familiarity of his body pressing against my backside.
“Go to your room, Eve,” he ordered. “I need to talk to mommy for a while.”
Her wide eyes met mine, much too knowing for a three-year-old. A tear fell down my cheek as I forced another smile. “It’s okay. Go. I bought you a doll. It’s on your bed.”
She hesitated, but the promise of a new toy lured her to safety.
Neither of us moved or said a word at first. The scent of his cologne, tarnished by the stench of whiskey, burned my nose. I swallowed the vomit rising in my throat. “What do you want?”
“What do you think I want?” he snapped.
“I don’t know.”
He snorted. “Don’t play dumb. You know I can’t stand it when you lie.”
“I’m not lying. Please . . . don’t hurt us.” He nudged the barrel into my scalp, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
“I’d never hurt my daughter, but you’re gonna pay.” He pushed me further into the living room, but a knock on the front door halted him. “Fuck.” Changing tactics, he tugged me in the direction of the door and folded his large body in the corner, keeping the gun trained on me. “Expecting someone?”
I shook my head.
“Good. Get rid of them.” His gaze, colorless in a face that was too quick to deceive, leveled me. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
I turned the handle and peered out, and as I met Gage’s stare, every part of me froze. I wanted to beg for his help, but Rick still had his gun pressed into my back.
“We’re not done yet, Kayla,” Gage leaned forward. “You’re nuts if you think you can show up on my doorstep and pretend it didn’t happen.”
I raised my hand to ward him off. “I just got home with Eve. Can we talk about this another time?”
His eyes narrowed and then traveled the length of my body. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
His attention darted behind me, and he scanned the small space of my foyer.
“You need to leave.” I slammed the door.
“Smooth move,” Rick admonished. “You suck at acting normal.” He pushed me into the living room and toward the couch. “You better hope he doesn’t come back.” Knocking me to my knees, he muttered, “Stubborn whore.”
“Don’t do this. Please.”
“Shut up.” He bent me over the cushion and jerked my hands behind my back.
“Please, Rick.”
Blinding pain exploded at my temple. “I said shut up.”
“Please,” I begged again as he secured my wrists with rope.
He whacked me on the other side of the head and grabbed my hair, pulling tight. “Did you enjoy fucking him?”
“He forced me.”
“But you liked it, didn’t you? You keep going back.”
I struggled to breathe, but my fear was too intense.
“Did your fucking vows mean nothing? You think you can forget about me so easily?”
“No,” I choked. “I haven’t forgotten you.”
He laughed, a sound that struck more terror in me than any strike from Gage. “I’ll make sure you don’t forget me.” He got up, and his shoes thudded across the carpet. He dragged a chair to Eve’s door and wedged it underneath the handle. “You didn’t think I’d miss my daughter’s homecoming, did you?” The floor vibrated as he neared. “You and me are gonna celebrate all right. You owe me three years of fucking, Kayla.”
He kneeled behind me and wrenched up my skirt, and I started sobbing, barely able to see through my tears. “Don’t do this—”
“Did he fuck you in the ass? I hear he has a thing for that.”
He shoved my face into the cushion, smothering my cries, and suddenly the memories flooded me. I’d almost forgotten how many times he’d choked me, how he’d smothered me with a pillow on a nightly basis. So many times I thought I was going to die, but then he’d allow me a gasp of air before continuing his suffocation methods.
“I bet he did do you up the ass.” He pushed my legs together, tugged my panties down, and I heard the slide of a zipper.
I struggled, my lungs burning for life as
“Go to your room, Eve,” he ordered. “I need to talk to mommy for a while.”
Her wide eyes met mine, much too knowing for a three-year-old. A tear fell down my cheek as I forced another smile. “It’s okay. Go. I bought you a doll. It’s on your bed.”
She hesitated, but the promise of a new toy lured her to safety.
Neither of us moved or said a word at first. The scent of his cologne, tarnished by the stench of whiskey, burned my nose. I swallowed the vomit rising in my throat. “What do you want?”
“What do you think I want?” he snapped.
“I don’t know.”
He snorted. “Don’t play dumb. You know I can’t stand it when you lie.”
“I’m not lying. Please . . . don’t hurt us.” He nudged the barrel into my scalp, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
“I’d never hurt my daughter, but you’re gonna pay.” He pushed me further into the living room, but a knock on the front door halted him. “Fuck.” Changing tactics, he tugged me in the direction of the door and folded his large body in the corner, keeping the gun trained on me. “Expecting someone?”
I shook my head.
“Good. Get rid of them.” His gaze, colorless in a face that was too quick to deceive, leveled me. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
I turned the handle and peered out, and as I met Gage’s stare, every part of me froze. I wanted to beg for his help, but Rick still had his gun pressed into my back.
“We’re not done yet, Kayla,” Gage leaned forward. “You’re nuts if you think you can show up on my doorstep and pretend it didn’t happen.”
I raised my hand to ward him off. “I just got home with Eve. Can we talk about this another time?”
His eyes narrowed and then traveled the length of my body. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
His attention darted behind me, and he scanned the small space of my foyer.
“You need to leave.” I slammed the door.
“Smooth move,” Rick admonished. “You suck at acting normal.” He pushed me into the living room and toward the couch. “You better hope he doesn’t come back.” Knocking me to my knees, he muttered, “Stubborn whore.”
“Don’t do this. Please.”
“Shut up.” He bent me over the cushion and jerked my hands behind my back.
“Please, Rick.”
Blinding pain exploded at my temple. “I said shut up.”
“Please,” I begged again as he secured my wrists with rope.
He whacked me on the other side of the head and grabbed my hair, pulling tight. “Did you enjoy fucking him?”
“He forced me.”
“But you liked it, didn’t you? You keep going back.”
I struggled to breathe, but my fear was too intense.
“Did your fucking vows mean nothing? You think you can forget about me so easily?”
“No,” I choked. “I haven’t forgotten you.”
He laughed, a sound that struck more terror in me than any strike from Gage. “I’ll make sure you don’t forget me.” He got up, and his shoes thudded across the carpet. He dragged a chair to Eve’s door and wedged it underneath the handle. “You didn’t think I’d miss my daughter’s homecoming, did you?” The floor vibrated as he neared. “You and me are gonna celebrate all right. You owe me three years of fucking, Kayla.”
He kneeled behind me and wrenched up my skirt, and I started sobbing, barely able to see through my tears. “Don’t do this—”
“Did he fuck you in the ass? I hear he has a thing for that.”
He shoved my face into the cushion, smothering my cries, and suddenly the memories flooded me. I’d almost forgotten how many times he’d choked me, how he’d smothered me with a pillow on a nightly basis. So many times I thought I was going to die, but then he’d allow me a gasp of air before continuing his suffocation methods.
“I bet he did do you up the ass.” He pushed my legs together, tugged my panties down, and I heard the slide of a zipper.
I struggled, my lungs burning for life as
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