My Devoted Demons

Chapter 14 - One Year, Nine Months, and Fourteen Days*

A/N: this chapter discusses serious topics concerning substance abuse (heroin, to be specific). There are asterisks where it starts and where it ends. The substance abuse hotline is 1-800-662-4357. You are not alone. You are loved. You matter. 💜

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Gwendolyn

I had woken up a few hours later, and thankfully, it was only five-thirty.

It was a struggle, but I dragged myself off of the bed and padded over to the closet. The walk-in closet. 

When I was growing up, my parents made me stay in the basement with a twin bed, a dresser and vanity, and a small desk to do homework on. I really wasn't all that used to lavish living.

Inside the closet, there were two metal racks to hang clothes on, cabinets on the side walls, and an abundance of jewelry boxes and mirrors.

But then I realized, there was only one dress hanging from the racks, only one pair of shoes below, and only one arrangement of jewelry resting on a hollowed out area between two cabinets.

The dress was white and elegant, and when I put it on, the end of it reached just above my knees. The heels -- which were just as white as the dress -- made me about four inches taller, and also made it much harder to walk, especially while I was still recovering from being stabbed with glass.

The dress forced me to take my bra off, and I was very grateful that as I looked into the mirror, I wasn't able to see my nipple pebble from the cold. I just hoped it stayed that way for the duration of the night.

The jewelry was just as simple as the dress and shoes had been. It consisted of a necklace and a ring. The necklace had a silver chain and a circular pendant with the letter J carved into it.

But I still had on the necklace that my men had given me. And I wasn't taking it off anytime soon. So, I left the chain and pendant on the table and picked up the ring. Immediately, I could tell that this was the engagement ring.

With a white gold band, a large oval cut diamond, and a row of diamond pavé, this ring screamed regality.

I figured I had to, so I slid it onto the ring finger of my left hand, eerily surprised by how perfectly it fit.

After one last look in the mirror -- one last look at an unbetrothed me, I strode back out to the main room and sat by the vanity.

There was no way for me to do any sort of makeup or hairstyle, which led me to just combing my hair and curling my eyelashes using my fingers.

Before getting up again, I stared at myself for a while, wondering what I could've done to end up here.

The clock was getting closer and closer to six-thirty, and finally, I decided to stand and head for the door.

As I left my room, I looked over to the left and saw Kieran standing outside of his.

Our eyes met, and he nodded at me.

I took a deep breath and started to move closer to him, feeling the light of the foyer chandelier shining onto me. I didn't dare look down at the people below us, who had just gone silent as we came into their view.

When Kieran and I closed the distance between us, I slid my hands into his.

He leaned his head down to me, and what at first seemed like a kiss on the cheek, turned into him whispering in my ear. "In a second, we're gonna let go, go down a staircase, and then meet again at the bottom."

He pulled his head back up and smiled at me before sliding his hands out of mine and turning to walk down the staircase on his side of the hallway. I did the same, descending the steps on my side and making my way to the bottom.