They destroyed me first, now I own their ruin

"Die, murderer!" Trevor screamed as the arrow sliced through the air.

I tried to dodge but wasn't fast enough.

The arrow missed my heart but tore through my arm with a painful thud. Pain exploded as blood immediately soaked through my sleeve and dripped onto the floor.

I fell back, collapsing against the wall while holding my wounded arm.

Trevor didn't look horrified by what he'd done. Instead, his eyes lit up with excitement as he ran toward me.

"I missed!" he shouted, reaching for the arrow still in my arm. "It should have gone through your heart, murderer!"

His hands gripped the arrow shaft, trying to wrench it out so he could try again. I lashed out with my foot, catching him in the stomach. He fell back, slipping in the pool of my blood and falling onto his backside.

"Trevor!" Damien's roar echoed through the house as he rushed to his son, completely ignoring me bleeding out on the floor.

He scooped Trevor into his arms, wiping blood from the boy's face. "Are you hurt? Did she hurt you?"

"She kicked me, Dad!" Trevor sobbed, burying his face against Damien's chest. "I was just trying to show her my new bow and she attacked me!"

Damien's eyes blazed red as he turned on me. "You dare lay hands on my son? After everything we've done for you?"

"He... shot me," I gasped through waves of pain, pressing my hand against the wound. "He said... he wanted... to kill me."

"Now you're blaming a child?" Damien snarled. "You think I don't see what you're doing? Playing victim when you've brought nothing but misery to this family?"

Selena appeared at the stairs, running down to Trevor's side in nothing but Damien's shirt.

"Oh my goddess! What happened to the poor baby?" She knelt beside them, cradling Trevor's head against her.

"She's saying Trevor shot her on purpose," Damien growled. "Trying to paint my son as some kind of monster."

Selena's eyes widened. "Are you seriously accusing a child of attempting murder? It was obviously an accident! Children play with toys all the time!"

"A bow and arrow isn't a toy," I whispered, feeling lightheaded as blood continued to pool below me.

"He's just learning to use it," Selena argued, stroking Trevor's hair. "He would never intentionally hurt anyone. Unlike some people in this room with a history of pushing others down stairs."

Neither of them made any move to help me as I struggled to sit up and blood dripped between my fingers.

"Please," I whispered, feeling lightheaded from blood loss. "I need a hospital."

"You can handle it yourself," he sneered. "Wolves heal quickly. Stop being dramatic."

I struggled to my feet, leaving bloody handprints on the wall. "I can't stay here anymore. I'm leaving, and I will reject our bond whether you accept it or not."

His face darkened. "You can't reject what keeps you out of prison. Without our bond, there's nothing stopping me from telling authorities what really happened that night."

"You wouldn't," I whispered.

"Try me," he challenged. "One call is all it takes to have silver chains around your wrists for the rest of you miserable life."

I clutched the wall for support, the arrow still extending from my shoulder. "I'd rather rot in prison than spend another day here."

"Fine. You want compromise? Seven days in a week – we'll split them. You take Trevor Monday through Wednesday. I and Selena take him Thursday through Sunday. You still have a roof over your head, food on your table, and you avoid prison. Everyone wins."

"You call that winning?" I laughed bitterly. "I'm not sharing custody with your mistress. I'm leaving."

"Then leave!" Trevor shouted, his small face contorted with hatred. "Nobody wants you here anyway! Go die somewhere else like you should have instead of my mom!"

Selena stroked his hair lovingly. "Shh, baby. Don't waste your energy on her. She's not worth it."

With trembling hands, I grabbed my suitcase and staggered toward the door, leaving a trail of blood behind me. Not one of them moved to help me.

"Remember," Damien called after me. "The moment you step out that door, I'm calling the police. You'll be in custody before nightfall."

I turned back one last time. "Some prison would be kinder than this one."

Then I walked out and slammed the door behind me.Blood soaked my entire left side now, making me dizzy with each step.I fumbled for my phone and ordered an Uber with shaking fingers.

I just needed to get away. Far from this place and from these people who'd stolen five years of my life under the guise of mercy.

As I waited by the curb, the world began to spin around me.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was headlights approaching through the snow, and then nothing at all.