"Yo! What's up, ugly? How have you been?"

Ethan's voice rings through the speaker and a drop falls down my lashes, followed by an onslaught of salty tears down my cheeks.

The sound of my brother's voice only intensifies the ache in my chest and my throat chokes up with tears. "I-I.." A lump forms in my throat and I couldn't even frame a sentence as my heart continues to bleed out.

"Hey, hey! Are you alright, Emara? What happened?" Ethan's concerned voice manages to offer a silver lining to my dark clouds. It stirs the depth of my sorrow, causing fresh tears to spill uncontrollably from my eyes.

"I-I... missed yo-ou all." I stutter out. My voice barely recognisable as I whisper in a heartbroken voice.

"Is that why you are crying? Or something happened?" He asks me worriedly.

His question pierces through my chest like sharp needles as the brutal memories of the past five days flashes in front of me, reopening the wounds I tried to bury.

I cannot believe that I am the same girl who once possessed a courageous spirit, ready to conquer mountains and used to stare down at lions without any fear.

Because right now, I find that brave girl has been reduced to pitiful tears, and hiding in a blanket to cover herself from the cruel world.

There is an unbelievable stark contrast between the heroic girl I was and a stripped down whore I am now.

He was right, I am pathetic.

"Do you want me to come pick you up?" Ethan's voice resonates in my ear with genuine concern. His words hang in the air, waiting for my reply, but all I could offer to reply are my tearful sobs.

"I can come get you if you want to go home, Emara. Just send me your live location and I'll be there before midnight." He tells me with an unwavering sternness and I know he is 100% serious.

His one-minute big brother voice tugs my heart, but a tiny voice in me reminds me of my nakedness and I gasp out loud. "No!"

I can't let Ethan witness me stripped off and in a vulnerable state, where I hardly recognise myself. Besides, I am currently at Dakota's home, not his office, all alone, naked and living with a man in a questionable way.

I could never explain to my brother, if he ever saw me this way. I feel my heart choking at the thought of all the pain and humiliation I went through, the way he broke me down and used me over again and again.. I can't.

I can't run away. After enduring five days of pure hell, I cannot quit now.

I can't let all my tears go to waste.

"I-I'll be fine." I wipe another tear, trying to steady my breath as I whisper softly.

"Are you sure? You have been crying non-stop, and you don't sound well. Is everything okay there?" The octaves in voice grow thin, as if sensing something wrong here.

"Yes. It's jus-st.. I miss you an-nd home. So much-h." My voice gets interrupted by hiccups as I try to form a sentence to assure him and myself.

Just two more days, then I will be back to my safe haven.

"Yeah, it's quite a shift! You have never been away and suddenly you are miles away all by yourself. But you are intelligent, and strong, even stronger than me, so I know you will deal with it." His positive voice is filled with unwavering reassurance, that surprises me.

"I am in-telligent?" I ask, blinking in confusion. Really?

"Absolutely!" He replies instantly without hesitation. "You have always been the one to figure things out, and find weird solutions when no one else could. So don't doubt yourself now."

Unknowingly, his words comfort me, but a rational part of me resists, calling me unworthy to consider his praises.

"You are just saying, right?" I question him in uncertainty.

Ethan sighs. "Remember, in our Geography class you surprised everyone by making a funky song consisting of all 195 countries, just so you could remember them?" He reminds me of an embarrassing memory from our childhood that doesn't even make any sense.

"What it has to do with intelligence?" I ask him depressingly.

"Geniuses are creative people, and they inherit intelligence naturally. As creativity is an ability to create something unique, innovative and for that, a certain level of intelligence is required to think out of the box. That's why it is rare."

"So, I am creative?" My hazy mind question him like a curious child.

"Yeah! And creativity is often associated with exceptional intelligence, which cannot occur without an ability to solve-problems, filter information, brainstorming, and a sharp memory to amalgamate all the data. It takes a highly imaginative mind to produce an original content, like your sense of humour. A normal person can't pull that off, unless it is genius."

His conceptual words strike a chord deep within me, and I could feel a little sunlight cracking through the dense clouds hovering over my mind.

"So I am creative and intelligent, not just a whore?" I question my own sanity, feeling a spark of confidence flickering inside the darkness that surrounds me.

"Huh? What did you say?" Ethan asks me, a bit confusedly.

"Huh? What did you hear?" I ask him in return, a bit shadily.

"I asked, what did you say?" He repeats, the sound of him munching on chips gets audible in the background.

At this moment, I couldn't think of anything other than my overwhelmed feelings for my brother. "Ethan.. I love you." I whisper the three magical words as they spill from the depths of my heart.

"Ewww." Ethan yecchs cringingly at my confession and a chuckle pulls out of me at his over dramatic performance.

In a second, we both burst out in a cheerful laugh, and in that moment, a sense of relief washes over my stiff body. The feeling of tightness in my chest slowly fades away, like a massive rock has been uplifted up and I can finally breathe freely.

My tears slowly dry up and I feel a light taking over the darkness that had engulfed me in its tentacles. I let the smile stay on my lips, feeling its delightful presence after a long hellish day.

"But I am really serious. I can come right now. It will hardly take me a few hours to get you and then we will be back at home by four." He assures me in his grave voice and I smile, grateful for my brother's unswerving support.

However, this is my journey of redemption, out of which I have survived five hellish nights out of seven. "I will be fine." I assure him and myself.

