I let out a bitter laugh. Gosh, I’m already going insane.
Seriously. I need to pull myself together. A guy like Anzo wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of anyone he sees as useless. The more I resist, the louder I scream, the more inconvenient I become.
I once read a story about an omega who was kidnapped by some psycho. Right from the start, he made a huge effort to gain the guy’s trust, to charm him. He stayed consistent for weeks. And eventually, the psycho trusted him, and that’s when the omega escaped.
I know I’m no match for Anzo or his resources. He could kill me here and no one would ever find out. And it wouldn’t even faze him.
Acting like some rebellious, pissed-off teen would just earn me more bruises.
I have to think smart. And that’s not easy, because I’m furious. I’ve always been the rebellious one in our family. But I’ll have to make that effort.
Whatever he expects from me, I’ll have to try to do it. Shit.
I bite into the sandwich, drink some water, and walk back to the window.
The gardener’s still working, now using a knife to dig out weeds growing between the pavement stones. At one point, he lifts his head, and I swear, he glances up at me. But then he looks away, almost immediately.
I sigh and leave the window, walking back to the bed and lying down.
My strength is fading as I stare at the ceiling, thinking about…
My dad.
Yep, him.
Thinking about how he wanted to hug me, and how I pulled away.
He said he loved me. And I stayed silent.
Fuck. Will I ever see him again? Will I ever see my siblings? I have seven older brothers. We aren’t super close, I was always the independence-oriented one in our family. But still… the thought that I might never see any of them again makes my stomach twist.
Well, I did this to myself. I’m the one who made sure no one would worry about me. I told my dad not to visit without warning. I broke up with Martin. I ignored my bandmates’ invitations to the farewell party. I even told my manager I was just taking a little vacation.
Perfect. I’ve set myself up for a few solid weeks where no one, not even a damn stray dog, will check on me, let alone care.
On top of that, I don’t have close friends. Especially not now, caught in this in-between stage of life, just starting college. Nobody there knows me.
The worst part? The classes I signed up for aren’t even required. They’re just electives. So whether I show up or not, none of the professors will care, and they sure as hell won’t call my family. This situation is truly fucked.
My body’s stiff and sore as I lie there and the time passes. I’ll admit, during a few moments I’ve had to fight back tears. Sometimes I think, if I hadn’t gotten so fixated on the pain after breaking up with Dogger, things would’ve turned out differently.
It was all just one domino after another falling over, dragging me down into a pit of reckless behavior and bad decisions. And now? I’m reaping the harvest.
That fucker Martin already said it: in the end, I was the one who chose not to heal. I could’ve gone after something real, something that would make me happy.
Like traveling, maybe.
Dogger disappeared, but my dream of the open highways didn’t.
I’ve always wanted to just… go. To hit the road and keep going until it ends. And it never really does. To find out what’s waiting around the next bend, what’s behind the next mountain, the next forest, the next city.
But instead of chasing that, I went looking for trouble. And like they say, if you go looking, you’ll find it.
Footsteps in the hallway.
My heart picks up, but I don’t move. I know better. No one’s coming to save me.
A sharp click of the lock, and the door swings open.
