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He finally speaks again, “I was always there, Mireya.”

The images keep flashing faster. Parties. Me naked. Hayzel…

“I used your friend to get to you. Used her in the filthiest way possible before visiting you every night she invited me in,” he spits.

Hayzel…the birthday attack…the dorm one.

“I thought you were mine.” Breathe Mireya. Breathe. “I thought you understood that.”

I can’t focus on anything. Images after images, videos after videos…Tears, blood, death, pain.

Women are never safe.

“And you, you let him make you love him. You let him ruin you.”

He reaches for something on the table and catches my arm. I don’t move, I don’t breathe. My eyes are fixed on the projector.

“You’ve spent your whole life trying to escape me.” Something cold touches my skin. “Let’s see where you go when you can’t escape yourself, Mireya.”

A needle breaks my skin, and he holds me until the pressure is gone.

The room begins to tilt. The images keep breaking apart, appearing and disappearing faster than I can close my eyes.

Woman. Bodies. People. Damien. Blood. Rain…

His voice. Mine.

Everything is blurry.

I try to focus on reality, but nothing makes sense.

Because now, I can’t tell which memories belong to me, and which one he has put inside my head.

“Close your eyes, Raven hair,” he whispers.

I reach for her, on the cliffs. But even she is beginning to disappear.

128

Damien

Play - Dynasty by MIIA

It All Fell Down

I’m in the kitchen, rinsing out the mug she used this morning. The canvas is drying up still, exactly where we left it.

Mireya left in a hurry. Half her breakfast is still on the plate. Her sketchbook is open on the counter. Dark shapes, sad thoughts. But still, it was beautiful.

Blue is weaving around my ankles while I clean. Every few minutes he glances toward the house door like he’s expecting it to open. I smile and bend down, running my hand through his fur. “She’s not coming back for another few hours, bud.”

He blinks slowly at me, completely unconvinced.

The phone rings and I answer without looking. “Caldwell.”

“Hi sissy’s boyfriend,” Milo says.

“Hey, buddy. What’s up?”