Less than Perfect by S. J. Evans (love letters to the dead txt) 📕

go as he yelled out in pain. She scrambled away from him, slipping on the wooden floor. Bryan’s jaw tightened and he cursed under his breath. He spun around and reached out for her shirt, catching her from the back and yanking her into him.
“No, stop!” She screamed, flailing her arms to hit him anywhere.
Bryan grabbed her wrists painfully with one hand and with the other hand he cupped it over her mouth. “Shut up, babe. You wouldn’t want to wake everyone up now would you?” He growled.
She squirmed in his grasp and tried to make as much sound as possible. Bryan, let go, I hate you.

She screamed, but it was muffled by his hand.
“It’s okay, beautiful, it’ll be quick and gentle.” He said chillingly as he pulled her down the basement steps, locking the door before going. Skye followed clumsily along with him, his grip on her wrists tightening violently. She was sobbing in fury and wanted him to be done. Bryan threw her against the couch and aggressively threw himself on top of her. He grinned wickedly at her flustered face and chuckled. “Be quiet or we’ll have to do things the hard way,” he warned.
“Please, Bryan I’m begging you, get off me. I don’t want

to do this.” She sobbed.
He looked down at the T-shirt of Jules’ that she was still wearing and something worse than anger twitched across his face. “You don’t have a choice anymore; you owe me, for this

.” He spat, clutching the shirt so that she knew what he was talking about.
Skye was flushed and filled with disappointment, mostly in herself. “No, Bryan, I’m sorry. Don’t do

this!” She cried as he gripped her by the shoulders and shoved her against the couch cushions. He traced his lips over her lips and traveled downward, rolling her shirt off with his hands. “Bryan,” she breathed with as much air as she could get.
“Hush now, there’s nothing you can do, just relax.” He whispered.
What am I doing, I can’t let him do this to me, not for real. I have to find a way out.

She was trembling and could hardly think; her head was pounding a menacing beat over and over again. She reached for his neck and clawed at it, trying to hurt him as much as he had hurt her.
Bryan’s eyes shot up darkly into her eyes and he laughed. “Stop fighting it, Skye, you’re only making things harder.” That’s the point, idiot

. Bryan pinned her body under his and traced his fingers over her stomach, leaning down to kiss her. He pressed his hands on her stomach, trapping her delicate body under his strength.
Skye winced as he pressed harder and harder, causing her breath to be taken away. He grinned when he heard her, knowing that he was breaking her down. “That’s my girl,” he said around a kiss.
“Bryan, stop

.” She said breathlessly.
“No, I’m good.” He slammed his fist on her stomach and let his lips travel down her neck.
I can’t endure anymore, I wish this was over.

She stopped fighting, she gave in. She closed her eyes and tried to think back on a memory, vanishing the present. The first memory to come to her mind was her and Jules under water. Why is it that every time I think about something, he’s there?

She asked herself helplessly. She saw his eyes, those beautiful orbs that tranquilize her, and she saw their hands touching; she could almost feel his hands against hers.
Bryan yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it, shoving his lips back against hers. Skye unwillingly kissed him, feeling overly uncomfortable as his bare chest pressed down against hers and his hands traveled under her.
Suddenly, the door knob rattled and Leah’s soft voice called through. “Skye, you have company.”
Bryan shot up and moaned, his legs were still pinning Skye down. “Not again,” he growled. Cursing under his breath, he jumped off of the couch and hurried over to grab his shirt.
Leah became bewildered by the long silence. “Sweetie, what are you doing down there?” She asked, her voice tinged with disproval.
Skye got herself up but everything was spinning and she could hardly breathe. She tried to call out to her mom but anything she said came out in a rasped quietness. Bryan threw the T-shirt over to her and glared at her. “We’re not done here,” he hissed quietly.
I know we’re not.

Skye moaned and collapsed, her body shaking uncontrollably. Bryan ran to her side and carefully touched her forehead. “You’re burning up, babe. Here,” he whispered, lifting her up and helping the shirt over her head. Skye’s skin was ice-cold; the only warmth she felt was Bryan’s body heat. He lifted her up and cradled her in his arms, her body limply dangling. Everything is numb, what’s happening to me?

