“You don’t have to warn me, I’ll be yours forever and soon we’ll run away together, we’ll leave and never come back. It will just be the two of us, together forever.” I smile, and though I don’t know what the future holds I want Luke to be my forever, my always. If it wasn’t for him, I would be all alone in this place. I would be lost in an endless sea of life.
I blink and the memory fades away. I take a step backward, the anger draining from my face. He did warn me, but that doesn’t make it right. He lied to me, betrayed me, he can’t just expect to come running back into my life, to be able to stake claim to me, like nothing ever happened.
I had a suspicion of someone watching me, but I thought I was just being paranoid, now it all makes sense. Pushing my emotions aside I ask the important questions first.
“How long have you been watching me? And you still didn’t give me an answer on how you found me in the first place?”
He gives his head a slight shake. “None of that matters. I’m here now, and I’m not letting you go again. You’re coming with me and that’s final.”
“You might be able to force me to come with you, but you won’t be able to make me hate you any less,” I growl at him on my way to the bathroom. I’m fed up with him. Less than twenty-four hours back in my life and he’s making demands and telling me what I’m going to do. I think not.
I slam the door shut behind me and turn the lock into place. Of-fucking-course there is no window in the bathroom. Why would the universe bestow such an easy escape upon me.
I take my sweet time, brushing my teeth with the new toothbrush laying out on the counter, before I turn on the shower, and step into the hot spray.
There is already shampoo and conditioner as well as shower gel, all in a flower scent very similar to the one I have at home. I wash my hair, massaging the shampoo into my scalp, before rinsing it out. I do the same for my body.
When I’m all dried off, I realize that I don’t have any clean clothes to wear and I kick myself in the ass for not thinking ahead. Angrily I wrap myself up in a large fluffy towel and open the door. As soon as the door opens, I’m greeted by Luke, who is holding a stack of women’s clothing in his hand.
“I got you these,” he says, before I can open my mouth. Just when I thought there couldn’t possibly be any more surprises, he shocks me yet again. But I’m already angry, knowing that he was watching me, that he had something to do with all my failed attempts at dating.
“You planned this, didn’t you?” I accuse, my gaze narrowing. “You already had clothes and toiletries waiting here for me. Did you set this whole thing up? Did you send that guy to attack me too?” I tilt my head sideways as if doing so will give me a better angle at noticing his lies. That’s all, he’s full of lies and bullshit.
“Don’t be ridiculous, I would never endanger your life like that.” I can’t help but laugh bitterly at his statement. Doesn’t he realize he’s endangering it now. I mean, I don’t know who he is anymore, or what he plans to do with me. I thought I knew him once, but that was merely a façade, an image he painted of himself for me. He was good at making me believe who he wanted me to see him as.
“You’re a liar and a bastard, just like your father,” I say, spitting the words and as soon as they leave my mouth, I regret them. He moves so fast that I don’t even get a chance to react. Like a lion pouncing on its prey he’s on me in a flash. His huge hand is wrapped around my throat and my back is slammed against the wall. I can’t breathe. I can’t do anything but stare up into the eyes of a man I thought I knew.
“Don’t you dare compare me to him! I am nothing like he was,” he growls, only an inch from my face. His warm breath fans over my cheeks but his icy stare has my blood frozen in my veins. My whole body is shaking in his hold as fear, and anger coat my insides. I’ve witnessed Luke do bad things. I’ve seen him kill twice, and I’m sure he’s done it numerous other times, but he has never laid a hand on me, not even once, not until now.