Page 28 of The Author

Faye

When he returned from the shops, I couldn’t contain my excitement. He was going to remove the stitches. I was beyond trying to figure out his hot and cold moods. He imitated a two-year-old the way he stomped out of the room earlier. I kept my eyes closed because I didn’t want to watch him pull the black thread out of my skin. It would have grossed me out.

I frowned.

Yet drinking his cum shakes didn’t? What the fuck was wrong with me? How was he normalising that shit with me?

“Does it hurt?” He asked as he tugged on the thread.

I opened my eyes to see his face close to mine, making me jerk backwards. I winced as I felt a sharp tug below my lip. It was only then that I saw he was holding metal tweezers.

Well, it fucking hurt now.

I pursed my lips together but didn’t indicate anything to him. I just wanted him to get this over and done with.

He tilted my face upwards, using his grip on my chin. His blue eyes peered into mine for a moment. He looked like he was trying to figure out a complex puzzle.

“I’ve changed my mind. You are only going to piss me off if you start mouthing off,” he murmured with a nefarious smile.

I felt my heart plunge into my stomach.

Why did I think I could trust his word? Had he been playing with me all this time? I closed my eyes because I didn’t want to see his evil fucking face.

I swallowed as I felt my heart break a tiny bit. I had wanted the stitches out so badly. After jerking my face away from his hand, I put my chin on my chest and felt my tears escape.

“Aww. Don’t cry,” he said, openly mocking me yet again. He ran his finger over my tears, trailing them downwards. “All you need to do is earn my trust and follow all my instructions.”

He yanked my head up again.

“You’ll text Marianna and tell her you have taken a little break for a few months. Then I want you to compose an email to your contacts for work and do the same.”

A shiver ran down my back, and I felt the goose pimples rise on my arms.

Months?

God knows what he would do to me during that time. I would miss my own book launch.

I shook my head, but his eyes narrowed on mine, and his fingers dug into my jaw.

“Do you know what one of my villains did in one of my books? He sliced off pieces of skin and stitched them up. I think my sewing skills require some practice,” he said with a slow smile.

I felt the bile churn in my belly.

“There was another who nailed hands and feet onto a wooden wall. It kept the victim nice and still. I have a nail gun, I’d just need to get longer nails for it. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

I tried to shake my head, but his fingers held onto my jaw.

“Do you want to live, Faye?”

That was an asinine fucking question. I nodded as much as I could.

“Do as I say. You really don’t know what kind of a monster you're dealing with,” he said coldly.

I closed my eyes in defeat. When I felt his other hand in my hair, I cringed. He gripped my hair, and I felt his breath on my face.

“Good fucking girl,” he growled.

???

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