Isabella looked around in the middle of nowhere to find everything pitch black. She walked into nowhere in a dark room, or whatever this place was, confused about her whereabouts.
"Bella . . ."
She stopped in her tracks when she heard someone call her name. The voice sounded sinister. Why were they calling her name? What did they want?
"Who said that?"
"Bella . . ."
"Who's there?" she called out, turning around, trying to find someone, but all she saw was darkness. Suddenly, there was a flash behind her that got her attention. She turned slowly and noticed a bright light in the distance.
Whatever light it was, it was coming towards her. A silhouette walked toward her and Isabella could barely make out the shape of a person. Once they had arrived at her feet and stepped closer to her, they were face to face.
The persona was revealed to be the man that made Isabella's body tremble.
"Hello, beautiful."
"Matthew . . . w-why are you here? I thought you were in prison," she asked, her voice shaking.
"Oh, I got out. I came back to be with you, babe." He smirked, walking closer as she stepped backward.
"No. Don't you remember what you did to me? How you abused me?"
"You deserved it, you dumb bitch!" he spat, getting into her face.
"And since you told Aiden and everyone else what I did to you, I did the right thing and hurt every one of them."
Isabella lost her breath.
Isabella's eyes were welling up with tears. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Now you're mine, and no one can bother us anymore. You did this to yourself. It was a choice to either protect them or see them get hurt. and you made your choice. You thought you could get away from me."
This was her fault.
Isabella looked up at Matthew and felt her body boil from so many emotions she had kept inside.
"I wanted to get away from you because of what you did! I wanted to get out because of what you put me through, and you thought punishing me would make everything better?!"
"I can do whatever the fuck I want! And you can't stop me because you're weak. You always have been and that's never going to change. I own you, and you will do whatever I say!" Matthew screamed in her face as he grabbed her arm tightly, trying to drag her away with him.
Isabella was petrified.
She struggled but managed to punch him in the face with her free hand, causing him to let go of her arm in pain. She took her chance to flee, running away from him deeper in the dark place.
She didn't know where she was going, but she needed to get out of there.
She bumped into something that made her stumble backward. She peered up to see Matthew towering over her.
Isabella tried to turn around, but Matthew grabbed both of her arms this time and spun her around to face him.
"You shouldn't have done that," he growled, releasing one of her arms and slapping her across the face. Isabella fell to the ground, hand covering her stinging cheek.
"I swear, Bella, it's like you're not even trying to act smart anymore. You haven't learned anything. You think you're so tough and can get rid of me, but all I see is a little cunt."
He got on the ground and sat on top of her, pinning her wrists above her head.
"No, let go of me!" Isabella cried, squirming around, but couldn't budge. She watched Matthew smirking the whole time as he started to move his hands over her chest.
She knew what he was going to do.
"NO!"
꧁ ༄ ꧂
Isabella snapped her eyes open, panting heavily.
She took in her surroundings, the white walls, and the EKG machine next to her.
She was in the hospital.
Matthew was not there. It was just a nightmare.
It was just a dream. You're okay, Bella. Matthew is away and he won't hurt you again. Everyone you care about is okay, she thought, and heaved a sigh of relief.
She'd had a difficult few days staying at the hospital.
Her doctor had informed her the night before about her status. She had to hear about the medical tests, how everything was in good shape with her vitals, and she was regaining her energy. It was good news for her because she could go home earlier than they thought.
Isabella was happy to be discharged, but there was one problem still on her mind. Her house. The memories of her getting beaten and raped by Matthew. She didn't want to be in a place where she could remember what happened every day. She couldn't stay there. The nightmares would come every night she went to sleep, and she wouldn't feel safe if she was back there.
Nicole suggested that Isabella stay with her and Aiden as long as she wanted. They understood what she'd been through and wanted to make her feel comfortable.
Isabella appreciated the kind offer, and that Nicole didn't mind the trouble, nor did Aiden. She couldn't think of anywhere else to stay based on who she trusted. Aiden had already gotten his bedroom ready by pulling out an air mattress for her.
The only problem with this arrangement was her feelings for him. She was in love with him.
She still couldn't believe how foolish she had been, not realizing she had these feelings before. What Isabella worried about the most was telling Aiden how she felt. Would that be a smart move to make? Maybe a bold one at that. What would Aiden think if she just blurted out that she liked him as more than a friend?
This wasn't a movie where a guy and a girl easily confess their love and live happily ever after.
This was real life.
She was going to forget about it for now, but that didn't mean the thought would go away.
