Taken Captive

Chapter 52

She scoffed, "Addicted? I'm not addicted."

I didn't know what she was. What I did know was that I couldn't let her keep doing this to herself. She needs to learn how to express her emotions in another way. Not through sex, not through drinking, not through smoking. She needs to do it in a healthy way.

For as long as I've known her, she hasn't known how to deal with the pain. And I couldn't blame her. She lost her son, she was fucking kidnapped by me, taken against her own will. I forced her here, I brought the pain on her.

"Nia, I don't know what the fuck you are. But I know this shit isn't healthy so just get in bed and go to sleep, alright?"

Her frown turned into a glare, "Why can't you just let me be happy? I'm happy when I drink a little bit, you can't even let me have that. I'm at peace when I smoke a little bit, you couldn't let me have that either. Now you're on about this? I don't think I'm the problem here, it's you that's the problem."

I nodded, "Okay, just come and sleep. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

"You're the problem. You caused all of this, not me." She said. I swallowed, trying to ease the growing ache in my chest as she continued. "Little obedient Nia does what she wants for once but nope, that's not allowed. Only Mr. Rivera's allowed to do whatever he wants. He can live with being secretly married while having a girlfriend who he claims he's in love with-"

My vision got blurry, the sound of her voice yelling at me fading out. I felt tears fall down my face and onto the sheets as I watched her. But I couldn't take it to heart. I had to pretend she never said these things, the same way I did with mom.

I need to help her. The way she helped me, got me to control my anger and be more patient and less like my father is what I needed to do for her. Help her so she doesn't lose herself completely as my mother did.

"I hate you!" Her voice was muffled. I could hear the cry in her voice and shook my head, zoning back in and watching as she fell to the floor, bringing her knees up to her chest while her fingers tugged at her hair. She rocked back and forth, crying loudly.

I stood up and walked over to her, placed my hands on her waist and picked her up. She wrapped her arms and legs around me, holding on with a tight grip. She's hurting, she's always been hurting but can't hold it in anymore.

I laid back down with her on top of me, shut the bedside lamp off and wrapped the blanket around us while Miles licked her arm, knowing she wasn't okay.

"It hurts." She cried into my chest, her body shaking.

"I know. I know, baby, it's okay." I placed my hand in her hair and rubbed her scalp, trying to ease the headache I knew was coming on. She was sobering up, that's why she wasn't acting happy anymore. She had to face reality.

"I need a drink." She tried getting up but I grabbed her forearms and pulled her back down.

"No. You're not drinking anymore." I shook my head. She tried yanking her arms out of my grip, but I wouldn't budge.

"Let me go! Please, Callum!" She pleaded, starting to roughly push me away.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I can't." But she kept on fighting me. I flipped us over and put her hands above her head, "No, Nia! Stop it, now!"

She closed her eyes, quiet sobs leaving her mouth as tears fell from her eyes, "Help me."

"I will, baby, I promise." I lowered my head and placed my lips on her cheek, catching a tear. "I'm not giving up on you, the same way you never gave up on me."

After laying back down beside her, keeping my arms around her so she wouldn't try to get up again and brushing my fingers through her hair, she finally went to sleep. Her breaths came out shaky even after she closed her eyes and got lost in her dreams, tears were still falling down her face and once in a while, sobs left her mouth.