Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
BAILEY
The bathroom door clicks shut behind me, and for the first time in over a year, I’m alone by choice.
My fingers shake and fumble as I turn the lock twice, then three times, just to hear it click. Just to know that I can truly have the space I need.
Leon’s voice carries through the door, low and kind of snappy, followed by Jasper’s which is just as insistent. I can’t make out their exact words, but I don’t need to. They’re planning. Arguing. Deciding what comes next.
I turn away from their voices and face the shower.
It’s nothing special, just a normal shower with white tiles and a glass door that’s seen better days.
But there’s a rainfall showerhead and three different bottles of shampoo and conditioner lined up on the built-in shelf.
Regular stuff I used to buy at home, drugstore brands, but now I have a choice in which to use.
Simple choices. When did I last have those?
The water takes forever to warm up. Steam starts to fog the mirror, and I’m glad that I can no longer see my reflection.
I don’t want to see what Leon and my brothers see.
What all these months of captivity has done to me now that the mask I wore for Sir is gone. My real face. My real body. Not yet.
Leon’s voice rises outside the door, followed by what sounds like Damon interjecting.
Someone shushes them both. Maybe it’s Damon’s girlfriend.
I can’t remember her name. I know they’re trying to be quiet for my sake, but they shouldn’t.
They need to talk, to process what they saw at that estate, what they had to do to get me out.
They need to figure out what to do about Polly.
I step into the spray and the heat hits my skin like a shock. Polly will never feel this again. She died so I could have this moment, this choice, this freedom. My shoulders crumple until I can barely stand, and I slowly sink down to the floor, tucking my knees against my chest.
Tears fall down my cheeks, mixing with the hot water. I can’t help but think it should have been me. Polly deserves this shower. She deserves to choose from the three different shampoos and to stand under the rain head and to use every ounce of hot water in the place.
Her. Not me.
I let myself cry until I have nothing left.
And then I wash every inch of skin, scouring myself with the washcloth until I hurt.
I wash my hair twice, and leave the conditioner on for as long as I can stand.
When the water runs cold, I get out and wrap myself in the clean, fluffy towel set out for me.
It smells like fresh cotton and feels silky against my sensitive skin.
I don’t know what to do with myself now. There’s no one outside the door promising violence or withholding meals if I take too long. I don’t need to rush back to Cat, or Jasmine, or Katie and make sure they’re okay. To check that nothing happened to them while I was gone.
Cat… I need to help her. Help them all.
Someone knocks on the bathroom door, interrupting my spiral. “Bailey? I pulled some clothes that should fit you. I can leave them right outside the door, okay?”
I think that’s Jasper’s new girlfriend, Falin.
“Thanks,” I say, appreciative but so exhausted I can’t muster anything else.
“I kicked the guys outside to give you some space. Let me know if you need anything.”
Her footsteps retreat, so I crack the door and grab the bundle of clothes. There’s black sweats, a cropped T-shirt, and a zip-up hoodie. No undergarments… which I guess I wouldn’t want to wear anyway. Still, it feels even weirder to wear someone else’s clothes with nothing underneath.
I pull everything on, tying the sweats tight and zipping the hoodie. The fabric is soft, worn-in, and smells faintly like roses. Normal clothes. Not the formal dresses Sir would choose for me. Not the lingerie King forced us into. Just regular clothes that someone thought I might be comfortable in.
The house has gone quiet on the other side of the door. No more muffled arguing, no footsteps pacing back and forth. Either they’ve moved somewhere else to continue their planning, or Falin really did kick them outside like she said.
I should go find them. Thank them. Try to explain what happened to me. Hell, I should at least want their comfort. But my legs refuse to move and thinking about facing their questions, their sympathy, their anger on my behalf, makes my chest tight.
Instead, I sit on the closed toilet seat and stare at my hands. My nails are short and clean now, but I can still see the phantom dirt under them. Can still remember the dried blood from the man King killed in front of me. Can still feel the knife handle as I stabbed that guard.
How had our plan gone so wrong? It doesn’t matter now, but maybe Polly would be here if we weren’t so impulsive. If she didn’t rush it because of me.
I hear a soft knock and lift my eyes from my hands. “Bailey?” It’s Leon’s voice, gentle and uncertain. “Can I—Are you okay in there?”
I want to say yes. To open the door and fall into his arms and pretend that everything can go back to how it was before. But I don’t know how to be the girl he fell in love with anymore. That girl died somewhere between King’s house and Sir’s estate, and I’m not sure who’s left in her place.
