Page 76 of Letters to the Lost

Everything around me turns static, my vision fades in and out as Tobias holds me in his arms.

I can briefly hear Dominic losing his shit, his anger the only thing piercing through the haze that’s taken over.

Prying myself from Tobias’s arms, I walk away numbly unsure of where I’m going but just knowing I need to escape.

“Autumn, hey Autumn. Baby come back to me,” Atlas’s panicked voice shouts, his hands wrapping around my arms, trying to prevent me from leaving.

Can’t he understand that I need to get out of here?

My chest feels like it’s about to burst from the breath I’m holding.

If I stay here, they will all have to watch me break once again, and I just can’t.

“Please, let go Atty.”

“I can’t do that Autumn. I swore never again. We’re here for you. We’re right here and you need to let this out before it consumes you,” He tells me, his piercing green eyes breaking through my haze finally.

“I’m so sick of breaking though. It feels like they are always winning, that I can’t truly be happy without waiting for the next thing to happen,” I rage, my fists clenched into the material of Atlas’s shirt, “What is so special about me that they need to hate me or come after me? I’m nothing, no one.”

“Take that back right now,” Tobias rasps, his face stricken as he appears beside Atlas.

Even though I desperately want to, the words stick in my mouth as I look up at him helplessly. I just don’t feel that way. I don’t feel like I’m worth all of this effort, I might appreciate everything my men have brought to my life. But I have never once thought I was worthy of any of it.

“Cupcake,” Dominic growls, his legs eating up the distance as he gets to me in two strides. His eyes are tortured as he looks over me, “How dark is it? Don’t lie.”

“I don’t see a way out of this, Dominic. I don’t see any light at the end of this, and every single part of my body, down to my bones is telling me to end it all before he can get to me. I’d rather be dead.”

I hate the heartbreak that shutters over their faces at my words.

I never want to hurt them, but I don’t think I could ever encounter him again and survive. I don’t have Chlo anymore either.

“Come with me,” Dominic demands, his hand searing against the skin of my wrist as he drags me towards the basement.

“Dominic no!” Atlas shouts after us desperately, “She can’t see that!”

“See what?”

“Dominic,” Zander grits, his hand outstretched ready to grab me from Dominic's hold.

“Stop. All of you. She needs to see this, needs something other than fear to get her through this. You do not get to interfere with this, you can come along but you stand back and let me do this for her,” Dominic tells them all.

My feet struggle to keep up as he drags me along, his steps purposeful as we walk down the stairs to the basement. The grumble of annoyance from the others sounds from behind me but I ignore it all, focusing on not falling.

My feet stall in the doorway, the sight before me a shock to my system.

Chained to the silver chair in the middle of the room, is one of my old abusers.

“How?”

My words come out in a hushed whisper rather than a demand, but I can’t even begin to fathom how he got here, never mind strapped to Dominic's chair.

“He hurt you, so I hurt him,” Dominic states from beside me, his hand entwining with mine, prying my nails from my palm.

“But how? How did you get him here? I have so many questions. Why Dominic?”

“Remember when I promised I would hurt anyone who ever hurt you? This is me keeping that promise. I’m making sure this piece of shit never hurts anyone again while making sure he suffers for what he did to you.”

I should be running right now; I know I should.

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