A/N: Mature content ahead. If you're uncomfortable, do NOT read.

I slipped the spaghetti straps of my dress down my shoulders and watched it slide down my body and pool around my bare feet.

The reflection that stared back at me from the floor length mirror in my closet was beautiful on the outside but the eyes that stared back at me resembled those of a corpse.

My eyes were a forest green color and right now they looked as if it hadn't rained in that forest for ages.

My gaze travelled to my neck and I instantly felt two pairs of shadowy black hands wrapping around them like a vice, cutting my air supply.

I kept standing there, unmoving. My eyes now travelling down to my lace cladded breasts as I felt another pair of hands rip that piece of clothing off my chest and the cold air that followed immediately after.

A tie around my wrists binding them together making me feel all the more helpless.

A finger trailed down the length of my spine causing me to shiver involuntarily and the next second, the sound of lace ripping echoed in the room. I gasped and three fingers entered me mercilessly making me cry out in pain and stumble back in shock.

The heel of my foot hit something on the floor snapping me out of the spell and I, at once, felt all the clutches release my body. The shadows vanishing in thin air. My mind, however, was another story.

I looked at the floor and found my silver strapped heels lying just beside my foot. I picked them up and place them in the shoe rack with my other shoes.

I bent down again to pick up my dress and folded it neatly before placing it on the ottoman placed near the shoe rack.

If she didn't want to be scared, she should have fucking told us as soon as it had happened.

Dad's voice rang in my ears. Loud and clear.

Touching the insides of my thigh near my  entrance, I looked down to see no marks or bruises there.

It was clean of all the evidence.

I moved my head up slowly and suddenly it's not me who's standing there. My mirror image was reflecting a girl who's neck was bruised with several handprints, stomach painted black and blue, left eye puffy and purple, breasts covered in nasty bite marks, cheeks smeared with tear stains, inner thighs coated in blood and bruises, clitoris swollen and bleeding and soul shattered and faded.

What if he had done something to you, Sylvia?

When were you going to tell us?

Tell me something Sia, if I tell you how beautiful you are, would you smile at me like you smiled at him?

That was the last straw.

A diamond shaped small tear cascaded down my cheek and fell down my chin followed by a thousand more. My knees gave out and I fell to the floor, my palms resting flat against the wooden material as I hunched over it, shoulders shaking and heart breaking.

The pain from all those years ago came running back out of the blue and hit me with a force so strong, I felt the breath get knocked out of my lungs.

My vision became dull and blurred as I tried focusing on my surroundings. Right hand on my chest, I pulled the strapless bra with unnecessary force and threw it away in hopes of lessening the burden and pain that was increasing by the minute.

Black spots danced in my vision as I tried to blink and breathe but I knew I was going to lose this battle once again. Like the old times in New York.

***

I turned in my sleep and felt the cold floor beneath my back. My eyes snapped open and a groan pushed past my lips.

I was still inside my walk in closet.

I sat up and looked around the closet. Everything was just the way it was last night. Standing up, I walked to where my clothes were hung before grabbing a red sleeveless blouse and blue jeans.

After shower, I went downstairs to find mom and Aless making breakfast in the kitchen. She turned around to look at me and ignored me.

So she was mad, too.

"Sia, dad wants you to be at the estate house ASAP." Aless informed as he came to hug me.

"Sure." I whispered and left without having breakfast.

Mom had never given me a silent treatment before.

When I reach the estate house, I stop to take a deep breath before entering through the front door.

Zia Shay and Xenia were sitting in the lounge looking extremely stressed about something.

"What's the matter?" I asked approaching them.

"Sylvia, why didn't you tell us?" zia Shay stood up and faced me.

"I'm sorry, zia." I roll my bottom lip in my mouth and look down.

"Sylvia, honey..." she trails looking at zia Xenia who's staring at me intently.

I quickly avert my gaze and look down to the floor like a culprit. The sound of rushed footsteps hits my ears but before I could react, I'm turned around roughly by the tight hold on my elbow and come face to face with a livid Adrian.

I gulp and a wave of fear runs up my spine as I look in his eyes. They're replaced by a nasty shade of green but I blink and they're grey again.

Shit.

What is wrong with me?

He's not him.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT THAT THEY'VE BEEN KEEPING TABS ON HER!" he roared in anger and I flinched back.

I look at him, eyes wide and throat dried.

Who was he talking about?

As if he knows what I'm thinking about, he throws a couple of photographs in my face and I move back but his grip tightens to the extent where it begins to hurt. I look down on the floor at the mess and all the colors drain from my face.

Crap.

Scattered on the floor were the pictures of Selena taken from different angles and on different days. One in the shopping mall, one while she was getting inside the car, one outside the Knight Corp and so many more.

I gulped and exhaled a shaky breath before looking up in his grey orbs. A deadly storm was brewing inside of them which only made me shiver all the more.

You know that feeling when you know you're not exactly at fault but you still blame yourself? Yeah, that's exactly what I was experiencing at the moment.

"Leave her, Adrian. Its not her fault." Cara's angry voiced boomed breaking the deafening silence and she roughly pulled him away.

My eyes, unknowingly, went to my arm which was beginning to bruise and had fingerprints on it.

He took something out of his pocket and, in a flash, threw that at me. It hit my stomach in full force and fell on the floor.

It was my phone.

"I really don't care who contacts you and who doesn't." he gritted out.

"ADRIAN!" zia Xenia warned.

I picked it up and turned to zia Shay, whose gaze was soft and remorseful, "Nothing will happen to her, I promise you." I quietly whispered so only she could hear and then sped to the entrance.

I couldn't stay in that God forsaken house anymore.

