Authors: Mechelle Vermeulen

Tags: #romance, #new adult, #Hurricane Butterfly

Hurricane Butterfly (15 page)

My legs cramp, I am slipping against the tiles, my skin is burning as the plastic cuts into my wrists. “Please Colby, I know you didn’t mean to hurt anyone, please don’t do it again, it’s not too late for you!”

He throws my phone against the wall, and it shatters across the floor. He glares at me from underneath his long, greasy hair. “Don’t fucking preach to me you slut, you’re a fuck toy, and you don’t even know it. He doesn’t love you; he’s incapable of love. He’s going to fuck you until he’s tired of you, and then he’s going to throw you out to the dogs where you can lay and lick your wounds. He only cares about himself and his needs, you’re nothing, do you hear me?” He slams his fist against the mirror, shattering it.

I can feel the taste of blood on my lips as I bite them. I shiver, ice cold, eyes blurry, shaking inside. This is it, he is going to kill me, this sick fuck is going to kill me, and Josh and Ben are going to find me here, in the same place they found his sister. It’s a recurring nightmare.

He looks down at his bloody fist, then pulls a shard of glass from the mirror and runs his finger over it. He puts it on the ledge of the bath and takes something from his pants pocket. He pries my mouth open and puts something small and round inside, then he holds my jaw closed. It is bitter as it dissolves on my tongue. He cuts me down and carries me to the bath.

“Lie down,” he instructs, pushing me into the bath. Sitting on the edge, he reaches over and takes the glass shard in his hands.

I feel drowsy, drugged, cold, scared. “Please, please, you don’t have to do this,” I sob and stutter between my teeth clattering from shock as the bath fills with cold water. By the time the water reaches the underside of my chin, I am shaking violently.

“Stop, please, don’t,” I cry, but he lifts his hand and puts it on top of my head. Oh, God no, please no, I gasp as he applies pressure, pushing me lower, the water rising over my mouth. I try to push against the other side, but my legs are too short.

I fill my lungs before the cold water covers my face. I try to fight back, but it’s hopeless, whatever he’s given me is making me sleepy. A flame appears above the water…‌a candle? Seconds turn into minutes. I’ve stopped moving now…‌the will to fight is gone, my lungs burn.

I close my eyes, and I see Josh standing in the door looking at me with that sexy grin. I feel him pushing me up against the wall in the pub, breathing into my ear, I look into his eyes, lying on the piano with my legs lifted up over his shoulders as he kisses me, and then…‌we’re in his bed, with his arms wrapped around me…‌drifting off to sleep, I hear him say the words I’ve wanted to hear…

I love you, Sophie Blake…

Chapter 34

~Ben~

The gate is open as we pull up to the house. Alice is babbling nonstop, talking about work and friends, and how much she loves Seattle. My eyes drift over to Josh, and my hair stands up on my neck. Something’s not right. Alice is pushed back in her seat as Josh races down the long driveway.

“…‌the fuck!” he jumps out and runs through the front door that’s wide open.

Alice looks at me shocked, she opens her mouth, but I turn back. “Call the cops and stay in the car, I mean it.”

Chills run down my spine as I run in behind Josh whose voice is echoing through the house, but only silence answers.

“Sophie, where the fuck are you baby. For God’s sake please answer me!”

His eyes look wild as he runs past me to the elevator “She called me from the theatre room, maybe she fell asleep.”

He pounds the button when suddenly he stops. His words turn to ice when we see the muddy footprints on the stairs, leading up to the bedrooms.

‘Sophie! Fuck! Baby answer me!” We race up the stairs taking three steps at a time. At the top he goes left and I run right.

“She’s not here!” I can hear him yelling from the other side as doors slam.

I run back towards the stairs when the sound of water running makes my blood run cold. Suddenly, it’s like déjà vu.

I turn my head to the stairs. A split second later we are both running to the one door that holds all of our demons. Lilly’s room.

“Josh, wait!” I reach out for him, but he flies forward with all his strength pushing the bathroom door open. I run in after him into the inferno that is our own personal hell.

Josh lurches forward, screaming in terror. Water splashes over the edge as he lifts her pale lifeless body out onto the floor. Her hands and feet tied, with blood running from her wrists.

