Trigger warning: this chapter contains multiple disturbing moments.
XYLA
I'd promised myself. I'd promised myself that I'd only be afraid in dreams. I would never let the man who haunted my dreams also haunt me in real. That if I ever saw him again, I wouldn't be afraid.
But I was. Every inch of me trembled as he extended his hand towards my face. His proximity wasn't letting me breathe. My throat closed. I was still the child he'd bought. Still the naive little girl who didn't know what to do. Still the girl who froze up and closed her eyes, hoping someone would barge in and catch hold of that hand, someone would rip him off of me, someone would show up to save me.
And this time, someone did.
His sharp gasp made me flinch and open my eyes, to find his fingers inches away from my face