When I was about to open the car door, I heard a familiar voice call my name, "Sylvia!"

I turned around to look at zio Leo with his wife, Caterina.

Zio Leo was zio Xander's younger brother who had moved away five years ago to take a break from the mafia. He had two children, a twenty two year old son, Santiago and a fifteen year old daughter, Lillian.

He came forward and hugged me, "What are you doing here?" I asked returning his hug.

"I came for the party." he replied pulling away.

I hugged and greeted zia Caterina and turned to look at zio in confusion, "Your birthday party." he looked at me as if I had grown two heads.

And then it hit me.

Today was my birthday.

Wow. I didn't even remember.

I smiled sadly at him, "There's no party, zio. But thank you for remembering. I have to go now." I said.

"What is wrong, bella?" zia Caterina asked softly.

I just shook my head and shrugged one shoulder, "I didn't even remember it's my birthday today. I'm sure everyone inside must be mourning the day I was born given how mad and disappointed they all are."

I swallowed the painful lump in my throat and kept my tears at bay.

"What's going on, Sylvia?" zio Leo asked in grave voice.

"They're back, zio." I whispered and his eyes widened.

I excused myself before any of them could speak further and left from there.

I didn't know where I was going. I was driving aimlessly and about an hour later, my car was parked outside a park.

A park that Adrian uses to bring me to when we were kids.

I got out of the car and slammed the door shut before making my way inside the almost empty park and sitting down on a bench under a tree.

"Adrian!" I shrieked running as fast as I could.

"I'm going to catch you, little one." I heard his voice getting closer.

I screamed and giggled as he caught me within a few seconds and spun me around. My four year old self was overflowing with joy and happiness.

"You know I always catch you!" he boasted as he put me down.

"Well that's because you're four years older and much taller." I pouted folding my arms on my chest.

"That's because I have to protect you from demons." he said softly and kissed my forehead.

I blinked out of my reverie and looked around.

He was wrong. He couldn't protect me from all my demons. He could protect me from my inner demons that comes to haunt me every night.

Instead, I had to fight them alone. I couldn't fight all but I was a fucking survivor.

Sitting there, I promised to myself that nothing would happen to Selena. Not on my watch, at least.

The vibration of my phone breaks my train of thoughts and I see Xavier's name flashing on FaceTime. I picked it up and saw all three of my precious friends smiling at me.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BITCH!" They all but shouted making me cringe a little.

"Thank you." I smiled slightly.

"Where are you?" Liam asked.

"In a park." I told.

"All by yourself?" Talia frowned.

I nodded my head and saw Xavier raise a brow at me.

"I just needed to be alone for a while. That's it. I'm so used to living alone, it's kinda hard with all the people around all day." I told the half truth.

They bought the lie and we talked for a couple more minutes before hanging up.

Placing the phone on the bench, I brought my knees to my chest and rested my head on my folded arms.

Another flashback hit me as I looked at the uneven ground.

"How many times have I told you to be careful while running?" Adrian scolded.

I was looking up at him with fat tears flowing freely down my cheeks as he crouched in front of me and inspected my scraped knee.

In my haste to win the race, I didn't see the big stone that was lying in the middle of the ground and tripped over it.

"I-It hurts." I hiccuped.

He took a white handkerchief out of his jeans pocket and wrapped it around my knee before tying the knot tightly.

"It'll be fine before you know it, baby. You're a strong little girl, aren't you?" he whispered and caressed my hair.

"Yes." I said and snuffed.

As his words played in my head, something inside me cracked a bit more.

I was tired of being strong. I wanted to be weak and breakdown. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs and let all the bottled up frustration out.

I wanted to cut those hands that, till date, had caged my throat and made me experience helplessness.

I just wanted to cry. I wanted to be free. To let go but the past always dragged me back and dared me to move forward again. If I tried, it would put shackles around my feet.

I closed my eyes and let the tears fall. Today was the day I was born and I was wishing I hadn't.

It would make everything so much easier.

I spent my entire day there in the park. When the sun set down, I stood up and walked back to my car. My phone rang and I picked up after seeing Aless' name.

"God! Where there fuck are you Sia?!" he all but yelled at me.

"On my way." I replied and hung up.

Forty minutes later, I was back at my house. Aless came running to me and hugged me tightly, "You scared the shit out of us."

"Sorry." I mumbled monotonously and hugged him back.

"Happy birthday, big sister. You didn't give me a chance to wish you this morning." he wished pulling away.

I smiled at him in return half heartedly and he looked at me with worried expressions now.

"What is wrong with your eyes? Have you been crying?" he asked.

I switched on my phone's front camera to see my eyes swollen, red and puffy.

"Nothing." I shrugged and side stepped him to go upstairs.

"Sia, what's wrong?" he probed.

"Nothing, Aless." I snapped and rushed upstairs.

Discarding my clothes, I took body shower and changed into plain black shirt and sweatpants. I gathered my hair in a ponytail and sat down on my bed rubbing my temple with left hand.

My head was killing me.

Lifting my shirt up, I saw a small bruise forming on my stomach where the phone hit in the morning. Sighing, I pulled the hem back down and looked at my bruised elbow which had faded fingerprints on it.

I picked up my phone and dialed one person that I knew would be my greatest fall.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he spoke in a teasing tone of voice.

My jaw clenched and I swallowed harshly, "Leave Selena out of it. If you have any problem, do whatever you want with me and not her."

He chuckled and replied, "You're my favorite, babygirl but you don't have any choice or right to order me around."

"Please." I gritted out.

"You've done enough. Now it's my turn. You'll break and bend and I will make sure of that." he spoke coldly and hung up.

I clenched my eyes shut tightly and threw the phone in the wall opposite to my bed.