Fallen 16

Fallen 16 Summary

Meadow is suddenly attacked by her twin sister Juniper, who violently grabs her hair and slams her head against the wall, expressing deep hatred and threatening her life. Despite Meadow’s desperate pleas for Juniper to stop, the assault continues, with Juniper showing no mercy. Tyler, Meadow’s ex-fiancé, watches passively from the couch, seemingly indifferent and intoxicated, even making cruel remarks that deepen Meadow’s sense of betrayal and isolation.

 

Juniper’s cruelty escalates as she kicks Meadow to the floor and drags her in front of Tyler, urging him to join in tormenting her. Tyler complies, behaving aggressively and ignoring Meadow’s screams and pleas for mercy. The situation becomes terrifyingly desperate, with Meadow feeling utterly powerless against the combined violence and cruelty of Juniper and Tyler.

 

Just as Tyler prepares to violate Meadow, the front door bursts open, and a muscular stranger swiftly intervenes, knocking both Tyler and Juniper unconscious. Meadow, injured and bleeding, recognizes the man as Alaric’s bodyguard. Moments later, Alaric himself arrives, his intense presence filling the room. He kneels beside Meadow, offering comfort and protection as she breaks down in tears, overwhelmed by the trauma she has endured.

 

The chapter ends with Meadow collapsing into Alaric’s arms, feeling a fragile sense of safety as he reassures her softly that he is there to protect her. Despite the pain and fear, this moment marks a turning point where Meadow finds some solace in Alaric’s support amidst the chaos.

CHAPTER 0016

Meadow’s Perspective:

Everything unfolded in an instant, faster than I could process.

Juniper suddenly lunged at me, her fingers tangling fiercely in my hair. The pain was immediate and sharp—I cried out involuntarily.

“You fucking bitch!” she screamed, yanking me backward by the roots of my scalp with brutal force. “You think you can just touch me? Slap me like you’re better than me?”

“Let me go!” I shouted, struggling desperately beneath her grip. I twisted and tried to pry her nails away, but it was useless—her claws dug deep into my scalp, already drawing blood.

I never really stood a chance.

Without warning, Juniper slammed my head against the wall. The impact sent a sickening thud echoing through my skull, a searing white-hot pain exploding behind my eyes.

I gasped, stunned, as the room tilted slightly, spinning around me.

“You were always the mistake,” she hissed venomously in my ear, shoving my head hard against the wall again. “Mom should’ve killed you when she had the chance.”

Her face twisted with hatred, and suddenly my knees buckled beneath me. The cold, terrifying truth hit me like a wave.

I knew that look.

Juniper was going to kill me.

“Juniper, please stop,” I whimpered, trying to push her away, my voice trembling. “Just stop… please.”

But she didn’t listen. Instead, she grabbed a fistful of my dress and slammed me into the wall once more. My shoulder collided with a framed painting, and glass shattered loudly onto the floor near my feet.

I tasted blood—metallic and bitter.

My eyes flicked toward Tyler. If he couldn’t come to my rescue, maybe at least he would care about his favorite painting, right?

But no. Tyler remained slumped on the couch, his eyes glazed over, as if he were oblivious to everything happening around him. His hand moved rhythmically, stroking himself like some wild animal.

Even through my blurred vision, I saw the lazy, cruel smile curling on his lips.

A smile.

This was the man I once thought loved me. How could he be so heartless as to feel nothing while his girlfriend was beating me to a pulp?

“Ty…” I sobbed, my voice breaking. “Please, say something. Tell her to stop. Please.”

A sharp slap across my face cut through the air, making me flinch.

“You were always kinda cold, you know that?” Tyler slurred, voice thick with intoxication. “I should’ve fucked you when I had the chance. You were practically throwing yourself at me, and I didn’t take the bait.” He chuckled darkly, groaning, his hand still wrapped around himself.

My stomach churned with nausea.

Juniper laughed cruelly, driving her heel into my shin hard enough to send me crashing to my knees, doubled over in pain. “You sure she was throwing herself at you, baby? She was saving herself, remember?” she sneered. “Little virgin Meadow. So pure, so fucking perfect. Well, not anymore.”