“I’m okay,” I lie. “Just... give me a few more minutes?”
“Of course,” he says. “And listen, you don’t have to talk about anything tonight. Or if you do want to talk, we’re all here for you.”
“Okay… I’ll be out soon.”
I listen for him to walk away, but he doesn’t. He stays on the other side of the door, not rushing me to come out, or suffocating me with his presence. It’s almost like he’s standing guard until I’m ready to face the world.
“Leon?” I ask quietly.
“Yeah?”
“How did you find me?” The question has been gnawing at me since the moment I saw his face in that clearing. “How did you know where I was?”
He’s quiet for a long time and when he finally speaks, his voice is strained. “It’s complicated, Bailey. We can talk about it when you’re ready. All of it.”
“Maybe you should tell her now.” I recognize Jasper’s voice. It’s quieter than Leon’s, but there’s something different about it, like there’s an underlying tone of confusion or hurt. “She’s going to figure it out eventually.”
“Jas—” Leon says.
“You two… How long has that been going on? And your fa—”
“Don’t.” Leon’s voice is sharp. “Not like this.”
“Lee, she needs to know that the man who had her—”
“I said, don’t.” There’s real pain in Leon’s voice now.
Jasper sighs loud enough for me to hear through the door. I need to know what they’re talking about. Something with Sir?
I stand and crack the door open.
Both of them stop arguing and turn toward me. Leon looks like he’s seen a ghost and his jaw is clenched tight enough to crack a tooth. And my brother… I didn’t notice earlier how exhausted he looks with his disheveled hair and tired eyes.
“Bailey,” Leon starts, but I hold up a hand.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask, stepping fully into the hallway. The borrowed clothes feel too big, like I’m a child playing dress up, but I straighten my shoulders anyway.
More footsteps and voices approach and suddenly Damon, Blake, and Falin appear at the end of the hall. Great. Now it’s a full audience for whatever this conversation is.
“We should call Mom and Dad,” Jasper says, redirecting us. “They need to know you’re safe. They’ve been waiting—”
“She needs space first,” Leon cuts in. “Look at her, she can barely—”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” I interrupt. “And Jasper, how long has what been going on? You were asking about Leon and me?”
I try to hide the hurt from my expression. Leon didn’t tell them. All this time passed and he kept our relationship a secret.
Jasper looks as hurt as I feel. “How long, Bails? How long have you two been... together? Without me knowing?”
“We should go back,” Damon says so suddenly I flinch. “That estate, there could be evidence. Other girls. I want to make that bastard pay.”
“No.” Leon’s voice is final. “We’re not going back.”
“You wanted to earlier,” Damon points out. “You were ready to burn the whole place down.”
“And you were right to stop me,” Leon admits. “Bailey’s safe. That’s what matters.”
“What about the others?” Jasper asks quietly. “The ones who might still be there? And what about our parents? They deserve to know she’s alive.”
I hold onto the wall for strength at the mention of others.
“Bailey?” Blake steps forward, her voice gentle. “I’m a med student. Would you let me take a look at you? I don’t have all my equipment, but I can do a basic exam. Make sure you’re okay.”
“She just got out,” Leon says. “She doesn’t need to be poked and prodded—”
“It’s her choice,” Jasper cuts in, hurt still in his voice. “Stop deciding what she needs. You’ve been making decisions about her long enough.”
“I’m trying to protect her!”
“From what? Medical care? Her family? Or are you trying to protect yourself from having to explain why you kept your relationship with my sister a secret? I can’t believe I didn’t realize it earlier…”
I watch them argue about me again, and something inside me snaps.
“Stop.” My voice comes out stronger than I expected. “All of you, just stop.”
They all go silent and turn to me. I want to shrink against the weight of their stares, but I feign strength I don’t feel.
“Jas,” I say, steadying my voice. “Leon and I... it happened last summer. Before I was taken. We didn’t tell you because...” I glance at Leon, who looks like he’s hanging on my every word. “Because it was new and we were seeing how things went.”
Leon’s face falls. “That—that’s not entirely true.”
I shoot him a warning look, silently telling him to stop. Jasper doesn’t need to know everything. But Leon continues anyway.
“I knew I loved you right away. There was no doubt in my mind how things were going. Was there for you?”
“Really, this isn’t the time, Lee,” Blake interjects.