“Ahhh!” Alicia’s scream pierced the silence as she swept her cosmetics off the dressing table, sending bottles and brushes clattering to the floor. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her reflection in the mirror staring back at her: rigid features, trembling lips, vibrating hands, and eyes consumed with hatred—hatred for herself, for the world, for everything.

With a guttural roar, she seized the vase on the shelf beside her and hurled it at the mirror. Glass shattered and scattered across the floor, shards glittering under the harsh light.

She collapsed to her knees, her body trembling as a deep, raw pain clawed at her chest. Bowing her head, she sprawled on the floor, her cries starting as muffled sobs before rising into wrenching wails that seemed to drain the very air from the room.

How could I have trusted him so blindly? How could I have been so foolish to give him my heart? The thoughts battered her mind. Stupid. Stupid! How stupid I was to let myself fall for him! Alicia buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as tears seeped through her fingers.

Alicia recalled standing at the edge of a forbidding river eight years ago. The water surged violently, its waves crashing against the banks with a deafening roar. Just looking at it was enough to make her head spin.

It had been a few miles from Lowood High School, a place the teachers warned students to avoid due to its grim history of drownings and disappearances.

This will be the end, she had thought, stepping closer to the rushing water. Her heart pounded, each beat echoing in her ears as the wind lashed at her, tangling her hair and whipping her school uniform against her trembling body. The trees around her seemed to sway and groan, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers, as if pleading with her to stop.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Just a few more steps, Alicia. Just a few inches, and it’ll all be over.

“Alicia!”

A hand had clamped around her wrist, yanking her back into solid arms.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jeff’s voice had been a mix of panic and fury as he gripped her wrist tightly, dragging her away from the riverbank.

They had ended up sitting on a grassy hill surrounded by towering trees, their green leaves swaying gently in the breeze. The sky above was a canvas of clouds. The serene setting seemed to mock the chaos within her.

“You scared me,” Jeff said, his flushed face betraying his calm voice.

“You’ve been acting so strange lately. I was worried. I searched everywhere for you, and something led me to the river… Alicia, were you trying to kill yourself?”

She couldn’t hold it in anymore. Alicia threw herself into his arms, her sobs shaking her frame as her fingers dug into his skin. Jeff didn’t flinch. He held her tightly, his hands stroking her back as he whispered soothing words.

“Talk to me, Alicia. I can’t take away all your pain, but you don’t have to carry it alone. Let me share it. Please, Alicia.” His voice broke, his eyes rimmed with unshed tears.

“Jeff,” she sobbed. “Jeff…” Her voice dissolved into cries as she clung to him, seeking solace in his embrace.

That day, she had told him everything—the secret she had kept hidden from everyone, even her mother.

“He raped me,” she had choked out. “My father… he—” Shame swallowed her words, and she buried her face in Jeff’s chest. “He raped me,” she repeated, the weight of her confession shattering her.

Jeff had held her through it all, promising to keep her secret safe. He had become her anchor, his jokes, stories, and unwavering attention pulling her out of the darkness. Over time, he had healed her in ways she never thought possible, and she had fallen for him—her best friend, her first love.

But now, sitting on the floor of her room, Alicia shook her head fiercely. No. Jeff would never betray me. Wilson must have found out some other way. But how?

Fear coiled in her chest as questions raced through her mind. Did father tell him? How could he know? Wilson had no connection to Jeff or her father. Confusion and dread tightened their grip on her as she clutched her hair and muttered, “Jeff wouldn’t do this to me. He wouldn’t.”

The sound of approaching footsteps jolted her. Her head snapped toward the door, her tear-streaked face hardening as her eyes gleamed with fury. Slowly, she rose to her feet, her body tensed like a predator ready to strike.

The door creaked open, and her breath hitched when she saw who stood there.

"What are you doing here?" Alicia hissed, her voice low but deadly, her piercing gaze promising a storm as Alison stepped into the room uninvited.