꧁ ༄ ꧂
Finally, around four o'clock in the afternoon, Isabella could leave the hospital.
Aiden informed her that he would pick her up after signing the discharge paperwork. In the meantime, the nurse came to her room to help take the IV out of her arm.
Isabella got dressed in the clothes Nicole bought her when they agreed she was staying with them. Once she changed, she felt relieved that she didn't have to wear the hospital gown anymore but had problems changing into her clothes and shoes. She was still a little unstable from her medication, so getting dressed took her a while.
Isabella sat on the bed, waiting to leave and thinking about her living arrangements. She'd stayed at Aiden's house a bunch of times, but never as long as she was about to—who knew how long she would stay there because she feared being in her own house.
It seemed weird that she couldn't stay in her house after what happened, but could anyone blame her? With the times Matthew had come over, it would be like living in Hell; she couldn't feel safe. If she had gone back, it would make everything worse.
"Miss Washington."
Isabella turned in the direction of the voice and saw the nurse who'd helped her earlier pushing a wheelchair inside the room.
"Your friend is here to pick you up. He said he was going to bring his car upfront."
Isabella was ready to get out of there. She stood up and slowly walked to the chair, sitting down with her arms on the armrests, then was wheeled outside the room to the front of the building. As they exited the building, she spotted Aiden standing near his car, which was parked by the sidewalk.
Aiden met with the nurse and his friend with a smile.
"Hey."
"Hi." Isabella smiled, pushing herself off the wheelchair, and standing on her two feet. "Thanks for picking me up."
"No problem."
"I hope you feel better, Isabella," the nurse said. "You two have a good day, okay?"
She got 'thank yous' from the teenagers and turned to go back inside the building with the wheelchair.
"You ready?" Aiden helped her walk to his car and opened the passenger door for her. Isabella smiled in appreciation and got inside, shifting in her seat to get comfortable. Aiden closed the door, then rushed to the driver's side, sticking the key in the ignition, starting the car, and driving down the road.
During the ride, Isabella looked out the window and watched as the sky filled with clouds and the trees passed by in a blur. The best friends were silent for fifteen minutes with no music on the radio. However, at some point, Aiden cleared his throat, warning Isabella that she would not like what he was about to say.
"Um, how are you feeling?"
She took a peek at him, looking at the road before answering, "I'm good."
"Bella—"
"I'm fine, really." Suddenly, they pulled into a fast food parking lot, and Aiden parked the car. Isabella frowned, staring at him.
"What are we doing here?"
"Listen," Aiden started with a sincere look, "you can tell me anything. I know what you went through. I understand how you must feel."
Isabella lowered her head, looking at her hands as they shook.
"Talk to me."
It was as if a wall that was built inside Isabella collapsed. A raw emotion she tried to keep from falling couldn't hold on anymore as she broke down in sobs.
"I can't take it. What happened destroyed me. I thought Matthew was a great guy, but he just wanted me to suffer, and for some reason, I stayed. I stayed because I actually cared about him. At first, I thought I could help him stop the drugs and alcohol so he could be his normal self again, but I was wrong.
"I want to believe that I'll get better and get through all of this, but I know it's not going to happen because of everything Matthew said. I'm a dumb bitch, a cunt, and weak. I'll always be weak and I can't do anything right!
"I could've called the police if I wanted to, but I didn't want anyone to get hurt. I feel worthless and hopeless. If I had just told someone about this sooner, I wouldn't be in this fucking mess! I wouldn't have gotten blamed for everything I didn't do, listened to Matthew's threats, or tried to kill myself!" She couldn't form any more words as she sobbed, covering her eyes with her hands.
Aiden unbuckled his seatbelt and took Isabella in his arms over the center console as she cried on his shoulder. He tried to calm her the best he could as he whispered comforting words in her ears and hugged her.
"Shh . . . it's okay. I got you," he murmured. "Bella, everything he said to you is not true. You're not any of those things. You're more than that. And I'm not letting you blame yourself for how things ended. I know you were trying to do the right thing, but you didn't know this would happen.
"I know this is very hard and you want to get better. That is going to happen, I promise. You just have to believe you'll get better."
Isabella could only let out small whimpers as she listened to him. She wanted to be happy so badly, but it was going to be hell until it happened. For right now, she tried to keep Aiden's words in mind to remember the support she had around her.
"Okay," she croaked.
"You're going to be okay." Aiden kissed her temple.
The teenagers stayed in the car as Aiden comforted her, and Isabella slowly calmed down. They eventually got back on the road, going to his house to prepare Isabella's temporary home.