Hate to Love You - Chapter 59: Chapter 59

Hannah
"Oh God," I breathed, recoiling in horror.
She misunderstood my reaction. "Please. Please. You can't take him from me. I need him. You can't take him from me." Another sob wracked her body as she curled into herself, hugging her knees to her chest.
I could only stare at her with wide, horrified eyes, still trying to come to terms with what she just told me. Surely she couldn't mean him.
"Are you talking about Dylan Masters?" Who was I kidding — I knew it was him. I guess I was still holding out hope that it was some other Dylan I didn't know. Because if it was him, then I had a sinking feeling about how she ended up in this state.
She gave a small, pathetic nod and my stomach dropped.
I sat back, defeated as well as tired. This whole thing had quickly drained the last remnants of rest I had managed to get last night.
Just then, Jenny returned, holding an old towel and a water bottle. Crouching down beside us, she silently offered the towel and water to Beth, indicating that she should clean herself up. It was evident from the tense atmosphere around us that none of us were inclined to offer her any more help. No one trusted or liked her right now.
Beth slowly and hesitantly took the towel from Jenny, her movements careful and tentative as she dabbed at her face and neck, still hiccupping softly. She looked so small and fragile now that she was devoid of the feral anger that had possessed her just moments ago. Bruises were already beginning to darken her eyes, and, thankfully, her nose had stopped bleeding. Though, I suspected I had broken it.
"I'm going to wait outside for the cops. The sooner she's gone, the better," Molly muttered, grumbling to herself as she walked out.
Jenny looked back at me, leaning close to whisper, "What do you want to do? I don't think we need to restrain her, but if you don't want to be in the same room, then Amanda and I can handle her by ourselves," she cleared her throat, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "That punch of yours did the heavy lifting. Don't worry, we'll tell the cops it was self-defense, but remind me not to get on your bad side."
Her offer was kind, and I appreciated it, but I knew I couldn't keep running away. Beth had approached me twice before, and I still had no idea who was behind those threatening messages — The only way to figure that out was by talking to her.
"No, it's okay. I need to talk to her."
She looked hesitant. "Are you sure that's a good idea? We could barely get her off you just a few minutes ago — what if she snaps again?"
"I'll be fine. She won't catch me off guard again, I mean — just look at her."
Together, we turned our attention to Beth, who sat motionless, staring blankly at her bloodied fingers as she clutched the towel. She looked lost. This might be harder than I thought.
"Okay, if you're sure." Jenny relented, getting up and stepping back to stand next to Amanda.
"Beth." I approached her, waiting for her to meet my gaze. The only response I got was a subtle turn of her head, just enough to let me know she was listening. I decided to go on anyway. "Why did you think Dylan was here?"
He isn't?" she mumbled, her voice thick with confusion.
"No," I replied, my frown deepening. "He's never been here."
A quiet sniffle broke the silence, her voice barely above a whisper. "That can't be true. When I accidentally told him about you yesterday, he said he might come find you — that you two had unfinished business. He hasn't been answering my calls again."
"You were with him yesterday?" Was that why Dylan had resurfaced in my life? Was he the boyfriend she'd been talking about this whole time?
I thought back to all those times we'd spoken and horror filled me as I realized why she'd been in that state. He had done the same thing to her that he did to me.
She sniffled again, her body shuddering from the sobs she was trying to hold back. "I thought he was coming back because he forgave me, but he just..." Her lip trembled, eyes brimming with fresh tears before they spilled over. She curled into herself, hugging her knees to her chest. I couldn't help, but feel sorry for her.
"He what?" I asked, though part of me dreaded hearing the answer.
Her voice was small, so broken. She wouldn't even look at me. "He made me get rid of it. He said everything would go back to how it was if I just went with him and did what he said. But he left when it was done."
Recalling how sick she'd been — how she'd thrown up — my mind raced to places I didn't want it to go. "He made you get rid of what, Beth?"
At first, she buried her face in her knees, crying quietly, and I thought she hadn't heard me. But then she whispered, "Our baby."
