Week 178 – Nightmares

Was this real?

How many times had Macey dreamed of someone coming to rescue her since she had been abducted?

Hundreds.

Almost every time exhaustion took hold and her eyes closed she would dream of the day she would get out of here. Her dreams would feel so real making them their own nightmares because she kept having to wake up back in her little prison.

Nightmares when she was awake and nightmares when she was asleep, her entire life had devolved into one giant nightmare.

But this felt different.

It felt real.

Macey didn’t think she was asleep.

The body holding her was warm, the arms wrapped around her were strong, the gentle rocking motion soothing.

“He got away.”

The words jarred her from her shock induced stupor, and she lifted her head. The face that looked down at her was the one she had longed to see for so long and she worried again that this was nothing but another taunting dream.

“Tyler?” she asked, lifting a hand to tentatively touch his face.

His hand lifted to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking softly across her cold skin. “I’m here, baby. I’m here, you’re okay now, I’ve got you. I’m so sorry, Macey. I’m sorry about everything. I love you, sweetheart, I never stopped loving you.”

He loved her.

Tyler still loved her.

For months she had hoped and prayed that it was true, that maybe they could fix what they’d broken, but now hearing him say the words broke her heart.

He loved her but she was broken now. Not the same woman she had been before. Now she was just an empty shell hollowed out by months of abuse. What did she have to offer him in return for his love.

Nothing.

She had nothing.

The well of tears that she had boarded up when she’d realised she was trapped here suddenly broke free and she began to sob.