No escape

Chapter 18

The scrape behind the wall had not stopped. My pulse raced. My wrists screamed against the straps, my chest heaving with every ragged breath. My mind roared Damien, Damien, Damien. He had to come. He had to find me. He had no choice.

Then the door opened again. Eve stepped in silently, holding something in her hand that glinted faintly in the flickering light. My stomach dropped. My throat tightened.

“You’re staring,” she said softly. “Do you know what that is?”

I tried to twist, tried to speak, but panic stole my words. My body shook violently.

“It is a promise,” she said, moving closer. “A promise that Damien will never see you the way he did. That every part of you he loved… will be gone.”

I swallowed hard. “You… you can’t… you won’t…”

Her smile widened, sharp and cruel. “I already am. And you are going to help me make it perfect.”

She ran a finger along my cheek, brushing hair back. I flinched instinctively. The straps pulled me back. “Don’t… touch me,” I gasped.

“Oh, I will,” she whispered. “And you will scream, and you will cry, and you will beg. And he will hear nothing. He will see nothing. And then… he will know. You are mine. And broken.”

I jerked my head back, trying to pull away. “You… you’re insane! Damien… he will stop you!”

Her laugh was soft, deadly, echoing in the small room. “Stop me? Let him try. Let him come. I want him to see you like this. Helpless. Afraid. Broken. And I will enjoy every second of it.”

I swallowed, forcing a ragged breath. My mind raced. Every possible escape, every trick, every hope for survival. Pain lanced through my wrists, but I could not stop fighting. I would not give her the satisfaction of surrender.

“You took him from me,” she said, circling me. “You ruined everything. And now… now it is my turn to ruin you.”

She led me down the hall, gripping my arm tightly despite the straps. My feet dragged. Every step sent spikes of pain up my arms, my shoulders. I stumbled, and she caught me with an iron grip.

“You are mine,” she said, voice low, venomous. “And you will remember that every second of your life.”

We reached the bathroom. She pushed the door open and shoved me in. The tiles were cold beneath my feet. My chest heaved. I swallowed hard. My eyes darted around, searching for anything that could save me, anything I could use.

Eve’s hand rested lightly on my shoulder, and I jerked away. “No! You won’t! Damien will—”

“Shut up,” she hissed. “You will not speak. You will not fight. You will feel. You will suffer. And he will watch it in his mind and know he failed you. You failed him. You are going to be perfect for this moment.”

She rifled through the cabinet, producing a small metallic object. My stomach lurched. The glint caught the light, and my heart nearly stopped.

“It is time,” she whispered, crouching in front of me. Her eyes glimmered with anticipation. “Every line of your face, every trace of what he loved, is about to vanish. Permanently.”

My body tensed. Panic surged, but I refused to stop moving. My mind screamed for a plan. My fists pounded against the straps, useless, but I did not stop. I could not stop.

“You are so strong,” she said softly, almost mockingly. “But not strong enough. Not for me. Not for this.”

She raised the metal object. My eyes followed it. My heart raced uncontrollably. My mouth opened, but no sound came.

“This,” she whispered, voice like ice, “will make Damien look at you and see a stranger. Someone he cannot love. Someone broken. Someone I have claimed.”

The object glowed slightly in her hand. Heat radiated from it. My pulse thundered in my ears. Every instinct screamed to run. My body screamed to fight. But the straps held me firm, helpless, exposed.

“No!” I gasped. “You… you can’t! You won’t! Damien will—”

Her hand shot up, gripping my jaw, forcing me to meet her eyes. “Enough. There is no one coming. No one can stop this. Not him. Not anyone. You are mine now. All of you.”

I jerked, pulling against the straps with every ounce of strength I had left. Pain lanced through my arms, but I could not stop struggling. My mind scrambled for a way out, for a miracle. For Damien.

She took a step closer, raising the hot metal higher. I could feel the heat radiating from it even before it touched my skin. My chest tightened. Every muscle coiled with fear and desperate energy.

“It starts now,” she whispered. Her eyes were fixed on mine, gleaming with triumph and cruelty.

I tried to twist, to pull back, to escape. My vision blurred with tears. My breath came in ragged gasps. My stomach churned. My mind screamed Damien, Damien, Damien.

The heat of the metal pressed closer to my face. I felt it hovering, radiating danger, imminent, unstoppable. My heart slammed. My body shook violently. I wanted to scream, to fight, to vanish into nothing, but the straps held me.

And then Eve paused. Just for a moment, the tip of the hot iron hovering against my skin. The anticipation, the fear, the helplessness, every second stretching like a lifetime.

“This,” she said, voice low, deadly, “is for Damien. Every mark I make is a message. He will see what you have done to me, and he will know the cost.”

My eyes widened. I felt the metal inches from my face, the heat threatening to burn, the pain waiting to arrive. My pulse roared. My mind screamed. My body trembled with the knowledge that I had no control, no escape.

The room was silent except for the faint hiss of the iron heating. I blinked, heart hammering. Sweat streamed down my face. Panic burned hotter than any flame.

And then, just as she lowered it…