Trigger Warning: Self harm, sexual assault, and gore. Do not read if these subjects will harm or offend you, as they're told through first-person perspective with focus on emotional response.

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6, Part 1
Chapter 6, Part 2
Chapter 7
Chapter 8, Part 1
Chapter 8, Part 2
Chapter 9 - Last Chapter

Time for some satisfaction, and a segue into Phase II of Avery's past. Please give any feedback you have for this in the comments! I'd love to know what works and what doesn't, like where it might be melodramatic or feel lagging, or anything else you notice. Same with anything I've written that you read, please. Thank you!

See a sketch of the leg braces here.

Story's Purpose: This is a story focused on the mind and experiences of the narrator, and how his past experiences resurface to shape who he is and how he handles his current relationship. While at first it may seem like it could be slightly erotic, due to the use of elements that can be construed as kinky in other contexts (such as the recycling of the leg braces from my Intimate Installments product line from a separate fictional universe), the story will become very dark quite quickly and isn't meant to be taken as erotica. Given the other content in my gallery (and in turn, my readers' likely expectations), I can't deny you arousal or attraction to any content in this story because you are your own individual people who are safe to digest content in your minds as you will. However, please keep in mind that the story is supposed to be a serious exploration of post-traumatic stress, while also exploring immediate emotional reactions to mounting terrible experiences in the form of flashbacks. Thank you

About the Trigger Warnings: As of Chapter 4, I've started including trigger warnings at the top of descriptions for chapters that I think might contain "over the edge" descriptions of content that could trigger real PTSD in a real reader, because I don't want that. Generally these chapters will include sensitive mental illness themes like self harm, or common traumatic experiences like sexual assault -- I don't find TWs necessary for plain violence, since we see that everywhere anyway and the average reader likely can't actually relate to it. But please let me know if you feel any unlabeled chapter should contain a TW.

About Accuracy and Offense: If you have personal experience with PTSD or relevant traumatic events and feel my depiction of them is seriously, harmfully flawed, please let me know so I can evaluate your view and try to fix any potential issues. On the flip side, if this content offends you in general and there is no way I could please you other than removing the story altogether, please do the reasonable thing and not read the story, and move on to allow the existence of this story for those who will not be offended and might gain something from reading it. Thanks so much and no hard feelings!

Disclaimer: I am in no way attempting to glorify any form of abuse or otherwise physical or emotional suffering. This is a serious (albeit amateur) exploration dealing with a character I, as the writer, have become fond of like a parent (I don't expect anyone else to feel the same), so nothing is here just for shock value. Everything, including the more "exciting" scenes, has a purpose and ties into connections with his present, or the larger theme. Furthermore, I have never personally experienced or dealt with PTSD or traumatic events, so the way I will portray them is based primarily on my collection of understanding of the subject from other people in my life and from reading, filled in by assumption, and is in no way supposed to be representative of real PTSD or traumatic events. I mean to offend or misrepresent no one. DO NOT take my depictions as fact; I use the flexible term "exploration" for a reason, rather than "account" or "analysis" or anything else with a sense of credibility.