The Beauty of Butterflies

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review. The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Copyright © 2023 by A.R. Breck. All rights reserved. Cover design by Ashes & Vellichor Editing by Nice Girl Naughty Edits Proofreading by Rumi Khan Formatting by AJ Wolf Graphics Table of Contents Copyright Playlist Dedication Trigger Warnings Preface Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Coming Soon RAINN Acknowledgements Books By A.R. Breck About The Author Follow Me Playlist We Built This City by Aron Wright and Jill Andrews Black Hole Sun by Nouela Where is my Mind by The Blue Notes I Wanna Be Sedated by Benjamin Wallfisch and Mirel Wagner Don’t Fear the Reaper by The Spiritual Machines Rue des trois freres by Fabrizio Paterlini Another Love by Tom Odell Nothing’s Going to Hurt You Baby by Cigarettes After Sex Lean On by Like Swimming Just Pretend by Bad Omens Dream On by Kelly Sweet House of the Rising Sun by Lauren O’Connell Arcade by Duncan Laurence Survivor by 2WEI Sirens by Fleurie King for a Day by Pierce the Veil Right Here Waiting by Chase Holfelder Love is a Bitch by Two Feet You’re the One I Want by Lo-Fang Maneater by Grace Mitchell Total Eclipse of the Heart by Jill Andrews Lean on Me by J2 and Sizzy Rocket Come As You Are by Prep School Desire by Meg Myers Unsteady by Chase Holfelder The Sound of Silence by The Disturbed To all survivors, you are a warrior. We stand as one. Trigger warnings This book contains the following triggers: murder, death, suicidal ideations, BDSM, bondage, drug use, adult situations, violence, sexual assault, rape, and strong language. If you have any triggers, please read with caution. Preface Writing the Bones of Betrayal series is a story that comes from the deepest part of my soul. It’s not an easy read, or something that will be considered light in any way. Writing is considered a form of therapy, and it didn’t take much for me to realize I needed to tell my story. I wanted to share my experiences of love, life, and loss. Living through the five stages of grief doesn’t necessarily require a death. You can experience so much loss without burying a single body. What I have personally experienced with mental illness may be a completely different story than what everyone else may have experienced. Each book in this series reveals a piece of me, yet book two of this series will incorporate the raw, real, and painful aspects of my life. It’s what I have experienced this last year. It’s not pretty, and if I can advise you at this time, I will. There are heavy triggers in this book. You have been warned. Welcome to my story, and I honestly still have no clue how it ends. Prologue Love is like a flame. Bright. Hot. Vibrant. Something you get close to but there's always the hesitation whether you want to actually step into it. Does anyone ever want to get burned? I don't. No, I didn't. But I did. The thing about a flame is it's a light. Without electricity, that's how we see the world. Light. Flames. Embers. It's how we should look at love. Without love, where are we? What are we? But sometimes the brightness isn't enough. Sometimes our flame becomes weak, not enough wick to burn any longer. Sometimes the darkness becomes so overpowering, it's no longer a light, but a spark, a flicker in the distance that holds nothing. It gives us nothing. Our love is still there, it still burns, continues to consume our lives. But sometimes, the flame just isn't bright enough against the darkness. What are we without love? What are we without life? Are we the flame that burns brightly, or are we the spark that fades in only a moment? My love was a fire that consumed the earth. Nothing Chapter One Vivianna Smoke. It’s the first thing I notice before my eyes are even opened. Before my mind is fully awake. It’s thick, a noxious scent that leaves me heavy and immobile. I breathe it in, allowing the toxins to invade my lungs enough to the point a cough bursts from my chest, making me jackknife from my bed. My spine curls over as I rid the thick residue from my insides, but it doesn’t help any, as the next inhale I take is filled with even more unbearable smoke. “What the hell?” I choke, leaning over, my fingers hitting the small knob of my lamp and switching it on. My eyes burst into saucers as I see a blanket of smoke curling from beneath my door, the yellowish orange glow illuminating from the hallway. “Holy shit!” I scream, ripping the warm covers from my body and slipping onto the floor. Sweat instantly breaks across my skin even as goosebumps flare over my arms. It’s an alarming feeling, to be ripped from your dreams to such a traumatic experience. Not one I’d