Chapter 8 · Echoes of Only You

Chapter 8

Shaking all over, I lunged at Andrew, sinking my teeth wildly into his arms and neck. "You promised. You can't do this!"He'd agreed to give me enough money.If it weren't for that, I'd never have stepped into the dark room and relived that nightmare, even when someone threatened to kill me.It seemed Andrew hadn't expected me to go crazy.He looked utterly disgusted, scrambling to shove me away, his voice dripping with pure hatred. "Why can't I? What's stopping me?"Olivia, was I the one who broke the promise first?"You made your own bed, so now you get to lie in it."You think Ethan is a nice guy?"Olivia, I told you before, you'd regret your choice."A wave of emotion crashed over my mind. 'It was your own choice. You brought this on yourself. Olivia, you're going to regret it.' Those same words looped on and on.Then, what Ethan said in the room years ago echoed in my head. 'Olivia, maybe you should make a better choice.'I thought, 'A better choice. It's your own decision. You have only yourself to blame.'Andrew shoved me away.It felt like I was weightless, falling lightly. Clenching my teeth, I braced myself against the floor and managed to get back on my feet.I looked at Andrew. His face gradually blurred and twisted.The world spun in a daze, my hands shaking. My voice came out sharp, every breath stinging in my chest.Through my foggy thoughts, I forced the words out. "You can't do this to me. Anyone else can hurt me, but not you."But I wondered why Andrew couldn't push me around and how he had no right to do so.That was my own doing. I chose to go into all this mess and let Andrew get away. I should let it go.This was my choice. I brought this on myself.I braced myself against the wall and walked past Andrew. My body swayed, and everything in front of me was spinning.I left this place and walked outside. I could feel tears in my eyes.It was so embarrassing as I cried in front of Andrew again. But as long as I got out of here, none of this would matter.I headed out of the bathroom. My arm was suddenly snatched tight.I heard Andrew's voice, thick with rage yet trembling. "Olivia, why are you the one crying?"You'll never know how much courage it took for me to go public with our relationship five years ago."And you'll never understand what hell I've gone through these past five years."I tried to shake him off, but I couldn't break free. I glanced at him sideways through the blur in my vision. "Let me go."Andrew shot me a vicious glare. "An ungrateful person like you doesn't deserve anyone's love. You're not worth my grandma's help."I couldn't pull my hand away. My head throbbed fiercely, so I reached out and shoved him.Andrew didn't see it coming and stumbled back awkwardly. Then irritation flashed over him, and he grabbed my shoulders hard.I shoved him desperately, but when I couldn't get him off me, I bit down on his wrist.It felt like ages passed before I finally twisted out of his grip. I tried to walk out, yet my body fell backward.There was a loud thud. If I heard it right, the back of my skull had slammed against the floor.The metallic taste of blood filled the air out of nowhere. I thought my end had come.I cried out Emily's name in my mind. I shouldn't have trusted Andrew.My body went numb, and my limbs were too weak to move. Awareness slipped away little by little, fading fast.Maybe it was a dying illusion; I heard Andrew's voice.He sounded flustered and urgent, like the way he called out my name when he was eleven. "Olivia!"The eleven-year-old Andrew and the twenty-eight-year-old man he was now seemed to share the same tone all at once.The sound lingered beside me until my mind went blank. "Olivia, wake up."

Chapter 8