5

SKYLAR DUVAL

Gently, I placed the fresh flowers on the tombstone where Dad and Mom were buried. Or rather whatever was left of them from the fire three years ago after they were attacked and murdered. My sister's husband, Dimitri Castello had pulled the strings and ensured they were buried here. The day our parents died changed our lives forever. 

I gave one last glance at the tombstone before walking away back to where my sisters, Elena and Zoey were waiting for me beside the SUV while Torin, who was literally like Elena's shadow, was seated inside the car, behind the wheels. I still had trouble being around him or any other man. Tymon had not only abused me but he had ruined me for anyone else. I couldn't stand being next to a male figure.

“What are your plans for today?” Elena asked as we were seated in the car, and Torin started the engine.

I stiffened, hating this rerun conversation. “The same as yesterday, I guess,” 

“We should go out. More fresh air would do you good,” Elena's eyes met mine, almost pleading.

“Yeah, we could even catch a movie. All three of us, like old times,” Zoey added.

It has been seven months already since I reunited with my sisters. Seven months already, yet nothing has changed. It still felt like I was still trapped within Tymon's cage in Montenegro. And no matter how I tried, I couldn't break free.

The hellish nightmare I endured under his abuse still haunted my dreams. Now it has gotten worse. Now all I saw was death. It was either Elena's or Zoey's. Or him. My savior or one of the women who was part of Tymon's precious harem. And they all died at the hands of the same man. Tymon Mazur. I knew it was only a dream. A nightmare. Tymon was dead. I watched my savior put a bullet through him. But that doesn't keep the nightmares at bay.

What frightened me most was to lose the remaining few people I care about. Sometimes it felt like my freedom was only a mirage. Each day was always a battle where I fought hard to pretend I was okay. But the truth was I still scrambled to create some kind of normalcy in a world that was entirely new to me. And I was failing. My fear and thoughts were my shackles.

I never imagined freedom would be like this. It was painful. Suffocating. My only haven was being back in the penthouse Elena got for me after I decided to leave the Ford mansion. She had thought it was my way of healing, of moving forward, but that was a lie. Dimitri Castello scared the hell out of me. They all do, even Lorenzo Russo. But strangely, when it came to Savio, everything was different. I wasn't sure why. Maybe because he was the first man who didn't make me feel like I was his next course of desert. He was a man who risked his life to save mine in Montenegro. My protector.

“Skylar—” Elena's concerned voice ripped me from my thoughts.

I shook my head, peering outside the window. “Not today,” 

As much as it pained me to see the look of worry in her eyes, I simply wasn't ready to do more than visit the Ford mansion and our parent's tombstone. Every second out in the open felt like I was being watched.

“You both should go out though,” I shifted my gaze to Zoey. Frankly, it made me happy to see she was getting better after everything I was told she had been through during her disappearance as well. I was glad to know at least she hadn't gone through the abuse I had been subjected to. And her weekly therapy with Dr Perez was helping her. I wished I was as brave as she was to get back on my feet. Instead, I'd quit attending my sessions; I only started at first to set Elena's mind at ease. But it wasn't working.

“It won't be the same without you. We'll just go when you're able to join us,” Zoey said, and I nodded.

“Okay, since going out is off the list, we can call your friends. You haven't spoken to them since Montenegro. Ana has been calling me to speak to you,”

Ever since Montenegro, I'd deliberately not spoken to any of the thirteen women who were also part of Tymon's precious harem. I'd spoken to Ana a few times and I'd found out she was doing okay, and so we're the others. They had all returned to their families and were doing their best to get back on their feet. I didn't want to rub my negativity on them. It was better this way.

I disguised my pang of guilt with a fake smile. “Not today,”

“Skylar,” Elena called. “Just one phone call—”

“Not today, Elena,” 

I hated her disappointment. I knew everything she was doing was to help me. She hadn't changed even after everything I heard she'd been through. Instead, she became stronger. I knew it was hard for her to understand. Hell, it was hard for me to understand. Seven months ago, those women were my life, and now keeping my distance was what was best for them.

The drive back to my penthouse was in silence. As I got out of the car, I saw Lev and Ivan pull up behind Torin's car. They were my bodyguards, and though I appreciated the safety measures, I was still struggling to feel comfortable in their presence.

Before I could walk inside, Elena held my hand. “You need to speak to someone, Skylar. It isn't healthy to keep the past bottled. Your mind builds on what you feed it. You can't beat him until you turn the tables and take control,”

Him. Tymon Mazur. The man who continued to torment my thoughts from beyond the grave.

“Talk to someone, Skylar. It doesn't have to be me, it could be anyone. As long as you feel better,”

I nodded, going into the penthouse with Lev and Ivan.

I went straight to my room, plopping on the bed with Elena's words filling my head.

She was right. I couldn't beat Tymon Mazur until I turned the tables and took control. 

I took out my phone and logged my info into La Haven’s web. I had paid the membership f*e for La Haven, a taboo club in the heart of Manhattan. It was a home for whatever you wanted to indulge in. Some people go there to fulfill their wild sexual fantasies while mentally unhinged people like me, went there for therapeutic help.

I wasn't sure why I initially joined the club, but then it was a good place to have a talk and mingle, one that wasn't affiliated with Dimitri Castello or the Russos. Now, I was hoping it would help me better than my sessions with Dr Perez.

I made my first appointment at La Haven scheduled at seven-thirty. And deep down, I hope this was exactly what I needed to move past the monsters still haunting me.