Chapter 8 I’d Rather Die
Barnett went to the garage. He sat in his car, staring at the dashcam footage.
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During the fifteen–minute drive home from the prison, Aurora had sat perfectly still. Her hands rested on her lap, and her body leaned against the car window. She hadn’t moved an inch the entire way.
She hadn’t touched the dress. She hadn’t even glanced at it.
Barnett felt a pang of guilt as he recalled how they had accused
her earlier.
The weight of remorse and self–reproach threatened to drown
him.
Her cold, resolute eyes from before lingered in his mind.
He remembered how much she used to smile.
Whenever he came home, she would greet him with a cheerful face, warmly calling his name. Back then, she’d fuss around, making sure he was comfortable, telling him to relax after a hard day at work.
But now, she was like a different person.
The thought gave Barnett a pounding headache. He closed his
Chapter 8 I’d Rather Die
eyes and leaned wearily against the leather seat.
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He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he heard Aurora’s gentle voice in the distance. “Daisy, you don’t need to see me off. Go back.”
“Ms. Elvador, please stay safe. Call me if you need anything.”
Barnett’s eyes snapped open. From the car, he could see Aurora and Daisy standing by the villa’s front door.
They exchanged a few more words before Aurora turned to leave.
Seeing this, Barnett hurried out of the car and shouted, “Aurora! Where are you going?”
His voice echoed through the quiet courtyard. Startled, Daisy flinched and stammered, “Mr. Elvador, you’re here? I thought
you were…
Barnett silenced her with a cold glare. Then, turning to Aurora, his tone hardened. “Aurora, stop right there.”
But Aurora didn’t seem to hear him. She limped forward, ignoring his command.
Her indifference sent a jolt through Barnett’s chest.
He realized immediately that Aurora was leaving the Elvador Villa.
Chapter 8 I’d Rather Die
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Panic seized him. He strode over to her and grabbed her arm. “Are you deaf? I told you to stop!”
Aurora turned, startled by the sudden grip. Her expression shifted slightly when she saw him.
She hadn’t ignored him intentionally.
Her left ear had been deafened in her first year in prison. The constant beatings had damaged her right ear too.
Unless someone spoke directly to her face, she often couldn’t hear a thing.
Aurora averted her eyes and stubbornly tried to pull her arm free. “Let go of me.”
Her defiance ignited a blaze of anger within Barnett, drowning out his guilt. “What’s wrong with you? Today is Bertha’s birthday! You’ve already caused enough of a scene at the banquet hall. Now you want to run away? Can’t you act your age?”
Ignoring her protests, he tightened his grip and started dragging her back. “You’re coming with me. Now.”
Barnett’s hand was like a vice, and his grip only grew stronger. Aurora winced in pain, feeling as if her bones might break under his grip.
Her heart sank under the weight of helplessness. Her eyes
turned red, tears brimming as she cried out, “I’m not going
Chapter 8 I’d Rather Die back! Let me go!”
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Her injured leg trembled with each forceful step, threatening to collapse beneath her.
Daisy rushed to her defense, her voice frantic. “Mr. Elvador, please be gentle! Ms. Elvador is hurt!”
Barnett hesitated. The pain in Aurora’s eyes struck a nerve, softening his grip slightly. But he didn’t let go.
His brows furrowed deeply as he looked at her. “Go home with me.”
“I’d rather die out there than stay here!” Aurora snapped, shaking him off with every ounce of strength she had left.
Barnett froze, her words slicing through him like a knife. Fury consumed his reason.
Without thinking, he lashed out, kicking her injured leg. “Are you going back or not?”
It wasn’t supposed to be more than a nudge. After all, it was just a warning. But Aurora cried out in agony, collapsing to the ground.
She clutched her leg, her body curling up as her face went ghostly pale. Cold sweat poured from her forehead. Tears streamed down her cheeks like a broken dam, and all she could manage were pained whimpers.
Chapter 8 I’d Rather Die
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Barnett stood rooted in place, his heart twisting at the sight of her anguish. Panic seeped into his voice. “I barely touched you. Stop pretending!”
But his voice wavered, betraying his guilt and fear.
Daisy, horrified, dropped to her knees beside Aurora. “Ms. Elvador, are you okay?”
The searing pain dragged Aurora back to a memory she’d tried desperately to bury.
It had been her second year in prison. To this day, she could never forget the fierce, snarling faces of her tormentors. She couldn’t even remember why they had beaten her, but she would never forget the wooden bats.
Thick, heavy clubs crashed down on her legs, again and again, until six of them splintered. Her bones shattered before they stopped. She had begged for mercy, but they only beat her more furiously.
Their leader had grabbed her by the hair and hissed a warning in her ear. “Don’t think about complaining to the guards. You pissed off the wrong people. This is just a friendly reminder.”
Her mind spiraled back into that nightmare. She shook violently, her voice trembling as she murmured, “I’m sorry. Please, no more. I’m sorry…”
The terror in her voice was soul–crushing. She sounded like a wounded animal crying out for mercy.
Chapter 8 I’d Rather Die
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Daisy was already in tears, frantically pleading, “Ms. Elvador, what’s wrong?”
“It hurts… It hurts so much…” Aurora choked out through the sobs.
Her broken words pierced Barnett’s chest like shards of glass. “I didn’t kick you that hard. Why does it hurt so much?” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Daisy ignored him. She carefully lifted the hem of Aurora’s pants.
What they saw left them speechless.
Aurora’s leg was a grotesque sight. The once–straight bone now jutted out at an unnatural angle, twisted and deformed. Old scars crisscrossed her skin, overlapping with fresh wounds that were still red and swollen. Some injuries had barely begun to heal. Others had left jagged marks, forever marring her skin.
The leg was so frail and emaciated that it looked more like a brittle branch than a part of her body.
Barnett stared at her leg, his face drained of color.
He stood frozen, unable to move, unable to think. A crushing weight seemed to press down on him.
“How… how did this happen? She was fine before she went to prison. How could five years…”
Chapter 8 I’d Rather Die
His voice trailed off as his mind pieced together the horror.
Prison wasn’t just a place for punishment. For an eighteen–year–old girl, it was a hell where monsters roamed
freely.
His heart broke, shattering into countless pieces. His eyes reddened, and he clenched his teeth to suppress the anguish threatening to overwhelm him.
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Without another word, Barnett bent down and scooped Aurora into his arms. He rushed into the villa like a man possessed, his movements frantic and desperate.
In the middle of the living room, he stopped abruptly. A cold realization hit him. He didn’t even know where Aurora’s room
was.
His lips tightened as shame washed over him. After all these. years, he barely knew anything about her.
He closed his eyes briefly, swallowing his emotions, then asked, “Daisy, where’s Aurora’s room?”
“This way, Mr. Elvador.” Daisy led him, her voice trembling.
Barnett followed, his frown deepening with each step.
He had never realized the house had such a remote corner.
When Daisy opened the door, his breath caught in his throat.
Chapter 8 I’d Rather Die
The room was no more than a damp, cramped storage closet. Piles of junk crowded the tiny space, leaving barely enough room for a bed. There wasn’t even a window.
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His pupils dilated as he stared, horrified. “Aurora… lives here?”
