Broken By Love, Reborn In Fire

I don't know how long I was in that cell. The charges were eventually dropped due to "lack of evidence," which I knew was just a way for them to make the problem go away without admitting fault. When they finally released me, I was a ghost of my former self, my body a roadmap of scars and my spirit utterly broken.

I dragged myself back to the apartment building to get my few remaining things. As I fumbled for the key, a heavy blow connected with the back of my neck.

The world exploded in a flash of white, then went dark.

I came to with a rough burlap sack over my head. The sharp, sizzling crackle of a taser was the only warning I got before agony erupted across my body. Blow after blow rained down on me. I felt ribs crack, tasted the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.

Through the haze of pain, I heard Dean's voice, cold and devoid of any charm. "This is just a start. She needs to learn what happens when you make a fool out of me."

The bag over my head was opened slightly, and something was dumped in. Dozens of small, skittering things crawled over my face.

Spiders. Tarantulas.

A primal scream built in my throat, but no sound came out. It was my deepest, most irrational fear. Dean knew. Of course, he knew.

The bag was yanked shut again. I felt myself being lifted, then thrown through the air.

I hit freezing, murky water with a sickening splash. The weight of the bag dragged me down, the water filling my lungs, the spiders a frantic, crawling horror against my skin.

Just as my consciousness faded, I was dragged out and dumped onto muddy ground. The bag was ripped from my head. I coughed up water and bile before passing out again.

I woke up in a hospital. A charity ward.

A nurse was standing over me, her expression a mixture of pity and impatience. "Your bill is overdue. If you don't pay by tomorrow, we'll have to discontinue treatment."

I clawed my way out of bed, my body screaming in protest, and shuffled towards the billing office. As I rounded a corner, I ran straight into them.

Adrian and Dean.

They both stopped short, their eyes widening in surprise as they took in my pathetic state—the torn hospital gown, the fresh bruises blooming on my skin, the blood seeping through the bandages on my back.

"Ava?" Adrian said, his brow furrowing. "What are you doing here?"

I just stared at Dean, my eyes burning with a hatred so pure it was a physical force.

"Ava, this is my brother, Dean," Adrian said, gesturing between us as if we were strangers.

Dean flashed a charming, boyish smile. "Nice to meet you," he said, extending a hand.

A laugh bubbled up from my chest, a wild, hysterical sound that was more sob than mirth. Tears streamed down my face as I laughed.

"Get a hold of yourself," Adrian snapped. "And stay away from Ashley. You've done enough damage."

Just then, a nurse popped her head out of a nearby room. "Mr. Hoffman? Ms. Nunez is asking for you."

They were gone in an instant, rushing to Ashley's side without a backward glance.

My phone buzzed. It was a call from the military administration office, formalizing the transfer my father had arranged. "Dr. Goodwin, your flight departs from JFK in two hours. A car is waiting for you downstairs."

I hung up the phone. I didn't go back to my room. I didn't go to the billing office.

I walked out of that hospital, got into the waiting black car, and went straight to the airport. As the plane lifted off the runway, leaving the city lights twinkling behind me like a handful of scattered, worthless jewels, I didn't look back.

I was finally free.