CHAPTER 11 – Shattered Memories
613 Words
Olivia’s POV
I didn’t know how long I stared at the phone.
The message still hadn’t sent.
Help me. I’m alive. I don’t know where I am.
Outbox.
No signal.
I wrapped my arms around my knees and dropped my head, rocking slowly like a child trying to calm a scream.
Everything hurt.
Not just my body. My mind. My memory.
I closed my eyes and he came back again.
The stranger from the hotel. The one who held me when I cried. The one who whispered nothing but silence. The one I gave myself to, not out of lust—but out of heartbreak.
And now… it might have been Leo.
The same man who looked at me with disgust days later. The same man who hovered with silent guilt and power.
Was he pretending not to know me?
Or had he truly not remembered what he did to me that night?
Was I just another blur in his perfect, wealthy world?
Tears slipped down my face silently. I didn’t wipe them. I didn’t care.
I had nothing left in me to hide the breaking.
Then—
Ping.
I opened my eyes.
The phone screen glowed faintly.
Message sent.
My chest rose sharply. I stared at the words like they might disappear.
It sent.
It actually sent.
My fingers gripped the plastic casing so tightly it creaked.
I didn’t know if Leo would see it.
I didn’t even know if he’d care.
But in that moment, it felt like the first real breath I’d taken in days.
---
Leo’s POV
The moment the alert flashed across my screen, I stopped breathing.
New message: Help me. I’m alive. I don’t know where I am.
The car jerked as I yelled for the driver to turn.
"Trace it. Now," I barked into the phone. "Get me coordinates."
A few seconds passed. My contact’s voice crackled in my ear.
“East river warehouse district. Signal was weak. I’m sending you the building ID. It might be old."
“I don’t care. I’m going in.”
“Leo—wait—”
I ended the call.
My fingers were trembling.
And I hadn’t trembled since I was sixteen.
---
Olivia’s POV
The door didn’t creak this time.
It slammed open like it had been kicked.
I scrambled away on all fours, crawling backward until my spine hit cold steel.
A man stepped in. Not the woman.
He was taller. Thicker. Something animal in his stare.
"Well, look who’s still breathing," he muttered.
My voice was barely a whisper. "Please... don’t."
He crouched low. Too close. The smell of smoke on his clothes made me gag.
"Where’s the phone, sweetheart?"
I turned my head.
His hand snapped forward and grabbed my jaw.
"Don’t play games. We know. We saw the message light up."
I didn’t respond.
So he hit me.
Not a shove.
A full slap across my face that sent stars exploding in my vision. My lip split. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
I crumpled sideways, dizzy.
Tears fell, hot and fast.
But I didn’t scream.
He stood over me.
"Keep hiding it. I’ll beat the truth out of you tomorrow."
He turned and left.
The door slammed.
The lock clicked.
And I lay there.
Face against the floor.
Silent.
Shaking.
My arms curled protectively around my belly.
And for the first time, I whispered something I hadn’t allowed myself to say out loud.
“Please… Leo… help me. Please find me.”
---
Leo’s POV
I was nearly there.
And I wasn’t leaving without her.
No matter what it cost me.
No matter what I had to become to get her back.
- Writer
