Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: The End

🕯️Trigger Warnings: (Please be careful while reading)

+ Non-consensual drugging

+ Implied sexual assault 

+ Suicide ideation

Ara

"That's it? You just assume I will somehow figure out how to fix the damage you caused?" I hiss back at him in disbelief. The audacity of this man. I wonder if Minette knows that her brother is this much of an asshole under the charming persona he displays in public. It's at this point that I realize the music has been turned down, and all eyes are on us. 

"I don't understand why you're acting this way. Chill out—have a drink or a smoke. Don't ruin the party." He releases me from his hold when someone nearby hands him a blunt, and the girl from before hands him a drink with a kiss on the cheek. "As an apology, I'll contact my parents to help settle things. You're their precious trophy child, so they will want this to go away anyway." He blows smoke into my face, then places a kiss on the girl's head, making her giggle and smirk at me. 

He is making it sound like this situation has nothing to do with him. Like I'm acting this way for no reason. I clench my fists behind my back so I don't start punching him and this side quest female.  Who is this girl anyway? Is she even legal? Barely looks old enough to drink. I can't be here. I'm going to call Minette when I get home. Maybe she can help me make sense of everything. 

As I turn to leave, Koba grabs my wrist, halting my ascent. "Where are you headed? I just told you to chill out and enjoy the party. You are unemployed for now, so stay. I'm about to spend some time with Sammie here, but if you need a dick too right now, I know one or two of the guys who would be interested." He smiles casually, as if this is a regular occurrence for us. It's as if we are not in a monogamous relationship. I glance at Sammie beside him and then back at him.

"How long have you been treating our monogamous relationship like it is an open one?" I ask bluntly. He seems way too chill about this for it to be a new development.

"For a while now. I've been meaning to tell you— it's fine if you fuck other people. I think us being in an open relationship would be the best thing for us actually. It will make it easier to scratch the itch when we are both too busy to meet up."

I watched as he fondled Sammie's breast and she slid her hand up his shirt. My vision was getting blurry from tears, the pounding headache I could feel developing or maybe both. I was frozen as I listened to this man grind my heart into nothing.

 "I promise I'm not sticking my dick in just anyone. I get tested and make sure the ladies are clean. So no STDs to worry about in case you were about to spiral out about that too." He is being so sensible right now that I want to scream. Nope, I'm not doing this with him right now. This has been the day from hell. I feel I will need a tub of ice cream and a marathon of bad movies with my best friend right now. "I'm leaving. Goodbye, Koba."

I make it up a few steps before I feel a prick on the side of my neck and everything goes dark.

When I wake up, my body is aching, and my head throbs. Sitting up, I realize my clothes are missing. Pulling the covers up, I sense movement beside me. With a sigh of relief, I recognize it's Koba. However, I soon notice Sammie on the other side of him.

Quickly getting out of bed, I rush to the bathroom, lock the door, and proceed to vomit into the toilet. After what feels like an eternity, but was probably only a few minutes, I finally stop puking. I rinse my mouth with mouthwash and sneak back out to find my phone. Fortunately, it's still in my pants pocket. I grab it and sneak back into the bathroom.

I dial my best friend's number, and thankfully, she picks up on the second ring. "Oh my goodness, Min! You won't believe the day I'm having!" I exclaimed as soon as she answered. 

"From what I saw before Koba dragged you and Sammie into his bedroom, it seemed like your day was taking a positive turn." Her response sent a shiver down my spine.

"Are you here in the house?" I asked, trying to remember if I had seen her. I could have missed her since I was so focused on finding Koba. 

"Yes, I'm here. I was in the corner, observing everything. I even recorded it for my own amusement. Little Miss Perfect throwing a tantrum because she trusted someone she shouldn't have. I have warned you over the years that Koba is toxic. I told you he wasn't who you thought he was. You thought I didn't think you were worthy of him. That couldn't have been further from the truth." Her cold tone was a stark contrast to the usual warm demeanor I received from her. 

"After a while, I just decided to let you be and enjoy the show. I figured it was about time something didn't go perfectly for you. Then this big trial came up, and everyone wouldn't stop talking about how you were going to win it effortlessly. So, I thought you needed a few hard life lessons." As I listened to my best friend share her true thoughts with me, tears silently streamed down my face.

"So I orchestrated all the events that are happening to you right now. I gave Koba's boss the information that you were the prosecutor on Mr. Williams case. I helped Koba negotiate his reward for helping. I am the one who has been releasing evidence against you to the media. And the cherry on top is that I convinced Koba he shouldn't feel guilty for sleeping around on you pretty much since the start of your relationship. I figured I would make sure your life was balanced with good and bad things, I'm a great best friend like that." Her blasé tone—like she isn't shredding me to pieces—makes me dry heave into the sink. 

"You should thank me for helping you stay humble. You were getting a little arrogant there for a moment. Now your behavior should be humble again." I can hear the smile in her voice as I slide down the wall, my last vestige of sanity slipping away.

"Wow, that was a relief to get off my chest. I do realize in some part of my brain that you never intentionally made my parents constantly compare me to you, but I don't care. You always were the perfect child to them. They really didn't punish us and they didn't really praise us. They just compared us to you, Ms. perfect Nyxara."

What have I done to deserve this? I worked harder than either of them just to keep their parents off my back, and she is acting like I had it easy. Like she wasn't there in that house when they made it clear that excellence is the bare minimum if I didn't want to be sent away to boarding school. Like she didn't see me apply first aid to my hands when her parents would slap my hands with a ruler if I made less than all A's.

She continued on justifying her actions."I hate you and have only kept you around for the perks of people knowing I'm helping a charity case. Well, now you know the truth. Thanks for being a good friend all these years. It's been entertaining. I'm going to go have a drink and find someone to fuck now. Bye, hun." Click. She hung up as if she hadn't just confirmed she and Koba had stabbed me in the back because their parents didn't give them the attention they wanted. How I wish the Dillards had left me alone when I lived in that house.

 Koba may have been the one I fell in love with, but Minette had been my rock after I lost my family. It wasn't real. None of those happy memories were real.

Without thought, I move to fill the tub. I step into the icy water, my body feels the bite, but I don't flinch. I recline, letting the cold seep into my body. It burrows deep into my bones as if seeking to extinguish any lingering warmth. For a fleeting moment, my mind clears, and I consider that I can start over. I can survive these events.

The sound of quiet laughter and bodies moving on the bed shatter the peaceful illusion. I see it in my mind's eye Koba thrusting into her lazily as she moans. I hear him telling her to be quiet, or else he won't let her come. 

I'm done. I don't want to do this anymore. I'm tired and just want everything to be quiet. With that thought, I reach out for the medicine bottle on the nearby counter and pour out 20 mg of melatonin. 

Ah, this is good. 

No heartache. 

No more thoughts. 

Just peace and quiet.

Just me and the peace I couldn't find since they left me behind. 

I look forward to being with my family again. 

I'm coming, Mama, Papa, Aspen, Lux, and Keir.

 I'll see you soon. 

~ Void Limbo~

"So… are you planning to just keep your eyes closed? You could but that will make this transition session way more difficult than it needs to be." A cheery melodic voice sliced through my peace abruptly. "You're the last person I need to process before I go on vacation, and I'd like to clock out on time, if you don't mind."