All three of us recoiled, though thankfully, she didn't notice.
She'd just been forced to have an abortion? What condition would that have left her in — emotionally and physically? No wonder she wasn't thinking rationally or behaving sanely. We both needed to see a doctor. I didn't know what I was going to do with her or this situation, but I'd figure it out later when I wasn't fighting off a massive migraine.
"Listen to me." I placed a hand on her bony shoulder, glancing at the door. "When the police get here, they're going to help you. They'll call your parents, or someone from your family—"
As soon as I said that, she grabbed me. I flinched and raised my hands, believing she was going in for another attack, but she only grabbed onto my wrist. Her grip was desperate, pleading. "Please," she cried, her eyes wide with panic, "don't call my parents. They can't know about this. Please, they can't know."
I frowned, feeling torn. "Okay, but you need help. You've been through something terrible, and you need to see a doctor. And then you need somewhere to recover. Is there anywhere you can go? Any other family members? A friend? We can call them."
She shook her head. "I don't want to see any more doctors — they took my baby from me. I'll just go back to my dorm room and wait for Dylan. It's only been a day and if you say he's not here, then I still have a chance. He'll come back."
I stared at her, at a loss for words and perplexed. I glanced up at Amanda and Jenny, hoping one of them had something to say, but Jenny just watched Beth with sad, sympathetic eyes, while Amanda's expression remained unreadable.
Turning back to Beth, I quietly asked, "Why are you still waiting for Dylan? He just made you abort your baby, and then he left you. He's not the man you think he is. He's — he's a monster."
"No," she snapped, shaking her head stubbornly. Her red-rimmed eyes glared at me. "When Marcus used to come to our house and hurt me, he protected me. He's not like you say he is. He's good. He's kind. He's... the only one who looks at me."
I bit back my disbelief, but the mention of Dylan's best friend made my stomach twist. I knew Marcus was a creep — it was why Dylan never let me be alone with him. Not because he cared about me, but because he didn't like sharing. "How did he protect you from Marcus?"
If he couldn't even save himself, then I doubt he actually helped her. If Dylan had 'protected' Beth, it wasn't out of kindness. He probably just wanted her for himself because he didn't like sharing. I resisted the urge to point out that Dylan should never have let his best friend hurt her in the first place, especially knowing what he was like.
She tensed, her defenses rising, but after a moment she quietly responded, "He told Marcus to stay away, and he did. But I was still scared, so Dylan stayed with me. He held me when I cried, and he'd sleep next to me so I wouldn't have nightmares." She looked back down at the floor, eyes growing distant. "I didn't mind when he touched me. He didn't hurt me as much as Marcus did."
A wave of nausea rolled over me as I listened. Dylan had taken complete advantage of a sad, traumatized, lonely girl — and he used her innocence and trust to hurt her in ways she couldn't protect herself from, because she didn't know how. He manipulated her into believing she needed him and he deserved to rot in hell for that.
"But he still hurt you, didn't he?" Amanda's voice broke through the silence, sharp and cutting. "You didn't want him to touch you, did you?"
Beth's eyes hardened as she looked up at her. "Dylan didn't hurt me. He was teaching me. I was only uncomfortable because I didn't know what I was doing, but he was just helping me get over what Marcus did."
Looking at Beth, I saw a reflection of my former self. Memories of my own pain — my own blindness to Dylan's true nature, flooded my mind. He had swept me off my feet, whispered promises that felt like love, and for a brief time, made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. And now, I could see he was doing the same to her.
"Beth, do you... do you know about Dylan and me?" I suspected she did, but I didn't know how much she knew.
Her slight nod confirmed my suspicions, but before I could continue, she spoke first, her voice unsteady. "I know you guys were together for a long time. He still talks about you... so I know he still loves you." Her words wobbled, like admitting it out loud pained her.
"He still loves me?" I almost scoffed. "That man doesn't love anyone but himself. He's a manipulator, a serial cheater, and honestly, a predator. When I left him, I was in a state not too different from where you are now. I just... never ended up pregnant." Thank God. And thank God my parents had intervened before I could be.I just wished Beth's parents had done the same for her.
