Part XIV

We both look with shocked expressions as Dylan strides towards us and stops right in front of Jake, looking him dead in the eye as they hold contact, neither of them wavering. like two dogs ready for a brutal fight.

The pain all over my body cause me to whimper as I try to say something.

"Babe", Dylan crouches down to look at me and his eyes turn dark the moment he sees the holes on my body from the spikes, the bruise on my face from the slap and the brutal assault on my thigh.

He tightens his hand on the arm of the chair, struggling bitterly to control his anger.

"Where have you been?", I whisper in pain with the little strength I have left but he only gets up, facing Jake and ignoring my question.

"Why did you touch her?" He asks in a low furious tone.

"Ah, I was just messing around with her", Jake says with his usual cocky smile playing on his lips.

"You weren't supposed to touch her at all. I'm still alive and I didn't give you the permission to!", His voice is slightly raised this time and I just want to sleep this pain away. In my own home.

"Don't be so uptight Dylan. Look on the bright side. It'd be easier for you to do the needful now". By 'the needful', I know exactly what he meant but I'm not scared one bit. Dylan would surely save me.

"Dad", Dylan says with his voice surprisingly calm. He never calls Jake 'dad'. I look at him confused as he turns to face me with a look I've never seen on him before. An expression I can't quite decipher.

"You shouldn't have," he continues, "I'm very well capable of doing it myself". He smirks at me and my eyes widen in shock, the pit of my stomach an accommodation for fear.

"What?" Jake asks in shock as well, looking skeptically at his son trying to figure out what he's doing.

"You heard correctly", he says not breaking his gaze from my eyes, stretching his to right palm out to his father who puts a knife in it.

I shake my head with fearful pleading eyes, begging for him to put a stop to this. He crouches again, rubbing the sharp cold steel of the knife slowly across my left fingers.

"No please Dylan, I beg you. Jake, do something", I plead with so much tears in my eyes and hurt in my heart. Just when I thought he came to save me, I realized that even the one I trust the most is against me.

This pain in my heart is even worse than the one in my body. I doubt I can ever heal from this. my own husband, causing me not only emotional pain but physical turmoil.

"You have to keep your fingers still baby", he says in a husky voice and my tears become even more uncontrollable.

Struggling with my fingers, he picks up my index and holds it firm against the arm of the chair, rubbing the sharp knife on it.

"You know," he says calmly, "I almost picked you over my family. how stupid was I to even think that"

"No babe", I say with a cracked voice, trying to get on his good side and probably talk him out of this profanity, "it was the best thing to do. remember all the plans we had together? Remember? The fashion house we were going to open? the list of countries we wanted to visit, together? We were going to try making babies very soon and also-"

"Shut up!," he raises his voice at me without the usual regret that follows, "okay? just shut the fuck up because you don't know anything". tears rolling out of my eyes in abundance.

"Please try and remember babe, I Know youu!", I shout equally even though I'm sure this monster in front of me is not my Dylan. "I know you and I know what you're capable of Dylan, you wouldn't hurt a fly".

He looks me dead in the eye with the knife pressing down on my skin.

"Exactly Crystal." he smirks, "that's why you're not a fly." Immediately, he cuts off my finger from the middle and I shout in utter anguish and pain, thrashing in my seat as blood spews out of what remains of my finger.

Pure terror fills me up, my whole body vibrating from the pain as I cry out loud like a baby, my voice echoing throughout the room.

"Oh please Crystal" he laughs a little and stands back beside Jake as they both watch me in amusement, looking satisfied, "would you stop shouting already".

I had no comfort to keep my self down. it was like my heart was divided with a rusty knife. where is the man I loved. my fingers vibrating seriously from the pain and shock.

"Could you stop already, I'm getting bored", he fake yawns and I can see Jake smiling proudly at him as he comes close to me again, the knife still his hand.

Failing completely to suppress the cries, Dylan slaps me hard across the face. One. Two. Three times, he keeps on hitting me until my face is swollen, bruised and bloodied. why can't he just kill me already.

"Dylan!" Jake holds his hand back as he raises it for another merciless strike that might've rendered me dead, "enough now."

glaring at me, he stops his assault releasing himself from his father's hold aggressively.

"I see you've gotten to your senses Dylan," Jake says looking at his son with pride, "now, its time you finish up so we get outta here".

"right." he says in determination as he comes closer to me again but I don't even have the strength to flinch or be scared. I can barely keep my eyes open.

Bending over me, his face mere inches away from mine, looking deep into my eyes, without hesitation, Dylan, the love of my life, sticks a knife straight into my heart.

The pain is not more than I had expected. a warm metallic taste filling up my mouth as I cough out thick blood in agony, seeing my life fading away right before my very eyes.

He removes the knife and the pain doubles, blood gushing out of me as I die quickly. the horrible face of Dylan the last thing my eyes see before it closes completely. the long awaiting darkness encompassing me into a sweet slumber.

A slumber I'm not sure I'd awake from.