Page 26 of Broken Hearts

I figured I should at least ask Alex whether he lied to me or not, instead of immediately jumping to conclusions. But at the same time, I didn’t want to directly quiz him about what I’d found upstairs, because then I’d have to admit I went through all his things and face the punishment for that. I had to be sneaky about it.

“When you said it was only me, and that I was the only girl you ever took and kept… is that true?”

He hesitated for a second too long before answering. “Of course it is,” he said, looking right into my eyes. His own were slightly narrowed. Liar. “Why?”

I held up my book. “Oh, it’s just this story that got me thinking about it,” I said. “The guy in it lies to the woman and tells her all these things he thinks she wants to hear. I wondered if that’s just something all men do. I’ve… I’ve never had a boyfriend before, so I don’t really know.”

“It’s not. And besides, I’m not all men.”

“So I’m really the only one?” I batted my lashes.

“Yes. I’ve had lots of other relationships in the past, years ago, but they were just casual. Never moved past dates and sex.”

Oh, really?

He went on, his brows furrowing. “I don’t lie to you, Celeste. I thought you knew that.”

Yeah, so did I.

There wasn’t a hint of guilt in his eyes. He’d fooled me the other day with that same guiltless expression. I had no idea what else he’d lied to me about in the past, either.

I knew I could just tell him outright that I found my box along with Evangeline’s; make him admit he had in fact kept another girl here before me. Possibly others too. But he’d already lied right to my face, so it seemed clear there was no point asking. It would only get me in trouble, and if he was willing to tell me the truth, then he would have already done so when I gave him the chance. Better yet, he wouldn’t have lied in the first place.

Anyway, if I told him what I knew now, he’d probably just lie right to my face again; make up some excuse.

“Okay. I’m glad,” I said softly, giving him a faint smile.

“I’ll go fix the power.” He turned to leave, but then he turned back around with an unreadable expression on his face. “Celeste,” he began, drawing my name out slowly. “When you noticed the power was out, did you go into my office?”

Damn. I thought I was being sneaky, but not enough, apparently. He suspected something. However, the fact that he was asking me that exact question solidified my opinion that he had lied to me about keeping other girls. If he hadn’t, why would he even worry about me going into his office? If he had nothing to hide from me, he had no need to be concerned.

“I…” I was about to lie and say I didn’t go upstairs, but I quickly realized he would know. He always seemed to be able to tell when I was lying. I decided to tell a lie coated with the truth instead. “Yes,” I said, lowering my face shamefully. “I’m sorry, sir. But please let me explain.”

“Fine,” he said crisply. “I’ll give you one chance.”

I forced crocodile tears to my eyes. “I thought maybe I could get on your computer. Not to ask anyone for help or try to escape, I swear. I just…. I miss my friends. I wanted to go on Facebook and see what they’re up to. I was going to use private browsing so no one would see that it was me viewing their profiles, and I wasn’t going to talk to anyone. I just wanted to see….” I let my voice trail off for a second. “But then I realized the internet wouldn’t even work while the power is out. So I left and came back in here. I’m so sorry, sir, I know I was bad. I know you’ll want to punish me, and I deserve it.”

I wiped the faux tears from my eyes. My face was flushed, and I knew I was bright red. He would think it was from shame, when really it was out of fear of the possibility of being caught lying.

I waited for him to tell me how I would be punished. How many strokes of the cane or whip or crop or whatever the hell he’d use. Instead he sighed and kneeled in front of me. “I’m sorry, angel,” he murmured. “I understand that you miss them. I wish you didn’t have to.”

My eyes widened. Was he actually giving me a free pass because he felt bad? Or was this more of the irrelevant leniency trick he used when I first arrived, designed to confuse me? I couldn’t tell, and even if I asked, it wasn’t like he’d answer honestly. I’d at least established that.

“Sir… I really am sorry,” I whispered. The worst part? I actually did feel bad. A huge part of me was still so entranced by him, so taken with him, that I felt real, palpable guilt over what I’d done. I wasn’t sure why—perhaps my need for submission was stronger than I thought. Or perhaps I was still clinging to the irrational hope that if I pleased him enough, he’d actually set me free one day. As if I would be the one exception.

He nodded. “I know.”

“So… you aren’t going to punish me?” I asked softly.

He hooked his finger under my chin and raised it so we were eye-to-eye, me in the chair and him crouched before me. “I didn’t say that.”

My heartrate picked up, and I waited silently for his judgment.

“As punishment, you can sleep alone tonight,” he said quietly. “Use the time to think about what you did.”

My heart sank. He knew me so well by now. Knew exactly how to hurt me, and exactly how to punish me—by withholding the affection I craved so much despite all his lies and betrayal. I hated myself for thinking and feeling it… but I actually would’ve preferred the whip.

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