All Chapters of Theirs to ruin : Chapter 11 - Chapter 15

**Chapter 11** **Two Shadows**I woke up sore in places that had nothing to do with sleep.Josh’s cum had dried sticky on my inner thighs. The faint bruises from his fingers still ached on my wrists. But underneath all of that was the sharper, unfinished ache Richard had left behind—the phantom press of his fingers, the low promise that he could ruin me deeper than his son ever would.I showered longer than necessary, scrubbing until my skin felt raw, as if I could wash both of them off me. It didn’t work. When I looked in the mirror, my lips were still slightly swollen and there was a fresh reddish mark high on the side of my neck that I couldn’t quite hide with my hair.I chose a high-neck sweater anyway.Downstairs, the kitchen already smelled like coffee and toast. Sarah stood at the stove in her robe, humming. Richard sat at the head of the table in a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled once, reading something on his tablet. Josh was across from the empty chair that was mine, scr

**Chapter 13** **The Thing She Couldn’t Name**It started as a quiet wrongness in her body.Not the sharp, obvious sickness of a flu or a stomach bug. This was slower. Heavier. A low, constant tiredness that sat behind her eyes and in the middle of her chest. Her limbs felt weighted, as if someone had quietly turned up the gravity in the house overnight. Food smelled different. The coffee she usually needed in the morning turned her stomach. Even the scent of Richard’s cologne when he walked past her in the hallway felt too strong, almost metallic.She told herself it was stress.It made sense. The last few weeks had been a blur of locked doors, rough hands, controlled hands, secrets stacked on top of secrets. Her body was simply reacting. That was all. People got run-down. People lost their appetite when their lives started fracturing in ways they couldn’t control.She almost believed it.---That evening Richard cooked lasagna.It was her favorite. He had made it before, on quiete

**Chapter 15** **After the Scream**The first thing I felt was the cold.Tile pressed against my cheek. The sharp, metallic smell of blood filled my nose. Voices swam above me—urgent, overlapping, too loud.“—bleeding, she’s bleeding—”“What the fuck did you do?”“I didn’t mean—she screamed and then—”“Move. Get out of the way.”I tried to open my eyes. The kitchen lights stabbed into my skull. Someone’s hands were on my shoulders, shaking me carefully. Sarah’s voice broke on my name.“Ellie. Baby, look at me. Open your eyes.”I managed a slit of vision. Sarah’s face hovered above mine, pale and terrified, eyes wide and wet. Behind her I could just make out Richard kneeling on my other side, jaw locked tight. Further back, Josh stood frozen, blood on his hands and jeans, face the color of ash.“I called an ambulance,” Richard said, his voice low and tight. “They’re on their way.”Sarah’s hands cupped my face. “What happened? Talk to me. Where does it hurt?”I tried to speak. Only a