Page 232 of Before Dawn

Maybe: Joshua Milton.

Well, fuck. At least I knew that off–feeling wasn’t in vain.

“Everything okay?” Mikkel asked casually, his brows furrowed.

“Yeah… just reading something.” I tried to keep my voice steady as I opened the message.

The words on the screen hit me like a punch to thegut.

I’m in NYC. We need to talk. Meet me at Ginjan cafe tomorrow. Noon.

Or your little boyfriend sees how much of a slut you are.

Attached to the message was a file. My hand shook as I opened it, my worst fears confirmed instantly.Thank God the volume was down.It was the sex tape Joshua swore he’d deleted, now a weapon in his hands.

Panic tightened my throat, my chest constricting as I fought for breath. I quickly shut off my phone, forcing a smile as I tried to compose myself. Mikkel, sensing my distress, rushed over, concern clouding his face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his hand hovering over my shoulder.

“I’m… not feeling well,” I muttered, swallowing hard.

Mikkel studied me, his eyes searching for the truth. He nodded reluctantly, but doubt lingered in his gaze.

Dinner passed in strained silence, my mind racing with the terrifying consequences of what Joshua might do next. The thought of the headline—Mikkel Suarez’s Girlfriend’s Sex Tape Leaks—clawed at me.What would it do to his reputation?

To his company?

How could I protect him from this?

How could I protect myself?

What would Joshua demand this time?

And, most painfully, why couldn’t I find the words to tell Mikkel?

I pressed my fork into my palm, feeling the prongs dig against my skin.

“Mi amor,185” he said gently, taking the fork from me. “Breathe, I’m here with you.”

That one sentence melted the knot in my chest, softening the ache that had built up with my fears. He was here,truly here, and there was no rush, no anger waiting to catch me off guard.

After dinner, we went to bed, Mikkel’s warmth offering a brief comfort against the fear gnawing at me. But no matter how tightly I held onto him, my mind kept drifting back to Joshua—the five years of pain, the way a single action could unravel everything I’d worked sohard to heal.

Mikkel kissed my forehead, whispering reassurances, and for a moment, I let myself believe everything would be okay. But deep down, I knew the storm was coming.

And then, the dream took me—a warped, sinister version of reality.

A thick fog enveloped me as I navigated through a murky forest, the darkness pressing in on all sides like a suffocating shroud. In the distance, I spotted Joshua standing amidst the twisted trees.

I approached him, my steps heavy with trepidation as a chill crept up my spine. His eyes held a malevolent gleam. When his lips curled into a smirk, an icy shiver ran through me.

“You thought you could escape me?” His voice echoed through the eerie silence, each word laced with malice. “You’ll always come crawling back, begging for my forgiveness, whore.”

I tried to protest, to assert my independence, but my voice faltered, drowned out by the cacophony of doubt and fear echoing in my mind. Memories of our toxic relationship flooded me—the abuse, the manipulation, the ongoing cycle of pain.

“You’ll never be free.”

Panic gripped me as I struggled to break free from his grasp, but no matter how hard I fought, I remained ensnared in his web of control. The forest seemed to close in around me, suffocating me with its oppressive darkness.

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