Isabella

“Why are you avoiding me?” Collin asks, his voice low and threatening.

“Because I’m afraid of you,” I say, choosing honesty before it’s too late. “You scared me on the jet and at your party.” I try to pull his hand off me, but his grip tightens instead.

“Afraid?” he scoffs. “You’ve seen me like this before.” His eyes narrow. “You’re just avoiding me because you don’t want to give me what I want.”

I don’t answer, the silence feeling heavier than any lie I could come up with.

“Is that it?” he suddenly snaps, squeezing harder. “You don’t want me?”

“You’re hurting me, Collin. Let go,” I beg, trying to wrench my elbow free, but he doesn’t budge.

“Why?” he demands, glaring. “We’re finally together, and this is what you wanted.”

“We’re not together,” I retort, my voice shaking but firm. “I’ve told you that.”

He looks enraged as he hisses, “You led me on for months, Isabella. You led me on even when you were with Zack.” He steps closer, crowding my space. “Don’t pretend you didn’t know what you were doing.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t want this. I never did. You made it up in your head.”

He snorts. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

“I just want to go downstairs,” I say, struggling against him. “I want to be with my brother and our friends.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” he replies, giving me a disgusting smile. “You’ll change your mind.”

“Please, Collin,” I whisper, tears blurring my vision. “Let me go.”

“Stop crying,” he snaps, making me flinch.

I shove him with everything I have. “We’re done,” I yell, bolting for the door. “Stay away from me.”

However, I don’t make it.

He grabs my arms and drags me back, throwing me onto the bed. The mattress dips beneath his weight as he looms over me, cutting off every escape.

I want to scream. I want to fight. I want him to stop. But fear locks my body in place, hollowing me out until there is nothing left but the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

My stomach churns as I quietly accept defeat, desperation draining out of me, replaced by a hollow numbness. I stop breathing. I stop thinking. I stop feeling. I stop being Isabella Williams.

“You’re so beautiful, Bella,” Collin murmurs. “I still can’t believe Zack had you for two years. Lucky bastard.”

“I didn’t sleep with Zack, Collin,” I whisper. “I’m still untouched.”

He bursts out laughing, a harsh sound laced with mockery and disdain. “That’s a good one, Isabella,” he snorts.

“It’s the truth,” I insist, my voice stripped of any emotion.

“Oh, please,” he scoffs. “You expect me to believe Zack waited two years? I’m not an idiot.”

Just as I’m about to give up completely, my parents and brother’s smiles cut through the darkness in my mind, reminding me of their unconditional love and support and giving me the strength to fight the monster I once called my friend.

I can’t give up. I can’t let Collin take what belongs to me because this is my body, my heart, and my soul. 

When Collin leans down and presses his mouth to mine, I react on instinct—I bite down on his lower lip, the metallic taste making me recoil as he jerks away.

“You—” he snarls, fury exploding across his face as he touches his lip and stares at the blood on his fingers. He then drops back, finally lifting his weight off me.

I don’t hesitate. I scramble off the bed, wrench the door open before he can stop me, and bolt down the hallway, driven by desperation and fear.

“I’ll make you regret that, Isabella,” he shouts after me, his voice echoing down the hallway.

He is faster; I know he is. But I can’t go back to that room and be alone with him again.

I need help.

“Justin,” I suddenly scream, forcing the name out with everything I have left. “Justin, help me!”

Collin catches me by the arm, yanking me to a halt.“You think you can do that to me and walk away?” he hisses, dragging me back toward the bedroom as I break down, sobs tearing out of my throat. “You’re going to regret it.”

This isn’t the Collin I knew. His eyes are bloodshot, his face twisted with rage as curses spill from his mouth.

It’s over. It’s over. It’s over.

The thought repeats over and over, pounding through my head as the monster hauls me back into the room. A broken sound escapes me as my world collapses at the hands of someone I once trusted.

Meanwhile, Collin is smiling as he starts to shut the door—but another hand slams against it, forcing it back open, and before I can process it, my brother steps inside, the sight of the latter hitting me with such relief that my knees nearly give out.