I stand frozen, unable to move, watching Josh cradle her in his arms, calling out like a man possessed for her not to leave him. The sound of sirens slices through the haze, but I can’t speak. The words form in my mind as bile rises in the back of my throat.

Then, from the corner of my eye, a shoe, someone huddles underneath the floating basins…‌Colby.

He has a gun in his hand, and a smile of relief on his lips. Police storm into the bathroom, pushing me aside as they lunge for him, but he just looks at me, the gun pointed to his head, and pulls the trigger.

I envy him for leaving this world because it feels impossible to stay, now.

Chapter 35

~Josh~

Three months later, Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, WA

The wind rustles around the gravestones where my heart and soul are buried with the ones I love. I lay the flowers on their graves and take a step back. The last time I was here was three months ago, the morning of the attack, the day my life changed irrevocably.

I never thought I could hurt more than I did when Mama and Lilly died, until I saw her lying there, wrists bound and cut, bleeding out in the water. My demons ended up hurting the only woman I’ve ever loved, the one I would die for, the one I wanted to spend my life with.

I couldn’t remember praying before now. I wasn’t even sure who I was praying to, but it brought me some comfort, sitting next to her bed, waiting for her to open her eyes and save me…‌again.

“Josh,” her soft voice pulls me out of my reverie. I turn to look into those deep blue eyes that have become my reason to breathe.

I hold my hand out, and she puts her small hand in mine, cuddling underneath my arm. She looks up, and I place my lips on her forehead.

“You okay?” Her voice calms the raging storm inside of me.

“Now I am,” I swallow back the tears.

After everything I’ve done wrong in my life, being a downright sonofabitch, I have her, an angel. God knows I don’t deserve her, not one second of time with her. Every day with her is a gift, a new beginning, an answered prayer for a sinner. This woman is my end and my beginning. She is the only reason my heart’s still beating.

“Mama, Lilly, this is Sophie, the angel you sent to look out for me. She’s the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

Sophie looks up, tears running down her cheeks. Her hands snap to her mouth as I pull the little red velvet box from my pocket and reveal the diamond heart sitting inside.

I bend down on one knee underneath that big oak tree with Mama and Lilly as my witnesses, and speak the words I never thought I would.

“Sophie Blake, you are the delicate butterfly who has survived my raging hurricane.

You are an angel sent from heaven who lifted me out of hell; you saved my life with the touch of your grace, and your unselfish love and relentless belief in me.

I know that because of me, your burden is heavy, but I promise, if you give me a chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life carrying that weight for you, adoring you, loving only you, reminding you every day of how perfect we are.

You are the northern star that leads me home when I’ve lost my way, you are every perfect dandelion that holds a thousand wishes, and your love is as unique as the fingerprints you’ve left on my heart and soul.

I will never be good enough or deserving of your love, baby, but I promise you this, nobody will ever love you more than I do, not on earth or in heaven.

Please, will you marry me?”

Epilogue

There’s a strange sense of calm that came over me when I knew it was the end and my subconscious allowed me to hear the words Josh said when he thought I was sleeping. Knowing he loved me made death seem insignificant.

Our love has come at a price, but no price is too high for what we have now. We got married six weeks after Josh proposed to me underneath the big oak tree with his mom and sister as witnesses.

It was a small intimate gathering with a few of our friends in Port Angeles. Ben, Alice and Nana, and Megan. Afterwards, Josh whisked me off to a secret location for a month-long honeymoon. We arrived under the veil of night at the Hilton a Bora Nui Resort & Spa, which was absolutely breathtaking, and after two lavish weeks, we left for the south of France, where we stayed in a villa for another two weeks, then to Sweden for a ski-holiday. Ben took his part of the cut he got from Josh’s shares and he and Alice were currently touring Canada. Nana sold the house and moved to her sister’s. Everything was perfect.

I was Mrs. Sophie Manning, and I loved every second of it. After everything we had been through, we were closer than ever before. Josh was the perfect husband, taking care of my every need, just as he said he would when he proposed.

At times it felt like being together was an impossible dream, but in the end it turns out we didn’t need perfect to have a happy ending.

Our love is made up from the broken pieces and scars we carry, that will always remind us just how sweet our fairytale is…

~The End~

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