Nikolai The heavy metal door slammed shut with a deafening, echoing boom. The sharp click of the lock turning signaled that my father had finally left, taking his guards and his suffocating presence with him. The basement plunged right back into a suffocating, freezing darkness. The manic smile that had been plastered on my face instantly vanished, leaving my features completely cold and empty. The act was over. I slowly let go of his neck, letting Nathaniel slump hard against the iron pipe. He gasped for air, coughing violently as he clutched his bruised throat, his whole body shaking like a leaf. I didn’t offer a hand. I didn’t feel a single drop of pity. Dropping back down to my knees right in front of him, I roughly grabbed his face, my bloody fingers digging deep into his jawline, forcing him to look straight at me. “Look at me, Nathaniel,” I whispered, my voice sounding totally dead, devoid of any of the warmth he used to play with. His glasses were still gone, his beaut
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