7

ROSE

The weight of what I’d done sat in my chest like lead. The more I tried to push it past my mind, the heavier the truth sat and weighed down on me. This wasn't one of those situations that I would tell my things were okay, because it wasn't. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise, the truth still remained that I'd messed up, and badly too.

Levi. Even the mere thought of him was enough to have my heart breaking all over again His mother was dead, he had been calling me in his darkest hour, and where was I? I was in a tangled bed, my body throbbing from the relentless attention of three monsters.

Even though I’d heard the rumors, that he’d cheated on me, not once too, the hypocrisy of it still made me feel sick. I felt like a slut. I had let three men use me, fill every inch of me, and a part of me, the traitorous, drug-hazed part, had loved the way they took me. I'd silently been blaming him for what he'd done, but I was a cheater now, too, and not with just anyone, but with the men who were dismantling my life, and were hell bent on dangling my father and our predicament in front of me any chance they got.

I tried to swing my legs off the bed, but a sharp, stinging fire shot through my core. I watched my life flash before my eyes for a brief moment, before I gasped, falling back against the pillows. I was too sore to move. A part of me has expected this reaction, judging from how hard they'd had their way with me last night, but I didn't think it would be this bad.

Every muscle in my thighs was screaming, and the sensitive skin of my pussy and butthole felt swollen and raw. Still, if I had the chance for them to fuck me all over again, then best believe I was going to take it.

"Going somewhere?" Enzo’s voice was like velvet wrapped in steel. I parted my lips to speak, but I couldn't answer. I just turned my face away and without warning, the waterworks started. Tears blurred my vision, and despite all of my efforts to stop them, the dam in my eyes only broke the more. I was someone else.

It didn't take too long before the sobs began to rack through my being. My shoulders shook, and it didn't help that I could still hear myself, despite pressing my face to my pillow.

For a quick second, I thought about how Enzo was going to react to all of this.

Was he going to pull me over and ask why I was crying? Would he yell that I was bothering him?

I didn't get any answers to my questions, because the last thing I remembered was sobbing until exhaustion took me again.

I had no idea how long I was out for, but I woke with a jolt, my heart hammering against my ribs. It took a while for my immediate surroundings to come back into focus again, and when they did, I couldn't help but let out a sigh in relief. It was just a bad dream I’d had.

My sleep was far from peaceful. In my dream, my father was flat lining, his hand slipping from mine as he faded into nothing. If I closed my eyes, I could swear that I would be transported back to that nightmare, where the doctors tried their best, but he still didn't make it.

“You're up.” Someone's voice was all it took to pull me back to the present. I turned heart still racing, just to see Enzo walking toward me.

"Your father is still alive." Enzo must have read my mind somehow, because he spoke up again, his shadow falling over me as he inched closer. He looked at me with a cold, analytical gaze before he finally stopped in front of me. "Now that you’re well rested, get dressed we’re taking you to the hospital. You’re getting on birth control."

I bit my lip, the sting of tears returning. Good. I didn't want a permanent reminder of this night, and I didn't want to carry a child for a monster.

“Here,” He tossed a bottle of painkillers onto the bed and pointed toward the bathroom. "Take those, take a bath. We leave in twenty minutes." Again, I thought Enzo would be kind enough to help me, but I was clearly mistaken.

I dragged myself up, my legs trembling so violently I had to lean against the wall to keep myself from falling. Every step was an agony of friction, but by miracle's grace, I made it. In the shower, the warm water felt like needles against my bruised skin.

I looked down, seeing the faint purple marks on my hips where their fingers had dug in, the reddened skin of my breasts, and for some reason, it made me feel dirtier than I already was. I’d let them do things to me. Things I couldn’t deny that were pleasurable. Something was definitely wrong with me. Without wasting so much as a single second, I scrubbed myself until my skin was pink, crying under the spray, all whilst trying to wash away the feeling of them.

