Lahat ng Kabanata ng He Hurt Me, Now He Wants Me Back: Kabanata 231 - Kabanata 240

Imogene ScottI take a deep breath as Damien storms out of the room. The door shuts behind him with force. My fingers clutch the thin hospital blanket. My chest feels tight and my heart is pounding. I know that look in his eyes. I’ve seen it before. It’s a cold, lethal and destruction-promising gaze. He’s going after Lila, and knowing Damien, there’s no telling what he might do. God. I take another shaky breath, trying to steady myself. Did I make a mistake telling him? Should I have left Lila out of it? And then there’s the key. I glance at my purse on the chair beside me. The key is their. The key that might have been the cause if everything. Was it too late to return it? Lika said having it with me was dangerous, she was right after all. Was it finally time for me to let it go, to let it all go and focus on improving my family and doing better? That key is the missing piece to everything, to my father’s death. But is it even worth it anymore? I almost died today. So

Imogene Scott For the next few days, I’m stuck at the hospital. I’m only allowed to take walks and Damien, Sheila and Lily come to see me at evenings. For some reason, Damien and I haven’t talked about what happened—about Lila, about the attack, about anything that actually matters. He only asked me about the key which I guess Lila told him about and he got rid of it. At least that’s what he told me.There’s still this weird tension between us and it’s almost like when you know something is wrong but you choose to believe it’s not and just not talk about it. I know something is definitely wrong.I’m on one of my evening walks again around the hospital environment. The nurse told me to make friends so I won’t be taking these walks alone but I tell her I’ll be out of here in a few more days so why make connections that’ll end eventually?I take a seat on a bench under a tree to gather my thoughts. Damien and Sheila and Lily will be here to see me soon. They’re so supportive but I h

Imogene ScottI watch as Georgia storms off and my heart sinks. It’s not just pity I feel for her. It’s grief. The kind of grief that comes when you see someone walking straight into destruction and know there’s nothing you can do to stop them. Georgia has fallen victim to a cruel lie, a lie that’s taken root so deep inside her that she’s willing to mutilate her own body for it. I let out a slow breath and glance down. Something catches my eye near the bench where she was sitting. A piece of paper flutters slightly against the pavement, likely having slipped from Georgia’s pocket. I reach down and pick it up. “The Blues Heavenly Gate” I read.The name alone makes my skin crawl. Below it, their motto is printed in bold, black letters: Another Chance at a Better Life.I scoff. The audacity. So this is who’s deceiving people like Georgia? Filling their heads with fairytales, convincing them they need to ‘sacrifice’ something to earn a better existence in their so-called next

Imogene ScottThe moment Sheila and Lily leave, I throw off the blankets and reach for my laptop. My fingers tremble as I type in The Blues Heavenly Gate into the search bar. I know this is reckless, but I need to do something. This isn’t just about Georgia anymore. It’s bigger. The law is on their side, any attempt to bring them down through legal means will be slow, possibly ineffective. The only way to destroy them is to expose them for what they really are. My screen floods with articles, news reports, and a few conspiracy theories. But one thing stands out which is that every month, they hold a three-day retreat to bring in new members. The attendees are transported to an undisclosed location, a place where they’re ‘taught the ways of their religion’. More like brainwashed and conditioned. And tonight is one of those nights. A bus leaves at 10 p.m. sharp to take new recruits to the retreat center. I glance at the hospital clock. 9pm. This is my only chance. I swallow h

Imogene Scott I’m able to make it past the gate with just the burner phone hidden under my flowing dress. My heart pounds so loudly in my chest I half expect the guards to hear it. The moment they wave me forward, I exhale, forcing my feet to move. I just hope this phone works when I need it.The air is filled with smoke. I step forward into the yard, my eyes darting around, trying to take it all in without looking too obvious.The place looks like an old monastery with stone walls. Lanterns flicker along the pathways. But it’s the fire in the center of the yard that makes my stomach clench.An open flame is glowing and around it, people in dark robes move in a slow circle, chanting. Their feet drag against the dirt, heads bowed as if in deep prayer. It doesn’t feel like worship. It feels like a ritual. A cold shiver rolls down my spine.“Keep moving.” I nearly jump out of my skin at the sharp voice behind me. One of the escorts—an older woman with severe cheekbones and dark ey