She thought dizzily.
Bryan rushed her up the stairs and carefully opened the door, managing to keep his hold on her. “Mrs. Rich, something’s wrong with her. She’s ice-cold, but her forehead is burning.” He said the moment he saw Leah. She looked at her daughter and her mouth gaped open. She had sucked in a breath and wasn’t exhaling. “Breathe!” Bryan yelled at her.
Leah snapped out of her horrified stare. “Johnny, come here! Hurry!” Leah called out, trying to stay as calm as possible.
Johnny ran around the corner, a spatula in his hand. “What is it Leah, what—” He cut off and dropped the utensil when he saw Skye’s limp body hanging in Bryan’s arms. He gave him the death stare. “What did you do to her Bryan? If you hurt her, you can forget about ever seeing her again, I swear. You would have to sleep with your eyes open at night, if I find out you touched her—”
Leah cut him off, hitting him on his shoulder. “Stop it Johnny, just do something helpful, we can yell at Bryan later.” She said, her tone was calm, but behind her stability she was dying inside. Skye was hardly breathing, her chest moved slightly up and down and her breathing was rough. Leah wouldn’t forgive herself if her daughter died. “Go!” She shrieked when Johnny didn’t move.
Bryan handed Skye off to Johnny and followed him into the living room, Leah right behind them. “What can I do?” Bryan asked, worry edging its way into his voice. He realized just how serious it all was, Skye was barely breathing.
“What happened?” Rachel said hastily as she ran up to see what was going on, her hand over her mouth.
“Skye and I were talking and she suddenly fell cold.” Bryan lied. Skye could barely hear everyone, she was slowly fading away from the world, her vision blurring, her heart slowing down. This is it. I must be dying

. “She needs help, Johnny can’t do anything!” Bryan yelled at Leah.
“Johnny was trained in medical emergencies, he can help her.” Leah said loudly, maneuvering herself around so that she was kneeling down beside the couch that Skye was lying on. “Everything’s going to be okay, sweetie, everything is going to be okay.” She whispered to her daughter as she held her cold hands. Her daughter was slipping away from her.
***
Skye shot up in bed, her head aching from a piercing pain that shook inside her head. “No!” She shrieked, her breath rasping.
“Skye, sweetie what’s wrong?” Leah cried, running into Skye’s bedroom.
“I—I don’t know, my—my head, it hurts.” Skye stammered as her eyes let tears spill down her cheeks.
“Let me get Johnny,” Leah said quietly.
Skye’s eyes bugged out. “No don’t; I just need some medicine, that’s all.” She said desperately, even though she had no idea what really had happened.
Leah looked at her daughter carefully and regarded her with sympathy. “Okay, I’ll get that right away.”
Skye nodded, regretting it the moment later as her head pulsed. What happened to me? Was it Bryan? Skye thought in pain. The “fall”, and when he threw me to the ground pushing all of his weight onto me had to be it. He did all of this to me. I need help, desperately. Bryan’s not right for me. What’s another broken promise going to do to me?

Leah walked out of the bathroom carrying a glass of water and two pain killers in her hands. “Here sweetie,” she said as she placed them in her daughter’s small hands.
“Thanks.” Skye swallowed the pills quickly and sighed, trying to forget about all that had happened in the past 24 hours. She couldn’t believe that her father had been abusive, or that Jules was unchangingly kind, and she certainly couldn’t believe that Bryan had overtaken her again. She wanted it all to end, but she still felt something for him that wasn’t allowing her to tell anyone. She still felt something for Bryan.
Leah looked into the eyes of her beautiful daughter, she saw Skye’s father so deeply, and that gave her the urge to cry. Her daughter almost died earlier that morning and Leah couldn’t help but think that it had something to do with Bryan. “Skye, you weren’t being completely honest with me, were you?” She asked, patting Skye’s leg that was buried under the blankets.
Skye looked at her mother in shock. “About what?” She asked softly, her voice faltering. Her mom knew, she knew about Bryan, at least something about him somehow.
“About Bryan,” she sighed, “you told me that everything was fine with you two. What were you both doing downstairs? You’ve never had trouble with your heath that badly. I don’t want you to get hurt, take things slow, okay?” She was entirely too calm around the stern tone. She hated seeing her daughter, her own blood, in so much pain. She could read that something was wrong about Skye, she only couldn’t figure out if it had something to do with Bryan or not.
“I know, Mom. Nothing happened down there, I didn’t want anything to, and so it didn’t.” She lied, choking on her words but covering for it. “I’m not going to get hurt, okay, Mom?” Skye faked a smile at her mom to assure that everything was fine, even though she clearly knew that it wasn’t.
“Then why are you so ill? Sweetie, we found bruises all over your arms and chest. Something’s going on, and I need to know what it is.” Concern and sorrow caked Leah’s voice as she talked to Skye about what was troubling her so deeply.
Skye’s smile faded and she covered her mouth,