I am strong. Just two more days. It will all pass. It always passes.

"Alright then. I actually texted you to get some pictures for me as today is the inauguration of D2R software by your company HighBars that everybody is excited about. I thought you would be invited." Ethan tells me with a tablespoon of disappointment.

I blink in confusion as I try to process the information in my mind. "Tit-you-are, what?"

"D2R, Emara! Design2Reality is an AI software which gathers information by studying the data, then itself suggests a tool or like a machine with all the information of how to build it, what kind of materials would be needed and how to use it. By this we can design and make surgical machines, weapons, futuristic cars or something simple like furniture. Isn't it cool?"

Ethan's excitement echoes through the phone, tingling my ears while I lay naked, used, and wrapped in the blanket of the very man, whose software he is praising.

"Oh, wow! I-I wasn't invited." I tell him lowly.

At least now I know why he left me alone at home. Pretty sure, he would have never considered taking me, a whore to an important event of his life.

After all, I am just a fuck toy.

The harsh truth hits me like a wave, leaving me feeling low and degraded of myself.

"It's alright. Once you crack their interview, you will be invited to their special events." Ethan tells me, casually hitting that sensitive nerve which rips open the wound.

"I-I" My throat chokes up with sobs as I try to confess, "I don't th-think so." The memories of being his personal whore returns to my mind, and I burst out into tears.

"Hey, hey.. Emara!" Ethan's voice boldly cuts through my cries as he says, "Even if you don't clear their rounds, nobody will ever judge you or scold you for it. Your worth is not measured by the outcome of a single interview. Remember, it's not just about the destination, but the growth and experiences you gain along the way. Maybe this experience is meant to make you more smarter and stronger, who knows!"

Tears well up in my eyes as I take in his words, feeling a glimmer of hope among my self-degrading thoughts. "So you won't judge me?" I whisper, my voice quivering as I hold on to my heart. "For being a failure.."

Or a slut.

"Of course not, idiot!" Ethan replies defensively and utters playfully, "After all, this is not the first time you will fail."

"Ethan!" I yell, rolling my sick eyes.

"Relax, Shrek. Mom and dad miss you alot, and believe me, they are truly proud of you for taking on challenges and putting an effort out there for your future. They will always be proud of you, no matter you crack the interview or not."

A cheeky tear rolls down as his words resonate deep within me and I feel my heart warming up. "You really think so?" I ask, searching for affirmation.

"Yeah. They love you whole heartedly and so do I, idiot. I love you." Ethan whispers in a warm tone.  

"Ewww." I yecch in return, pretending to be disgusted at his confession. Instantly, we both laugh out loud at the same time like two crackheads left on loose.

I realized how much I missed laughing, and how much I missed my idiot brother. But most importantly, I missed the little girl in me. That funny, quirky girl that I thought I had lost somewhere along these revengeous days, I want to protect her no matter what.

She is not a whore.

She is a princess.

If nobody is going to love her, I will love her, my parents will love her, my brother will love her. Someone from far lands will love her.

Minutes stretch into hours and our talks turn into long conversation. I cling on to my brother's voice as I feel a natural support to my spine, telling me I can conquer anything.

Even among the dark times, I find his presence like an angel guiding me towards the light. Ethan, has always been and will always be my favorite person, and I would never treat him less than me.

"You are using my bathroom!" I yell through the phone, like a possessive landlord.

"Yeah, and your loofa too. It's so soft and your shower gel smells amazing." Ethan replies almost dreamily from the other side.

"You idiot.. That's a girlish product." I retort angrily, as my frustration grows.

"Rose said she loves that smell on me." He says defensively, while munching on something.

"Because that's a female product, and what the hell are you eating so loudly?"

"Pringles, from your cupboard!" He proudly announces with a mouthful.

"You have been eating my chips this whole time while talking to me?" Audacity of this dick!

"Yeah! And if you don't come back soon.. I'll eat all your M&Ms that you have hidden in your socks drawer." I could hear that mischievous tone in his voice, the one that I used to do.

"Ethan, get your dirty ass off my roo-" I yell at him, but he cuts the call abruptly, leaving me hanging with a dial tone. He is such an annoying chicken!

Minutes pass and a playful smile sits on my face, imagining all the pranks we have pulled on each other. From toothpaste-filled Oreos to drawing on his sleepy face, all such memories fill my heart with joy and hope.

Silence once again echoes in my ear, but I don't feel like drowning anymore, instead, I feel hungry. My stomach groans and clenches painfully, and I realise how much I am starving.

I hope that brute wasn't lying about the peri-peri pizza. I need my pizza more than ever now.

Like a grown up butterfly, emerging from its cocoon, I cautiously step out from the warmth of blanket and place my foot onto the cold floor.

Chills climb up my feet and I inhale deeply, mustering the courage to stand again and face the darkness that seems to mock my nakedness.

Suddenly, a spider of fear crawls down my spine as the sound of a cark parking outside reaches my ears. My heart skips a beat in panic as I realize..

The devil has returned!

( ͡♥ ₃ ͡♥)

Notice: I am out of station to attend my Best friend's wedding.. Will update after 5-6 days. Also, I coloured my hair.. and soon Emara will too LOL!

Will post my pictures on Instagram.. Don't forget to stalk me there :P

Thank for you these juicy new readers for showering this book with votes rsquared15 , Moneythecat , gaurirawat4 , damselinheaven and darkestlie

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