CHAPTER SEVEN

Chloe's P.O.V

Pain, yet comfortable. The room was spinning at the same time I felt I was laying on clouds. I looked down realizing I wasn't in my own bed and I was changed into a dress, but who changed me?

I began to panic and suddenly the doors flew open making me jump hiding back under the covers.

"It's okay Chloe, it's only me," Colby's voice echoed through my head. I still felt really dizzy.

I looked out from under the blankets and in his hands was a trayful of food; orange juice and pancakes bacon and even eggs with two small bowls of ice cream on the side as well as two plates.

"I figured you would be hungry, and thought we could eat together," He said nervously.

I nodded slowly, which was a bad idea because it made my head spin more, nearly making me fall over.

Colby put down the tray next to me and sat on the other side piling food on a plate before passing it to me.

"Thank you," I said shyly.

A week full of pure torture, if I misbehave I'll be beaten, maybe even to death. But if I listen and do as I'm told then I will be safe.

"How are you feeling?" I asked to make conversation.

He looked up at me with a mouthful of food and took a minute to swallow and answer.

"I'm better thanks to you," He said, holding my gaze.

I looked nervously at the door worried that we would get caught. "It was my fault in the first place," I said quietly.

All of a sudden he stopped eating and put his plate aside and when he got up I flinched out of habit, which he had noticed.

Colby got up off the bed and onto his knees, in front of me taking my hands in his.

"No, Chloe. None of this was your fault, don't think that for a moment. I don't know what happened while I was gone, and I'm so sorry I wasn't here. I'm so sorry for breaking my promise." Colby broke down in tears with his head bowed down against our hands.

I looked down at him confused, I can't remember any promises ever made. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion but I just sat here while he cried.

Colby's P.O.V

My emotions bubbled over. I couldn't hold back anymore, I will make it my life goal to one day kill this mother fucker.

He put his hands on Chloe, and my mother he will not get away with it.

She closed her self-off to me again after I got her trust, and all I saw was red. I began thinking how satisfying it would be to go back down stairs and rip his throat out with my bare hands.

At Least until I realised her hands were out of mine and going through my hair.

"I'm not sure what promise you're talking about but it's okay, I know you would have kept it if you had a choice," She said with a small smile.

"I promised you that I'd protect you no matter what," I explained.

"It's okay Colby," She said, continuing to pet my head.

"You're here now, that's all that matters." She added after.

Sniffling, I looked up at her, she was smiling through the pain. I hated it, I hated that she was in so much pain and there was nothing I could do to make her feel better.

I got up and took her into my arms and brought her onto my lap. She went frigid for a moment before relaxing in my arms.

I wanted to hold her tighter, but the bruises that ran across her body I didn't want to hurt her, so instead I kissed her on the forehead.

"You are so beautiful," I whispered.

She blushed and shook her head no.

"You don't have to lie, I know I'm ugly." She said, looking away.

"No," I said, pushing her onto her back and pinning her down gently. "You are the most beautiful women I have ever laid eyes on, and behaving is becoming difficult, but you are worth more than just your body." I looked down at her beneath me, her face flushed red looking back up into my eyes.

"How am I beautiful with all these bruises and scars?" She asked shyly and that's when it hit me, is going through body dysphoria because of what my family has done to her.

"Your bruises and scars don't define you to me you are beautiful no matter what," I explained while slowly bringing my lips closer, and closer to her skin as I kissed her bruises on her neck and collar bone.

Feeling her shudder against me with her head lifted back giving me more access to her neck.

I smiled lightly and moved her face and brought her lips to mine.

"Believe me there's nothing I'd love more than to have your body against mine, but tonight is to get to know more about each other," I spoke in barely a whisper as I kissed her one more time but slower.

"So you really do love me?" She asked, breaking my heart.

"Chloe all I ever wanted from the time we started talking in the air vent was to be with you, of course I love you," I explained.

She smiled a real genuine smile, the smile I wanted to see all week long.

I got off of her and helped her sit up. We sat here talking for hours. From eight thirty am. till six o'clock at night where there was a sudden knock on my bedroom door.

"Colby dinner," Jayce called out.

"Alright we are coming," I called back.

"We?" Chloe asked.

"Well I'm not leaving you up here to starve," I laughed.

"Yeah but," She cut off.

"If you're scared of my father he won't touch you while I am around." I promised.

She nodded, getting up and taking my hand for reassurance.

Chloe's P.O.V

I took Colby hand, my head is still very dizzy but he's keeping me up right as he unlocked the door.

I feel safest when his hands are in mine it's only when Colby leaves when Alastair beats me. Maybe when I'm with Colby I accidentally do bad things.

