Chapter One

Warning ⚠️ sexual assault content, please if this is triggering in any way do not read or read with someone next to you.

His fingers crawled up my thigh, the cold aftershock sending waves of fear through my body.

"You're going to like it, I promise."

I could feel the smirk in his voice, the victorious and confident tone he kept.

"No!"

I yelled for what seemed to be the thousandth time.

"Please don't! I won't tell anyone! Just leave me alone!"  

His hands continued their journey. My body was limp, whatever drug he had slipped into my drink had done its job.

"Liam! Please stop!"

        "Shut up! Do you know how painful it is for me? We've been dating for a year!"

I screamed and I cried in hopes of drawing attention towards the small unfamiliar room.

"No one is going to hear you, not even your brother."

He lifted my skirt and used his free hand to hastily remove my underwear.

"No!"

I yelled repeatedly but he wouldn't listen, he'd never listened.

"Stop! Stop! Liam please!"

"It'll be over before you know it, Bella."

        I continued to scream as he had his way with me. Why did you let him do this? A small voice asked in my head.

"Liam! Stop!"

"N-no! Liam! you have to stop! before yo-."

What went on for like an hour felt like an eternity. I couldn't move my arms nor my legs. My eyes shut tightly, scream after scream escaping my mouth until he was done.

"You weren't worth the wait."

He spoke confidently, as if he'd done nothing wrong.

I watched as he walked out of the door while my body erupted into agonizing pain, the realization of it all was the worst feeling in the world.

My body racked with sobs.

        I felt as if I couldn't breathe. The only sound I could hear was a petrifying scream, my petrifying scream.

I struggled greatly, but managed to at least fix my clothing. Tears continued to fall, but I stayed seated. I'd hoped that it was all a twisted dream.

"Bella?"

My head snapped towards the door as someone called my name.

"N—No, please not again. Please don't hurt me!"

The person gasped as the room was finally filled with light.

"I—oh my God! What did he do to you?!"

I sighed in relief as I realized that it was my twin brother, Ben. I didn't care that I was half-naked on the bed, I didn't care that I was screaming bloody hell.

"he—he raped me."

My voice was nothing but a soft whimper as I realized what he had done to me. In that exact moment, I'd realized that he'd took it too far. Further from his usual, drunken, verbal abuse.

The distant sound of Ben's voice as he called out for help was the only thing I could hear at that moment. Everything ached, like the feeling of drowning in an ocean over, and over again with no end.

"Bella! Stay with me."

It was the last thing I heard as I drowned once more, but this time with seemingly no interest in waking up again.

:::

A Year and A Half Later

        I took a deep breath as my feet stepped onto the sidewalk, just outside of the Penthouse apartment building. The all too familiar atmosphere of New York City sent a wave of nostalgia to my mind. The air was cool but no more than it had been in London.

"Come on honey. Let's get you settled in."

My head shifted to my father standing a few feet away. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and lead me towards the new Pent House apartment.

"Why didn't he ever visit me?"

I asked softly, referring to my brother.

"He took it harder than I thought he would. I think he just couldn't stand to see you the way you were."

I nodded blankly as my mind went into a thousand different worlds.

"I'm happy you're here, Bella.

I smiled softly as the elevator opened. "I'm happy to be here, Dad. I just—I should warn you that even though I'm better than I was, things will never be the same and I will never fully be ok."

It was hard to watch my father be stressed over me. It was even harder to know that I broke our small, but strong and stable family.

        "Honey, I know that it will never be the same but no matter what I'll always be here for you. I just don't—I don't want to lose you. You and Ben are all I have in this world."

        The soft "ding" of the elevator broke our conversation. I took a deep breath and tried to suppress the anxiety that was slowly creeping into the light.

        "Our penthouse is the only one on this floor. It's really amazing."

"You're obviously enjoying your promotion."

I muttered teasingly.

He playfully rolled his eye and opened the door at the pace of a slow-motion movie scene. I giggled at his dramatics and walked in when he finally opened the door. I gasped in amazement at the beautiful view.

"Wow."

I dropped my bags onto the floor and walked towards the open balcony and instantly fell in love with the picture-perfect sky.

After admiring it for a few moments, I realized that it had gone quiet.

"Dad?"

I called out, walking into the living room

"Where did you g—."

I stopped halfway, staring at the very familiar figure standing in the middle of the room. My eyes trailed over his shocked faced.

"Ben," I said softly.

His mouth twitched as if he had trouble getting the right words out.

"Is that really you Bella?" I smiled uncontrollably as he rubbed his eyes in shock and amazement. I couldn't blame him because after all, I had been away for almost a year.

He had grown up to be the person he'd always wanted to be. I grinned nervously and opened my arms when he moved forward. He rushed forward and hugged my body tightly.

"I'm home, I'm finally home."

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Chapter Two Preview:

"That accent of yours will have boys crowding around you. I better get my shotgun."

I giggled amusedly as my Dad walked into his office with a serious expression on his face. After a few minutes of silence, my now wide, fearful eyes stared at the half open office door.

"Wait, Dad, are you serious?!" I yelled.

"Gotcha!"

Chapter Quote

||Time seems||

||To be all you have||

||When you fear the world||

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