Chapter 35
Sapphire.
The clock read 3-15 am, and I was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. I had been one of those nights again. A night where sleep teased me with its. false promise of rest, only to yank me into the dark recesses of my mind. Horned over and buried my face in the pillow, trying to silence the echoes of his voice will ringing in my ear.
I slut my eyes, desperate to will away the images that haunted me. But it was useless, I could still feel the cold, unyielding grip of my father’s hand un my arm, dragging me down the hallway that seemed to surrich on forever. My feet were bare, scraping against the rough floor, each step sending a sliver of dread up my spine.
“You think you can hide from me?” he boomed, a cruel sncer ciched across his face. He yanked me forward, and I stumbled, catching myself just before I fell. “You can’t run from your punishments, Sapphire.”
In the dream, I was small again, fragile and powerless. I was five years old, with a tattered dress and din streaked checks, my heart hammering against my ribs as he pulled me closer in that dreaded room, the room where my punishments awaited. The walls seemed to close in on me, the i growing thick and suffocating a he slammed the door shut behind us. I knew what was coming. The belt, the words, the tears. It was always the same, and yet each time, the fear was fresh, slicing through me like a knife.
“You’re worldess,” he spat, his eyes glinting with a cold fire as he reached for the belt hanging on the wall. “I give you everything, and this as how you repay me? You’re nothing but a disappointment.“
Liried to scream, to run to do anything to escape, but my body wouldn’t move. It was like I was trapped in a loop, doomed to relive every agonizing second of his rage. The belt whistled through the air, cracking against my skin, and I jolted awake, gasping for breath, my heart racing like I had just sprinted a mile.
I pressed my hands against my chest, feeling the rapid thump of my heart beneath my fingertips. It wasn’t real. Not anymore. But the pain, the fear lingered, clinging to me like a second kin
I sat up and swung my legs over the sick of the bed, running a hand through my tangled hair. The room was chrk, save for the faim glow of the streetlight outside hering through the curtains I glanced at slie clock again, 218am. The night felt endless, caeli second stretching out like in
“Tim not there mymore,” I whispered in myself. “He can’t hurt me now.”
But the words feh hollow, empty could still hear his voice, still feel the sting of his word rating into me. He could still hurt me because I was being bullied because of his action. I had no identity of my own except being his daughter
I stood up and padded over to the window, pulling back the runain to look out at the empty street below. Everything was still, q asleep while I wrestled with ghosts of a pas that refused in let go.
quiet. The world w
A knock at the door made the jump, and I spun around, my breath lucching Grah stood there, her face creased with concrm. How long had she been standing there? She man he heard me thrashine around agam.
“Sapphire” she said softly, stepping into the room. “Another nightmare?
I nodded, unable to speak just the lump in my throat. She crossed the room and wrapped her armsamund me, holding me tightly as I tried to keep the team at bay.
“It’s okay,” she whispered “You’re safe now.”
I wanted to believe her. I wanted to feel safe, to let go of the memories that clung to me like a shadow. But every time I closed my eyes, I was right back there, trapped in that room with him, powerless and afraid.
“I’m sorry,” I maumbled, pulling away and wiping at my eyes. “I didn’t mean to wake you
“Don’t apologize, Leah said, giving me a gentle smile. “I am more angry that I wasn’t there to comfor you,”
I nodded, though the words felt far away. I knew she meant well, but there was a part of me that wavaill trapped in that house, still bracing for the next punishment, the next lash of the belt. I could leave the house, escape the man, but the memories! They were embedded deep, and no amoun of distance could ever sever that connection.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. “Maybe it’ll help.”
I shook my head. “It’s the same as always.” I said. “He drugs me to the room, says I’m a disappointment. Then the belt. I can’t ever stop it.”
Her expression darkened, her eyes flickering with a mix of anger and sadness. “He was wrong,” she said firmly. “You’re not worthless, Sapphire. You’re stronger than he ever gave you credit for.”
I wanted to believe her, to let those words sink in and chase away the doubts that plagued me. But my father’s voice was louder, his
his grip an tighter. The scars he left weren’t just on my skin–they were etched into my soul, a constant reminder of the power he wielded over nie, even now,
Leah has never asked me but all she knew from what I told her was that my father was a harsh man. I didn’t want her to feel sorry for me if she knew what I was going through.
She squeezed my hand her touch warm and grounding. “I know it’s hard,” she said softly. “But you’re here now. You made it out. That’s something
to be proud of.”
I nodded, though the weight in my chest didn’t lif. I glanced back at the bed, knowing sleep wouldn’t come easily, if at all. But maybe that was oka
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Maybe it was enough to just sit here, in this quiet room, with Leah’s hand in mine and the knowledge that, for now, I w
“Thank you.” I whispered, squeezing her hand back. “For bring here.”
“Always,” she said, her smile made me feel a little bit of hope.
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1 nodded, letting her words wash over me. One step at a time. Maybe that was all 1 could do. Take it slow, keep moving forward, and hope that one day, the nightmares would fade, and my father would filly fall silent.
Unid then, I’d hold on to the small moments of peace, j
maybe, I could find a way to escape the past that still haunted me