When I stepped out, a set of clothes had been laid out. The silk dress caught my eyes first, followed by the lace underwear, all of it my exact size. To someone else, this might be romantic, but to me, it was straight up creepy and bordering on control and obsession. The realization that they had been studying me so closely made my skin crawl.

The door opened, and I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest, clutching a towel to my front. Enzo stood in the doorway, his eyes darkening as they swept over me.

"What did we tell you last night?" he asked his voice dropping into that dangerous, low register. "Answer me, Rose." Then he stalked towards me, each step causing my heart to beat faster.

Suddenly, my mouth went dry, and the thought of Enzo doing something to me because I didn't answer him was all it took to unlock the words trapped in my throat again.

"To... never hide myself," I whimpered, my voice small. Please don’t hurt me. I chanted in my mind.

"Good girl," he said, stepping closer until I was trapped between him and the vanity. He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. "Do it again, and you'll be punished. And we both know you can't handle much more today." I nodded, head bobbing so fast I thought it would fall off my neck.

“You want to know something, little flower?” He leaned down, his breath hot against my ear. "My cock is screaming for you, but I can see how much you’re hurting. And I like our marks on you. When you’re better, I’m going to spend hours in your mouth and every other hole in your body. Do you understand?"

I could only nod again, my breath hitching at the raw promise in his eyes.

“Good girl.” I watched something glint in his eyes, as he pulled back, and evil grin sitting pretty on his lips. “Now, get dressed. We don’t want to be late.”

This time, Enzo didn't wait for my answer. All he threw my way was one last glance before heading out the door. Even after he'd left, I found my body shaking with slight shivers. It took a couple of seconds, but somehow, I was able to get dressed.

The car ride was silent, but the tension was suffocating. When we arrived at the hospital, Nathan and Rowan were already waiting in the lobby. I limped toward them, my head hung low. I couldn’t tell if it was out of shame or something else.

"Why are you here?" I whispered, looking at the two of them. I didn’t think they’d be here.

“Would you look at that?” Rowan let out a low, dark chuckle. "It seems her mouth isn't as sore after all, she can still speak."

I slammed my lips shut, my face burning with shame. A female doctor appeared, called my name and led us into a private exam room next. I expected the men to wait outside, but as I sat on the edge of the examination bed, they stayed, flanking the door like guards.

"I need to perform an internal exam," the doctor said, her brow furrowed as she looked at the three of them. "Perhaps the gentlemen would like to wait in the hall?"

"No," Enzo said, his voice booming and leaving no room for argument.

"She’s ours," Nathan added, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "We stay."

The doctor looked at me, her eyes full of a pity I couldn't bear to see. She nodded once at them, as she proceeded with the exam, her touch gentle, but I still winced as she checked the damage from the night before.

"You have some minor tearing," she said, pulling her gloves off. "You're very sore, which is expected given the... intensity.” She gave them a look before turning her face back to me. “You need time to heal, Rose. No more activity for at least a week. Other than that, the birth control will be effective immediately."

I felt a wave of relief, but I should have known it was hopeless to think that anything good would last for long around me.

The doctor gave me some more pills, and after promising that I would be careful, it was finally time to leave.  As we walked out of the clinic toward the main hospital wing, the air felt thin. My mind was a whirlwind of my father's surgery and the crushing guilt of Levi's loss.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts and wasn't looking where I was going, my eyes fixed on the floor as I tried to manage my painful stride. I had barely taken a couple of steps forward, before I collided with someone hard.

Pain and panic flared up my sides as I stumbled back, but a pair of steady hands caught my shoulders, hands that felt strangely familiar.

"Rose?" The sound of my name had my heart racing all the more. Even in a coma, there was no way I wouldn't be able to recognize that voice.

My heart stopped.

I looked up, my vision blurring, and just as I feared, it was Levi. His eyes were red-rimmed, his face haggard with grief, looking every bit the man who had just lost his mother. He looked at me, and then his gaze shifted to the three massive, dangerous men standing directly behind me.

"Levi," I breathed, my voice breaking. “What are you doing here?”