MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

Chapter 409: Mind is a battle field

Rose woke with a start, her body aching and her mind foggy. She blinked, trying to focus her vision in the dim light of the cabin.

The chains around her wrists and ankles clinked as she shifted, reminding her of her dire situation. Rose looked down at herself, wincing at the sight. Her clothes tattered and stained with blood - both old and new. Bruises mottled her skin, and she could feel the sting of numerous cuts and scrapes.

She hasn't been able to heal quickly from the bruises and cuts on her body as she hasn't drank blood for awhile now.

She recalled Blake's face, twisted with shock and betrayal when he learned of her oath to Damien. Rose's heart clenched painfully at the thought.

For a moment, panic threatened to overwhelm her. But then another thought pushed its way to the forefront of her mind: Celena. Her daughter. She trusts that Blake had kept her in safety.

Rose closed her eyes, forcing herself to take deep breaths. Yes, Celena would be safe. No matter how angry or hurt Blake was, he would never abandon their child. He must have taken her somewhere secure.

Rose's eyes darted around the empty cabin, she was alone. She couldn't free herself to get water or food. For days now, it was just the quiet cabin and the chains around her.

"They've abandoned you," the Nemisis whispered. "Just like everyone else in your life."

"No," Rose said, but her voice was weak. "They wouldn't."

"Wouldn't they?" the Nemisis asked. "Think about it, Rose. Your own mother doesn't care about you. Your sister despises you. Why would Blake be any different?"

Rose tried to fight the thoughts, but they kept coming. Maybe the Nemisis was right. Maybe she was truly alone. But before these thoughts would sink in, Rose retorted.

"Get out of my head," Rose growled, clenching her fists.

The Nemisis laughed, the sound echoing inside her skull. "Oh, but I'm so comfortable here. And you invited me in, remember? Breaking that lovely little oath you swore."

Rose gritted her teeth. "I didn't know what I was doing. I was trying to save Blake."

"And look how well that turned out," the Nemisis taunted. "He's abandoned you. They've all abandoned you. Face it, Rose. You're alone."

"No," Rose insisted, though doubt crept into her voice. "They'll come back. They're just trying to find a way to help me."

The Nemisis' laughter grew louder. "Help you? They're trying to save themselves. From you. From me. Face it, Rose.

You're a liability now. A danger to everyone you love."

Rose shook her head violently, ignoring the pain that shot through her neck. "You're wrong. Blake loves me. He wouldn't just leave me here to die."

"Are you sure about that?" the Nemisis asked, its voice dripping with false sympathy. "After all, you lied to him for years. You made a deal with his worst enemy. How could he ever trust you again?"

Tears welled up in Rose's eyes, but she blinked them away furiously. "Stop it," she whispered. "Just stop."

"Why fight it, Rose?" the Nemisis coaxed. "Give in to me. Let me take control. I can make the pain stop. I can make you strong."

For a moment, Rose was tempted. The constant battle against the Nemisis had left her exhausted, physically and mentally. It would be so easy to just let go, to surrender to the darkness...

But then Celena's face flashed in her mind. Her daughter's bright smile, her innocent laughter. And behind that, Blake's face. Not the hurt, betrayed expression she'd last seen, but the way he used to look at her. With love. With trust.

A new determination filled Rose. "No," she said, her voice growing stronger. "I won't give up. Not now, not ever."

The Nemisis snarled in frustration. "You fool! Don't you understand? You've already lost everything!"

"Not everything," Rose countered. "I still have hope. And as long as I have that, you'll never win."

She could feel the entity's rage building inside her, like a storm about to break. Rose braced herself, knowing what was coming.

The pain hit her like a tidal wave. Every nerve in her body seemed to be on fire. Rose screamed, her back arching against the chains that held her.

"Give in!" the Nemisis roared. "Submit to me!"

"Never!" Rose gasped between screams.

The battle raged on, minutes stretching into hours. Rose lost track of time, lost in a haze of pain and determination. Her throat grew raw from screaming, her wrists bloody from straining against the chains.

But still, she fought.

As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the cabin floor, Rose felt something change. The Nemisis' attacks were growing weaker, its voice less certain.

"Why?" it demanded. "Why do you keep fighting?"

Rose, panting and drenched in sweat, managed a small smile. "Because I have something worth fighting for. Love. Family. Hope. Things you'll never understand."

The entity fell silent, and for a moment, Rose dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, she had won.

Then, without warning, a new wave of pain crashed over her. This was different from before - sharper, more focused. Rose felt as if her very soul was being torn apart.

"If I can't have you," the Nemisis hissed, "then I'll destroy you."

Rose screamed louder than ever before, her vision going white with agony. She could feel herself slipping away, her grip on consciousness weakening.

In that moment of near-defeat, Rose's mind conjured up an image of Blake and Celena. Their faces, filled with love and concern, seemed to float before her. It wasn't real, she knew, but it gave her strength.

"No," Rose whispered, her voice barely audible. "I won't let you win. For them, I'll keep fighting."

With every ounce of willpower she possessed, Rose pushed back against the Nemisis. She imagined a wall of light, separating her from the entity, growing stronger with each passing second.

The Nemisis howled in rage and frustration. "This isn't possible! You can't resist me!"

But Rose could, and she was. Slowly, painfully, she felt the entity's grip on her mind loosening. It wasn't gone, not completely, but for the first time in days, Rose felt like she had the upper hand.

As the last rays of sunlight faded from the cabin, Rose slumped in her chains, exhausted. The Nemisis's presence had retreated to a dark corner of her mind, still there but significantly weakened.

Rose took a shaky breath, wincing at the pain in her battered body. She had won this battle for now, the war however, was far from over. The oath still bound her to Damien, and the Nemisis could regain strength at any moment.

But for now, in this brief respite, Rose allowed herself to feel a glimmer of hope. She had proven to herself that she could fight back, that she wasn't powerless against the entity that sought to control her.

As she drifted off into an uneasy sleep, Rose's last conscious thought was of Blake and Celena. Wherever they were, whatever dangers they faced. She will defeat the Nemesis, and reclaim her life.

In the darkness of the empty cabin, as Rose's breathing evened out in sleep, a faint whisper echoed in the recesses of her mind.

"This isn't over," the Nemisis hissed. "Rest while you can, Rose. For when you wake, our battle begins anew."