I gasped for breath, something warm and wet trickling down my forehead and nose. I wiped it away with the back of my hand, smearing deep red across my skin. Blood.

“You want your fairytale ending?” Juniper hissed, crouching in front of me, eyes cold and merciless. “You think you’re going to ride off into the sunset with some Prince Charming and forget I exist? You think you’ll ever be rid of me?” She let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “No, sis. You don’t get to walk away unscathed.”

My vision blurred. Hot tears streamed down my face, mingling with the blood as my heart pounded wildly in my ears.

Juniper turned toward Tyler, her voice dripping with cruel invitation.

“Ty,” she purred, stepping closer to him. “Wanna help me teach her a lesson?”

Tyler blinked slowly, his eyes glassy and pupils dilated. I gasped, pushing myself up from the floor, desperate to escape this nightmare.

But the brutal kick to my shin had weakened my legs, and I stumbled as I tried to move.

Juniper cackled, not even bothering to catch me.

She yanked me by my hair until I was standing in front of Tyler, then threw me roughly onto the floor.

Then she turned to him and said the words that chilled me to my core.

“Fuck her.”

Tyler laughed, staggering to his feet. Without hesitation, he pulled his pants down the rest of the way.

“No,” I whispered, voice trembling with terror.

He grabbed me, lifting me as if I weighed nothing, and roughly tossed me onto the couch.

“No!” I screamed, panic rising. “No, no, no, please! Please, Tyler, don’t. Don’t do this.”

Sobs wracked my body as Juniper crouched beside the couch. I clasped my hands together in a pleading gesture, begging my own twin sister not to let my ex-fiancé violate me.

But her grip on my jaw was so tight I could already feel the bruises forming. Her face was void of any humanity—no compassion, no kindness.

This was Juniper. Always had been.

An evil, selfish monster.

Just like our mother.

“Don’t you dare pretend you’re better than me,” she whispered, voice cold and cruel. “You’re not. You’re weak. And I’m going to prove it.”

Tyler stood above me now, pants discarded, his eyes empty and devoid of feeling.

I screamed, scrambling desperately for anything to defend myself.

But there was nothing.

Tyler climbed on top of me. Drunk or not, he was a big man—strong enough to overpower me easily.

“Please!” I cried as he parted my legs with his knees, ripping my panties to the side. “Tyler—Tyler, please!”

He looked me dead in the eyes and sneered, “Oh, shut the fuck up, Meadow. I’m sick and tired of hearing you bitch and moan all the time.”

Then he leaned in, his body pressing against me despite my protests. “I’m gonna enjoy this so much.”

And then—

Bang!

The front door slammed open with a force that echoed through the apartment.

Everything froze.

A tall, broad figure moved silently but swiftly into the room. I barely had time to register his presence before Tyler was ripped off me and thrown across the room like a ragdoll.

Juniper spun around, furious. “Who the—”

She didn’t finish. A sharp crack echoed as a man’s hand struck her cheek with brutal force.

She collapsed sideways, motionless. I knew she was unconscious.

Tyler was out cold too.

I slid backward onto the couch, trembling and bleeding, unsure if this stranger was here to save me or to hurt me further.

Then he turned fully toward me.

That face…

I squinted through my tears, trying to place him. It was the man who had come to fetch me for Alaric—his bodyguard.

“You…” I whispered, voice barely audible, tears blurring my vision. “You—”

But I couldn’t finish. Another figure stepped into the room.

Even through the haze, I recognized him.

Alaric.

He stood there, towering at six-foot-three, radiating fierce intensity.

His eyes swept the room like a predator hunting his prey. They landed first on Tyler, crumpled and groaning on the floor.

Then on Juniper, unconscious.

Finally, they settled on me.

His gaze shifted from fiery rage to icy coldness.

“Fucking hell,” he growled.

In a few long, purposeful strides, he crossed the room and knelt beside me.

“Meadow,” he whispered, and I thought I heard a crack in his voice.

At that moment, something inside me shattered completely.

He pulled me close, and my body collapsed against his chest. Silent tears streamed down my face as dizziness washed over me.

The last thing I heard before surrendering to the darkness was his voice, steady and reassuring.

“I’ve got you,” he repeated softly. “I’ve got you, baby girl. I’ve got you.”