Damaged Love

Chapter Two

Elare saw her dad, lifting her into the air while she giggled, her tiny arms wrapped around a teddy bear he had just handed her. She hugged it tightly, running around the sunlit garden in circles. The memory was soft, warm, but then the atmosphere shifted. Shadows lengthened. Another figure appeared.

At first, he seemed distant—unfamiliar. But as he stepped forward, the man's face became clearer. Her stepfather. A wave of dread crawled up her spine.

He snatched the bear from her hands, scooping her up and storming into the house. Inside, he strapped her onto the table. Her small wrists fought against the coarse restraints, her body trembling. Two tears slid down her cheeks.

"No one is coming to save you," he said, his voice low and menacing.

She screamed, a loud, guttural cry: "Nooooooo—"

Gasping, Elare bolted upright. Her body jerked from the nightmare, breath ragged and heavy. Pain radiated through her limbs. "f**k," she whispered, her voice cracking. Reality hit her hard. She remembered the dark room, the stench, and the horror she had witnessed.

She looked around. She was caged. Alone. Unlike the others, she wasn't chained. Across from her, the girls she had seen earlier huddled together, their eyes vacant, their bodies bruised and trembling.

She slammed her fists against the bars, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Oh, princess," a voice called out mockingly.

Adam emerged from the shadows, walking toward her with slow, deliberate steps. She recoiled, pressing herself into the corner of the cage. He crouched, reaching in to cup her face.

"No, no, don’t run from me," he murmured, smiling. There was a glint of madness in his eyes.

Elare’s stomach churned. He was sick—deeply disturbed.

He pulled his hand back abruptly. "You know I don’t like people snooping around," he said, standing to his full height. "And you did it anyway."

He began to pace.

"I love you, you know that," he muttered, waving his hands erratically. "But you’ve done bad things, princess. Very bad things."

He turned sharply, unlocking the cage opposite hers. One of the girls, frail and silent, was dragged out, still shackled. Her tattered clothes hung limply from her body.

"Leave her alone!" Elare screamed, slamming her fists against the bars.

"Shhh," Adam said, grinning. He laughed, low and cruel. "All eyes here."

The other girls raised their heads in terror. Elare’s voice caught in her throat.

Adam pushed the girl onto all fours. He unzipped his trousers.

He violated her.

The girl made no sound—too weak to fight, too broken to scream. Adam struck her head with his palm again and again until blood matted her hair and tears ran down her cheeks. With a final grunt, he finished.

She collapsed to the floor.

Elare covered her mouth, eyes wide in disbelief. Just hours ago, she had given herself to that man—let him touch her, kiss her, take her. Her body had responded to him. Her moans, her pleasure, all felt filthy now.

She blinked, and Adam was standing again. This time, holding a saw.

"All eyes on me!" he bellowed.

He laughed manically as he carved the girl's body into pieces. Blood sprayed across the floor. Her organs were bagged into a black polythene sack. When he finished, he removed his gloves and disappeared.

Elare was shaking. Her pulse thundered. Her breath shallow.

When Adam returned, he tossed a hamburger into the cages. The other girls dove for it like animals. Elare couldn't move.

"I’ll be back, princess," he said.

The shelves closed behind him. Elare exhaled slowly. She needed to get out. Fast.

She reached for her hair clip, her hands trembling. With a practiced twist, she reshaped it into a key. It clicked. The cage door creaked open.

The sight of the butchered body made her gag. Her legs barely held her. The other girls stared at her in silence.

She stumbled toward the wall, searching for the trigger to move the shelf. Nothing. It only opened from outside.

She turned back to the girls.

"Do you know how to get out?" she asked.

One girl cried, but another pointed to the floor. A door.

Elare rushed to it. Locked. Her hairpin wouldn’t work. She searched frantically but found nothing useful.

She sank to the floor, defeated. Tears flowed freely.

But then it hit her—he would return. And if he saw them like this, he'd kill them.

"Back in your cages," she whispered urgently. The girls obeyed, sliding the locks back in place.

Elare locked herself back in as well.

"When he comes back," she said, voice steady despite the fear in her eyes, "we’re going to jump him. And run."

The girls looked at her. Nodded.

It wasn’t a plan. Not really.

But it was hope.

And sometimes, hope is all you have.