat close to the piano, my fingers brushing the keys without purpose, each soft tap echoing faintly in the quiet studio. Demon wasnāt home when I stepped out, so I came hereāthe only place where his presence didnāt feel suffocating⦠the only place where I could breathe without expecting chaos.My vision blurred as tears gathered stubbornly in my eyes. I kept tapping the same key over and over, as if the sound could drown out the heaviness in my chest.I knew how to play.I used to play.Mom had enrolled me in piano classes when I was seven.Back then, music felt like freedom⦠like something that belonged to me. But she took that away too. Mom stopped me from attending my piano classes when she discovered my love for music.I swallowed hard, forcing my trembling fingers to press down on the keys, trying to form even the simplest melody⦠anything.But nothing came.My hands refused to cooperate, weighed down by the ache in my heart. I was too sad⦠too broken to even play.D







