#Chapter 104: The Sacrifice of Love
Nina
For hours after I threw up my medicine, all I could hear were the sounds of Edward beating Enzo in the room next door I wished that I could just go in there and stop him, but I knew it would be a futile effort, I had to be smart about this if I really was going to get Enzo and I out of this place.
While Edward was next door, I planned out my escape. I had noticed him once, when I first came here, put a slip of paper in his pocket after using the keypad on my door I had forgotten about it because of the medicine, but I could see it clearly in my mind now that I was sober again. Edward must have changed the codes on the doors whenever he brought in a new ” patient”, so he kept the codes in his pocket in case he forgot If I could get the codes out of his pocket, I could sneak out again when he was gone and get into Enzo’s room.
First, I cleaned up the vomit with a pillowcase and shoved it under my bed. Next, I would lay down on the bed when I heard him coming, and I would pretend to be tied up again. When he tried to pour the medicine down my throat, I would distract him by spitting it out into his face; it might result in a beating, but I could grab the codes out of his pocket before he noticed.
Eventually, I heard the beatings stop. I quickly ran and got into place on the bed, taking extra care to place my hands and feet in such a way that he couldn’t tell that the restraints were broken.
“Good morning, Nina,” Edward said as he entered. I pretended to be groggy and lifted my head to look at him. “Are you ready for some more medicine?”
I nodded.
Edward smiled and approached me with the cup of medicine in his hands. He still had a bit of blood splattered on his shirt from torturing Enzo. It made me sick; I wished I could just attack him right now, but I couldn’t feel Cora’s presence, so I had no strength to borrow from her.
Edward held the cup to my lips. I took all of the medicine in my mouth, then…
I spit it out, directly onto his face and his shirt.
“God dammit, Nina!” Edward shouted, stumbling backwards. “What the fuck is wrong with you!”
He turned his back to wipe the medicine off of his face, and while his back was turned, I reached out toward his pocket… But he turned around just as I did so. His eyes widened as he realized that I was free from my restraints, and he grabbed me around the wrist. His grip was so tight that I was certain he would break my wrist as he dragged me off the bed and began beating me.
My vision became clouded by the barrage of punches being thrown at my head. I took the beatings, feeling as though my skull was about to explode, as I continued to reach for his pocket with my free hand.
Through the sound of the punches and the curses that flew out of Edward’s mouth, I heard something else: the sound of Enzo’s screams coming from next door.
“Don’t touch her!” he yelled. “Get the fuck away from her, you bastard! Beat me instead, coward!”
Edward’s fist stopped midair just as he was about to hit me again. I cracked my eyes open to see a bit of spit dripping
out of his mouth, his teeth bared and his face red with fury while Enzo continued to scream for mercy next door
Then, he dropped me to the floor. He threw one last kick at my ribs, causing me to yelp in pain.
“You’re lucky she wants you alive,” he snarled, before turning on his heel and storming out of my room.
I think I slipped into unconsciousness at some point I couldn’t quite tell, through all of the blood and the agony
All I knew for sure was one thing: when I uncurled my fist, my fingers aching from gripping together so tightly during my beating, I had what I wanted.
The codes.
I heard Edward beating Enzo again next door The sound of Enzo’s cries of pain were more brutal than ever before,
but there was nothing I could do; I had to wait until he was gone. Edward wouldn’t kill Enzo, I was sure of it. He would face too much wrath from Enzo’s father, the leader of the Fullmoons. He was doing this to break me.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, the cries of pain stopped. I unplugged my ears, halting my sobs, as I lay curled up on the floor and listened for Edward’s footsteps. But he never returned to my room. I heard the door open to Enzo’s room, followed by a string of curse words escaping Edward’s lips and then the sound of his footsteps receding.
He was gone.
Slowly and agonizingly, I pushed myself up to a seated position and let out a weak cry of pain as I came to the harsh realization that at least one of my ribs was certainly broken. There was an aching pain in my head, and one of my eyes was swollen shut. When I lifted my shaking hand to touch my jaw, I could feel that it was hard and tender beneath my touch. I winced, but persevered and pushed myself up onto my knees, then grabbed the edge of my bed and pulled myself to my feet.
“One… Seven… Eight… Two,” I whispered to myself as I slowly shuffled toward the door, feeling agony in each step. “My name is Nina Harper I’m a student at Mountainview University. Edward is a liar, and werewolves are real. Enzo is a good man, and he came to save me.”
With each agonizing step, I repeated this mantra to myself over and over again. Hearing it gave me strength. One… Seven… Eight… Two. One… Seven Eight… Two.”
I finally reached the door after what felt like an eternity “One… Seven…
Eight… Two.”
I punched the numbers into the keypad, and the door slid open. I stuck my head out into the hall, looking left and right and ignoring the searing pain in my neck as I turned my head. Then, I began the grueling journey to Enzo’s door.
As I slowly made my way toward Enzo’s door, all I could think about was him. I didn’t feel the pain from my beating, or the fogginess in my head from the poison that still lingered in my system. Over and over again, I only repeated the mantra with each step, using it as a crutch to propel myself one foot forward at a time.
“My name is Nina Harper I’m a student at Mountainview University Edward is a liar, and werewolves are real. Enzo is a good man, and he came to save me… My name is Nina Harper I’m a student at Mountainview University. Edward is a liar, and werewolves are real. Enzo is a good man, and he came to save me… My name is Nina Harper. I’m a student at Mountainview University. Edward is a liar, and werewolves are real. Enzo is a good man, and he came to save me.”
