Page 105 of Broken Bonds

His words were like a slap in the face, and I stumbled backward into the door of the room.

“Why didn’t you wait?” I tried to keep my voice steady, but suddenly, insecurity invaded my mind. I wrapped my arms around my body tighter in hopes to stop the shaking.

“I got drunk and wanted to screw someone. Didn’t see the issue when you were the one who wasn’t ready for me.”

My phone on the bed started buzzing obnoxiously, and Julian reached for it when I didn’t move, too shocked to process everything. He held the screen up for me to see a picture of Amber.She must be worried.

Shaking my head, I ignored the call. “How long, Julian?” I demanded, not wanting to know but also needing the answer.

“A few weeks—since Ryan left, I guess.” He looked down at the now silent phone.

Since Ryan was no longer around to keep him in line.

When I thought he had been giving me space to help my friend, he was sleeping with other girls. Lost in thought, I didn’t notice him going through my phone. “What is this?” he said quietly, raising the phone to my face, my missed notifications on the brightly lit screen. Searching, I didn’t see anything until my eyes landed on the text from earlier.

The text from Ace.

“Nothing, baby,” I tried assuring him. Fear filled my veins as Julian stood up. Anger simmered beneath his taut muscles, his empty hand clenched in a tight fist.

“This isn’t nothing. This looks like something, Celine,” he sneered, reading the text again before throwing my phone at the wall near my head. I ducked quickly, fear damn near paralyzing me.

An alarmed cry involuntarily passed through my lips when I looked back at him, his body shaking in rage. “Don’t you call me baby after you’ve been texting your ex!” he roared.

“I don’t see why it matters when you’ve been cheating on me for weeks after you promised to wait!” He laughed, cracking his knuckles as he looked at me with disgust.

“The point, Celine,” he paused, taking a threatening step closer to me, “is that I don’t get cheated on. I do the cheating. I have control of the situation, not pathetic little girls like you,” he growled.

Before I could move, his hand flew toward my face, slapping me across the cheek and knocking me to the ground. A pained cry ripped from my lips.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” The words trembled from my shaking lips as I tried crawling away from him.

His foot connected with my stomach a second later, sending me flying into the wall with a thump. He stepped forward and kicked again, then three more times after that. The pleas leaving my lips were uncontrollable. I sobbed and begged and cried, pleading with him to stop. Screaming for help.

He picked me up, holding me above the ground with his hand around my throat, a sneer twisting his lips. “You’re weak, Celine—so weak and pathetic. It’s no wonder Ace didn’t want you.” He threw me into the wall, and a scream of pain escaped my lips.

Bending down to hover over me on the ground, his fist soared into my already throbbing cheek, and I saw stars before my head dropped to the ground.

He’s going to kill me.

His fist slammed into my stomach, and I almost threw up, gagging. “Stupid little girl. You should’ve listened to the warnings. So desperate to be loved, you followed me around like a little lost puppy.”

He stood, and his foot slammed into my stomach again. “Please,” I whimpered. He leaned down, and I looked at him through blurry eyes. My head was spinning and throbbing, my vision threatening to wink out.

“You want me, baby?” he whispered and started unzipping his pants.

I screamed as loud as I could over the pounding music, hoping someone would hear me. I screamed for help. Screamed for someone to free me. To get me out of this fucking room.

Suddenly, someone was pounding on the door, and I could hear Amber’s hysterical voice. “Let me in! Open the door!” She was kicking and screaming, but Julian only laughed, stepping out of his jeans as he came closer to me.

“Help me!” I screamed, crawling away from him.

His fist connected with the back of my head, and my face slammed into the musky carpet. Vomit spewed from my lips at the pain. “Shut up!” he roared and sent a round of fists to my back. I collapsed with a scream.

“Let me in, fucker!” Amber screamed through the door, her fists banging loudly. “Someone help me!”

The banging grew louder, and then a male voice shouted through the door, “Open the door, Julian! Open it now!”

“You stupid girl,” Julian sneered, pulling my hair back so I could look at him. “I never liked you anyway.” His bloody fist came for my face, and I blacked out just as the door burst open.

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