Page 116 of Downfall

“You almost killed Sofia.” I shout. “You almost killed my sister.”

“I’m so sorry.” She sobs.

“No.” I snap back. “That’s not good enough. Not this time.” I pull my knife and start cutting at her clothes, wrenching them off her.

She shrieks trying to stop me but it makes no difference. “You want to act like a whore Rose. You want to behave like one then fine…”

She whimpers more as I rip the fabric from her, as I expose more of her to everyone sat around. I haven’t even got a plan right now, I’m just so fucking angry and I need to make her pay.

Make myself pay too.

I need to realise that this is as much my fault as it is Rose’s because I fell for her tricks. I knew what she was, what she was capable of, and yet still I willingly let her charm me, just like the first time around.

But not anymore. No, now I see her for what she is. The harlot that she is.

She starts hyperventilating. She starts heaving as if she’s having a full panic attack.

A part of me wants to stop, wants to comfort her but I know that’s the weak part. The stupid part. The lovesick part that allowed her to trick me in the first place. I have to bury that part. I have to kill that part off because I realise now how much I am betraying us all by still feeling that.

“Fuck her.” I say stepping back.

“What?”

I look up meeting the eyes of my men. “She behaves like a whore, then she gets treated like one.” I state yanking her up, wrenching the last of her clothes from her, and they all stare at her body because how could they not? She’s beautiful. Devastatingly so.

“The great Capulet whore.” I spit.

She sobs harder, tries to hide herself, tries to curl herself into my body as if I might just protect her.

Only I won’t this time.

Not anymore.

I shove her back onto the table. She cries out as she slams once more into the wood.

My men look at me for approval and then they’re on her like rabid animals, grabbing her, wrenching her around.

She screams more. She cries out begging me to make them stop. I can see the panic in her eyes and for the first time I know it’s real. She’s actually afraid.

I clench my fists, forcing myself to do nothing. She deserves this. She deserves everything she gets. She got my men killed. She got hundreds of innocent people killed and for what?

The door crashes open. Sofia runs into the room before I can stop her.

“What the fuck are you all doing?” She shouts, yanking one man off and then another.

In truth they’ve barely gotten started. I pull my sister back and she swings a right hook hitting me in the jaw.

“She deserves this.” I shout. “She’s the reason you were attacked. She gave them the location.”

Sofia spits something back but in my anger I don’t hear the words.

She grabs Rose, tries to help her stand but she’s in such a state she’s hysterical now. Her chest is heaving, she’s gasping for breath like she can’t breathe.

“It’s okay.” Sofia says. “No one is going to hurt you.”

“That’s not the case.” I spit back.

Sofia glares at me.

---