Taking Back My Love

I walked out of Campbell Group like a lifeless zombie.

Memories came crashing back like waves I couldn't hold back. Jenna Sanders had hated me since college. I was poor and apparently too much of an eyesore to share a dorm with someone as wealthy and influential as her.

She got a kick out of tormenting me; she had her friends drag me into bathrooms to beat me up, used a 400 degree Fahrenheit curling iron to burn my arms, glued chunks of my hair together with industrial-strength adhesive, and pressed lit cigarettes against my back over and over again just to watch me cry and beg in pain.

When I refused to break, she spread disgusting rumors about me and had her relative, the dean, expel me.

My grandmother had gone to the school to seek justice for me, but Jenna ran her over with her sports car. It wasn't fatal; my grandmother was still breathing. Without a moment's hesitation, Jenna stepped on the gas and ran her over again and again until she was gone.

The witnesses were bribed into silence. And just like that, my grandmother was taken from me forever.

Before I met Raymond, my world was nothing but darkness. His presence was like sunlight piercing through the clouds.

He helped me lay my grandmother to rest. Then, he held me and swore that he'd make Jenna pay for every bit of pain she'd caused me.

And he did; he kept his word. Within a few years, I watched with my own eyes as Jenna's life crumbled. She went from a wealthy, spoiled heiress of the Sanders family to a desperate beggar, always scrambling for money.

But somehow, despite it all, she and Raymond still had that sick, twisted thing going on between them.

…

I hadn't realized I'd made it home until I was already at the door.

Raymond's face was filled with concern when he spotted me. "I'm sorry, Xy. I lost track of time. I made you wait, didn't I? That's why you came back on your own.

"Don't be mad at me. I have something for you. The wedding dress I designed for you is finally done! Come try it on and see if it fits!" He looked so proud, like a child showing off a prize, as he had someone bring the dress in.

He'd designed it himself. Had it altered over and over, obsessing over every little detail, all to hide the scars on my body.

When I put it on, all the scars on my body disappeared beneath delicate lace. My skin looked beautiful and flawless. I looked… untouched. Pure, like how our love was supposed to be.

But I knew better. Underneath the surface, everything was rotten.

"Do you know how I got these scars?" I asked softly, looking into his eyes.

His eyes narrowed as a hint of resentment flashed in them. "Of course I do. If it weren't for Jenna, you'd never have had to carry all these scars!"

He traced them gently, his fingers tender and careful. "Don't worry, Xy. The Sanders Family are gone. No one will ever hurt you again. I'll protect you, always."

He took my cold hands and placed them against his chest to warm them. Then, he had someone bring hot water and began massaging them himself.

Raymond knelt in front of me, gently placing my feet in his lap and pressing slow, reassuring strokes into my skin. His kisses trailed down from my cheeks, getting bolder.

But all I could feel was nausea. His breath, his touch—it all made my stomach churn.

"Darling… I've missed you so much," he whispered, his voice thick with desire. He fumbled with the buttons of my blouse, desperate to feel more of me.

I screamed. My whole body trembled. Suddenly, the man in front of me wasn't Raymond anymore; it was those men Jenna had sent all those years ago. Tearing my clothes off, exposing me completely, snapping photos of me in the most humiliating ways.

I curled up, shaking violently. "No… please don't take my clothes off… I'll do anything, just don't…" I kept repeating the same thing over and over, begging for mercy.

Raymond froze. Then, he pulled me tightly into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Xy… I should've been more careful. I made you remember those things again, didn't I? But that was just an illusion, Xy. I've already made all those people who hurt you pay!"

I didn't respond, and he didn't push any further. He just held me close as we lay on the bed, gently patting my back. "Don't worry, you're safe now," he murmured. "You've got me."