No — he never loved me. He loved controlling me. He liked having a say over who I talked to, what I ate, what I wore, how I spoke. He tore me down piece by piece until there was nothing left but a shell of the person I used to be. How could I forget the tears — the sleepless nights spent wondering what was wrong with me?
"No, that isn't true. He told me you were the one who lied to him. That you cheated and then left. He said I should do any of those things if I wanted to stay with him." Her voice cracked. "But I lied. I lied to him, and now he won't talk to me. But I did what he wanted, so if I could just talk to him, he'll come back to me. He will," she insisted, a fresh well of tears appearing. "He can't leave me all alone."
"Yes, he can," I spoke softly, trying to stay calm, despite the desire to shake her until she saw sense. "If he made you do this, and then abandoned you afterward... he doesn't care. He certainly doesn't love you." Her head shook in protest, but I pushed forward, "While I might not understand everything you're going through right now, I do understand enough. Because I've been in your shoes." I placed a hand on her shoulder, making sure she met my eyes. "I've been where you are."
"But how do you know?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
It was painful to watch, but I knew it wouldn't be that easy. She was under Dylan's control, just like I had been, and breaking free would take more than just words — though right now, words were all I had.
"Dylan made me want to die."
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, and Beth flinched, her body stiffening at the admission. I could feel Jenny and Amanda's attention shift toward me, their gazes heavy. For a moment, I hesitated, unsure if I should continue with them listening — especially Amanda. But I had already started, and Beth needed to hear it.
"He made me feel like I was nothing," I went on, keeping my voice even. "He convinced me I was lucky just to have him, that no one else would ever want me. He made me believe I was lucky to have him, and I believed him. I didn't know any better because he was the first man I'd ever loved. Or at least, I thought it was love. And now he's doing the same thing to you. That's just who he is. He preys on girls who don't know any better."
My words seemed to hit her this time. The tears stopped, and she glanced down, refusing to meet my eyes.
"We're disposable to him. Just a warm body to fuck." The words were crude, but they got to her.
She flinched again, burying her face in her knees. "You don't understand."
"What don't I understand?"
Silence stretched between us, tense and heavy. We all waited for her to speak, until finally, her muffled voice said, "He's... my step-brother. That means he has to care about me in some way."
Immediate disgust unfurled inside me. Not for her, but him. I had known Dylan had a sister, but she'd been in high school when we were together. I didn't know she was actually his stepsibling — not that it made what he had done any less horrific. Glancing at Amanda and Jenny, I saw the same expressions of revulsion on their faces.
Beth continued, "I know it sounds bad, but it's not like that. We're not related by blood, and we have a special connection. He likes me because I'm a good listener, and it's easy to be with me. I know I'm not pretty like you, but... at least I know he'll always come back to me."
But that only saddened me. It sounded like my worst nightmare — to be stuck with him for the rest of my life.
"Is that why you don't want the police to call your parents?" I asked quietly.
She didn't respond, but her expression told me everything. Dylan must have used that to manipulate her too, making her believe, through fear, that their parents could never know, just to cover his tracks. It was his pattern.
I opened my mouth to speak, but the sound of car doors and men's voices outside alerted me to the cops arrival.
Beth must have heard it too because she suddenly grabbed my arm, her eyes wild with desperation. "Please, you can't let them call my parents! They can't know about this, or they'll never speak to me again."
I frowned. "Why wouldn't they speak to you?"
Tears flooded her eyes. "They care more about him than me. If they find out, they'll kick me out of college, and I'll lose everything. He's the only one who can make them understand."
My heart twisted in my chest. What if her parents really were that heartless? Would they disown her because of her relationship with Dylan? I knew some people couldn't handle that kind of shame and the embarrassment it brought to their family.
Before I could answer, Molly appeared in the doorway with two uniformed officers. The taller one took in the scene with disinterested eyes, his gaze lingering on my bruised neck and Beth's tear-streaked, bloody face.
"Mind telling me what happened here?"