We began walking down the stairs and a bunch of voices were getting louder and louder with every step, and out of fear I stopped in the middle of the stairs.

What if it's a trap, what if I'm being taken back down stairs so they can hurt me?

Tears began to rise in my eyes, Colby stepped in front of me blocking the end of the stairs.

"Everything is going to be okay," Colby caressed my cheek wiping the tears from my eyes, and took my hand once more.

I took a deep breath before tightening my grip on his hand back, walking down the rest of the long staircase and turning the corner.

I stayed close behind him as 23 sets of eyes stared right through Colby onto me, my swollen face heated up with a level of uncomfortable I never felt before, and I'm beginning to miss the darkness of what they call the basement, and what I call my safety net.

Colby let go of my hand walking towards a table and pulled out a chair waiting for me to sit.

I quickly went and took a seat, and everyone stared at me, my face swollen and bruised. I bet they all are making fun of me shakily. I placed my hands on my lap and kept my head down.

"What the hell did you do to that poor girl Colby?" The guy across from me asked, Colby took the seat next to me and sneered with anger.

"How about you ask my father what 'he' done to her," Colby spat across the table, all eyes went from me to Alastair; all eyes but mine I kept them fixed on the empty plate in front of me.

I'm scared, I'm scared to move or blink. I'm scared to even breathe, is this what the rest of my life will consist of?

"You know what?" Colby spoke, getting up from his seat.

"I think I'm going out for dinner tonight," Colby stated, throwing down the napkin that he placed on his lap moments before and taking my hand to go with him.

"Not tonight Colby, we have business to take care of tonight," Alastair sighed, taking a sip of wine.

"Great take care of it then," Colby said, bringing me to my feet walking me out the dining room into the dark night.

Once we were outside he turned toward me solemnly.

"You stole my smokes and lighter didn't you?" I swallowed hard, I only took two but I guess he noticed.

I slowly nodded, squinting , waiting to be hit, but instead he wrapped his arms around my waist and placed a kiss on my forehead. "It's been a stressful week for you, hasn't it?" It wasn't a question, it was a statement. I fell against his chest and closed my eyes.

Heart beats, I hear his heart beat through his chest. The one thing that tells us we are alive, that we feel stress, pain, even heartbreak and love.

These arms I never want to leave the warm embrace, I never want to lose this feeling of security and comfort.

"Are you ready?" He asked quietly, I nodded against his chest as he let go.

"Alright let's go get dinner," Colby smiled walking towards his car.

He opened the door and I got in, then put my seat belt on as he closed the door and got in the driver's seat.

He took a cigarette from his pack he seems to keep in the car but then paused and looked at me with it between his lips, then grabbed the pack again and passed me one.

I copied his movements and placed it between my lips as he brought up the lighter and with a swift click a flame appeared in front of my face, slowly burning the tip of the cigarette.

I took a slow inhale making sure I don't cough on the smoke this time.

Staring into his eyes the entire time, the tip of the smoke turned into fiery ash and even as he took the lighter and lit his own.

As he leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes taking a deep inhale of the cigarette as I exhaled.

His short messy black hair fell further away from his face, swallowing hard as he brought it back to his lips and took another puff.

I looked away for a moment looking in the darkening sky, he put the car into drive and we went through the gate.

I began taking longer inhales watching the cigarette burn down; I flicked the ashes out the window.

Sitting in silence I began to wonder if what just happened was my fault.

I'm not sure where we are going but silence is beginning to be uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," Colby said so quietly I almost didn't make it out.

"For what," I wondered.

We stopped at a red light, looking me in the eyes before he answered.

"For everything," He threw the cigarette out the window and held my hand tightly but lovingly as he drove us into a nearby parking lot.

"That's a lot to be sorry about," I joked and caressed his hand with my thumb.

He smirked a little at the joke staring down at our hands intertwined.

"Are you ready for dinner?" Colby asked, right on que because my stomach made a loud growling sound and I blushed and nodded.

Taking one last puff, I threw out the smoke and got out of the car walking toward the restaurant, walking hand in hand.

The restaurant was written in cursive so I couldn't read the sign. He held the door for me and the place was packed.

Dim lights dangling over tables and bench seats at every table except the ones who seated ten or more had candles placed in the center of the tables.

A lady at a podium was writing something on a piece of paper before noticing us.

"Table for two?" She asked not to look up.

"Yes," Colby confirmed.

"Follow me please," She said walking away from the podium in a long skirt and an apron wrapped around her waist.

We followed her to a secluded table in the back of the restaurant, and sat down across from each other as she placed the menus in front of us, and thanked her as she placed a fake smile on her face.