CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Melody
I turn restlessly on my side with another sigh. I can’t seem to find sleep, no matter how hard I try.
Why did June’s words affect me so much?
I thought I’d gotten over being affected by other people’s opinions of me, but it seems like I still have a long way to go.
Should I have waited to see the whole scene come to an end? Abram wouldn’t have returned her kiss, right?
I sigh heavily and get up. I need a glass of warm milk and maybe some pills.
I glance at the digital clock on my bedside table and I’m surprised to see that it’s barely nine PM. I shrug on a robe and slippers and head toward the living room.
I walk to the fridge and am just about to open it when the hair on the back of my neck starts to rise. I start to turn around, but I feel a heavy thud on the back of my head and darkness overcomes me.
The last thing I see before I give in to the insistent pull of unconsciousness is a familiar sneering face.
Help!I scream, but no sound escapes my mouth.
* * *
I open my eyes with a groggy moan. A steady pain pulses in my head, and my throat feels as dry as sandpaper.
I look around slowly, relieved at the familiarity of my environment.
I’m in my apartment.
What happened?
The memories of the attack rush back to me at a dizzying speed.
I groan painfully and try to raise my hand to my head, it’s then I realize that I’m tied to my bed. My heart stops for a second and picks up again as the implication of my situation slowly dawns on me.
I struggle against the binds on my wrists and ankles, feeling a rapidly growing fear at my helplessness. I wonder for how long I’ve been out and...
“I see you’re awake, my darling,” Jack says, coming into my room. I jerk my head toward his voice, and my eyes widen in terror. He has a relaxed smile on his face as he drops into a chair by my side. “You’ve been asleep for over two hours. I was starting to get worried. But I suppose you needed the rest, seeing as you just got back from a long trip.”
“Why are you doing this,” I ask, jerking angrily against the ropes. “What do you want from me?”
“Your love, Mel,” Jack replies, leaning forward in his seat. “That’s all I ask.”
“You must be out of your mind,” I grit. “Why would I have anything to do with a psychopath like you?”
Jack slaps my cheek, and my head snaps to the side from the impact of his blow.
He stands abruptly, toppling the chair in the process. He runs a hand through his hair and sneers down at me.
“You can’t love me but you can sleep with that old fucker,” Jack says, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
“He’s ten times the man that you are,” I say, keeping my voice cold and leveled. I can’t show him that I’m terrified. I’ve seen scenes like this in movies, and people like Jack prey on their victims’ fear. “You don’t come even close, so don’t ever compare yourself to him. He’d never attack a woman and tie her up to a bed!”
“I...I just need you to listen to me,” Jack says, coming to sit beside me on the bed. “I’m going to prove my love to you.”
I swallow softly and nervously lick at my dry lips.
“Wh...what do you plan on doing to me?”