Justin’s gaze flicks over me, and his expression snaps as he takes in my tear-streaked face, tangled hair, rumpled dress, and the way I’m shaking uncontrollably. 

“What are you doing to my sister, Collin?” my brother demands, his fists clenched as he steps forward.

“I’m not doing anything she doesn’t want,” Collin scoffs, shooting me a sharp look. “Right, Isabella?”

“I don’t want to do anything,” I mumble, my lips trembling. The words barely leave my mouth before I break down, sobs tearing out of me as I shoot my brother a desperate look.

“Shut up,” Collin roars, his fist striking my face in a sudden, brutal motion, giving me no time to react.

Pain explodes across my right eye as it begins to swell instantly. I cry harder, tears pouring freely as my legs give out and I slide to the floor. Through blurred vision, I barely register Collin hitting the ground, my brother on top of him, delivering blow after blow without giving the monster a chance to fight back.

Seconds later, Zack, Katy, and Brandon burst into the room, their faces draining of color at the scene unfolding before them. Zack and Brandon rush forward, grabbing Justin and trying to pull him away from Collin, who is bleeding badly by now. Katy drops to her knees beside me, her face pale with worry.

“You touch my sister again and you’re dead,” Justin barks, completely out of control. Brandon struggles to restrain him as he keeps lunging forward, desperate to get back to Collin.

Seeing my brother like this shocks me to my core, as I’ve never seen him lose his temper before.

“Oh my gosh, Bella…” Katy cries.

I glance at her, breaking into sobs again.

Zack kneels on my other side, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he carefully examines my face.

“Bella, what happened?” Brandon asks, worried.

I press my lips together, shame and fear sealing them shut, unable to say what Collin tried to do to me.

“Isabella,” Brandon presses gently, “why are you hurt? Why was Justin beating Collin like that?”

I look at my brother, begging him with my eyes.

His gaze hardens as he nods in response. “He tried to force my sister into something she didn’t want,” he explains coldly. “When she resisted, he hit her.”

Collin lets out a low, mocking sound from the floor, and my friends look absolutely horrified as they understand exactly what happened.

Zack’s shock turns to rage in an instant. “What’s wrong with you?” he shouts, stepping toward Collin. “How could you do that to her?”

Collin lifts his head, blood staining his mouth. “I wanted what you had,” he sneers before spitting onto the floor.

“Shut up,” Zack snaps, his fists clenching as he lunges forward, but Brandon releases Justin and grabs him instead, holding him back before he can strike.

“Can someone get him out of here?” Katy points at Collin.

I’m crying uncontrollably now—my chest is aching, my eye is throbbing, and I feel like my heart is tearing itself apart as I struggle to breathe through the sobs.

Justin helps me to my feet and pulls me into his arms, holding me tightly, prompting me to bury my face against his chest and finally letting myself feel safe.

What feels like an eternity later, my sobs ease enough for me to pull back, my eyes landing on my brother’s face twisted with guilt and pain.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I never should have left you alone with him.”

“It’s not your fault,” I tell him softly, wiping my tears away with the back of my hand.

“Yes, it is. I saw you were tense when I left, but I thought you were just nervous.” He pauses, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, his brows furrowing. “I should have known better.”

That’s when I realize we’re alone—our friends must have dragged Collin out while I was crying in my brother’s arms, giving us privacy.

“What did he do to you?” Justin asks quietly, fear shadowing his eyes.

I take a shaky breath. “He wouldn’t listen to me when I told him to stop.” My voice falters. “I panicked… I didn’t know what to do.”

Justin stiffens, pulling me back into his arms as anger radiates from him. He holds me while I cry again, until I’m too exhausted to keep going.

“He was going to hurt me,” I whisper. “If you hadn’t come in…”

I look up when he doesn’t reply, guilt washing over me when I see that he is crying silently, sharing my pain.

“Please don’t cry,” I beg, wiping his tears away with my hand.

“I’m sorry,” he chokes. “I don’t know what I would have done if…”

This time, I’m the one who holds him.

We stay like that for a long time, clinging to each other in the quiet aftermath, both of us shattered by what happened.

* * *