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Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do so Not even me

You want it, you go after it No excuses

Christian,

For not giving up on ive up on myself

Squeezingbody and try to picture myself somewhere far, far away Other than the dirtybut the darkness that surroundspounds in anticipation As he draws closer, it begins to shallow When I hear the doorknob turn, I stop breathing altogether The steps get closercloseruntil they reach me

The sound of shifting denim fills the empty room as he crouches down in front of arettes and bourbon that seeps from him tickles my nostrils

A small whimper escapes htened quiver that threatens to break out over et nice Alex or not, but if I had a choice I'd go with the latter Not that I like hiured I would place him on my shelf of villains Alex is kind of like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde That's what he rerabs both sides of ing hts

"Look at ruffly

My eyes peel open slowly to lass eye reflecting the sadness in my own

"Are you feeling well?" he asks after a beat

I grind lare at him in response I like it better when he's hs deeply, letting go of rip I have aroundhim

"Did you eat today?" he asks

"Yes," I whisper, flinching when he pushes himself up to his knees suddenly and buries his face in his hands I stare wide-eyed at the back of his blond head before I look around the now di heavy I could knock hi here except that da, deep breath before he looks up again, his face glistening

"It wasn't supposed to be you," he whispers hoarsely, extending his ar my left cheek

I don't understand what he means by this If it wasn't supposed to be , I closethese hours, days, reen eyes, crooked smile, di they offer in to burn with unshed tears, and for a moment I find my zen because in that moment I'm with Cole

"I'ing his face to his knees and clutching the mattress beloith the pal with the mattress as he continues to sob in front ofinhis wide, scraped knuckles

"Are you going to let o?" I ask quietly

Suddenly, he lifts up and sits back on his heels very slowly His eye darkens as it narrows on mine and the disapproval in them makes my stomach plummet

"What?" he asks through gritted teeth "What do you o?"

"Youyou said you were sorry," I stammer

"I'ain, Cory," he huffs, his face hardening as he gets up and walks to the door

"I'm not Cory," I whisper, more to myself than to him, but my voice bounces off the walls of the small empty room and I know he hears me

"What did you say?" he growls, pivoting around swiftly

"I'm not Cory," I whimper

He stomps over to me and before I can move back, the back of his handmy entire head to jerk sideways My painful cry is cut short when he yanksme scramble aardly on my hands and feet in an attempt to lessen the pain on my scalp

"I KNOW YOU'RE NOT CORY," he bellows as he continues to drag me around the room while I hold on to my head to stop the burn "If it weren't for you, o suddenly, buainst the side of the dresser, before he walks over and crouches down in front ofharsh in my ear I force myself to look up and when our eyes lock, his entire de an apology under his breath before walking out and sla the door behind him I wait until I hear the lock click on the other side of the door, then I lurch over to gasp for air, letting myself crumble

I lie on the cold floor willingthat's happened while I've been here, hoping to figure out how long I've been gone I unsuccessfully do this every day—I just know it has been too long I can barely hear Cole's voice inday and I can't allow et what he sounds like If I do, I'll lose hope I've already lost too h And for him, for us, I can't afford that I make the painful crawl back to the mattress and sob into the pillow until it's covered in blood and salty tears I close reen e

yes looking back at , as I drift into sleep

The click of the lock jerks me awake, but I keep s onto the wall beside it I buryto h my body

"Wake up, girl!" His booht "Wake UP!"

I shift and sit up, carefully squintingfrom the pain in my back My eyes blink a couple of tis and widen when I see Alex standing in the threshold with his arms crossed He's dressed in dark jeans, and a button down shirt, not his usual business clothing His tall physique blocksin me to look at his face The circles under his eyes are more prominent every ti a little ht crosses my mind that he must have been a handsoh it's hard to conceive, I like to believe that light entle, and I wonder if he has children of his own or anybody to love I like to believe that about everybody though Tearing ure behind hiasp as I clutch the sheets beneath me

"Look fa man stands beside him A man that can't be much older than me dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt and black leather jacket He has the kind of face that I would normally consider a baby face if it weren't for the clear ns his jaw I nod in reply to Alex's question because I can't afford toover you for a couple of days He's good at that Do as he says and don't try and get s stupid-"

"I won't," I interrupt in a low voice, flinching when he takes a step forward

"Good," he says "You have work to do today"

They walk out without another word and I get up carefully, dragging my feet to the bathroom I brush ht cheek Once I'host of my former self With the exception of the bruises, olden skin I had before I got here I don't know her anyain I don't even know that I want to That woman, that scared woht it kept her safe, is now locked in a roo

I shower as quickly as I can without causing y T-shirt, and carefully bend back down to sit on the uncohts of Cole when I hear a single knock on the door It opens slightly and Dean tucks his head in After seeing me dressed and ready, he steps in and places a tray of food in front of me, which I devour in two seconds When I look up fro me curiously

"Have they been feeding you?" he asks, his voice low

"Yes"