Page 85 of Grotesque Love

“I said, I never loved her,” Carver repeats, the madness in hiseyes evident now. “I loved you. The moment I saw you, I knew you were the one.”

He steps towards me, stopping when his toe hits the decapitated head between us. With a sigh of annoyance, he reaches out with his foot and nudges it out of the way, before closing the gap.

With his hands resting on the arms of the chair, he leans down until our faces are almost touching.

I want to pull away, but there’s nowhere to go.

“But you almost ruined it,” he whispers, his breath warm on my cheek. “You could have ruined everything.”

“I’m sorry.” The words fall pitifully from my lips, almost inaudible. The need to apologise, to comply, to go along with his insanity is automatic.

He’s unhinged, and part of my brain is screaming at me to do anything to avoid making the situation worse.

“That’s why she had to go. Your mother. It was almost time. And the pair of you kept fighting. She wasn’t keeping you safe. You kept pushing back. If I didn’t intervene, you would have done something reckless.”

“What do you mean,she had to go?” I frown at his ramblings and shake my head, refusing to accept his narrative. Unwilling to process his words.

“She died in a car crash,” I whisper, “a drunk driver,”

“That is what all the reports said, isn’t it?” He chuckles. “I guess when you have as much money as me, you can embellish the truth a little.”

The truth? What was the truth? Did he even know anymore with all the lies and scheming?

He continues, sounding pleased. “And there you were, the poor, grief-stricken, rebellious daughter who blamed herself for the entire thing.”

I can’t unsnarl the tangled web of lies and manipulation I’ve been wrapped up in. He wanted me to be sick. Wanted me to break under the weight of my grief and depression. Fed me pills,like he was helping me and all he was doing was turning me into his pliant little toy.

He grins. “You have no idea what I’ve done to keep you safe.”

He nods to where the head rolled, and pain lances through my chest. “Every time the…urge got too much, I used them instead. I had to keep you safe. It wasn’t time yet.”

My heart sinks, and I wonder how many people have lost their lives at his hands. How many families have been torn apart because of him? How much more blood must be spilled before this nightmare is over?

His voice drops to a low growl. “I did it all for you. So I could be close to you, to watch over you, to protect you. There was only ever you.”

The words echo in my mind, overwhelming me. Grief and horror swamp me, like mud or quicksand, pulling under. How could my own mother be a pawn in this twisted game? How could Carver have manipulated her – and me – so completely?

My head throbs, and the room seems to spin as I struggle to keep my head up.

“Now,” he says, his voice softening, “We’ll start anew.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“It means that it’s time for me to make you mine completely.” he replies, his grin widening.

My stomach churns, and I think of the innocent souls he’s taken for no reason. Nosanereason.

He wanted me, so he was forced to kill? I don’t understand.

The woman at my feet…it’s not the first time, and I know in my bones, despite his words of starting anew, that it surely won’t be the last.

I glance at the lifeless face, her unseeing eyes a reminder that her story doesn’t end here. She had a family, a life, and now she’s gone because of his sick obsession with me. I shudder at the thought of what he’ll do next. I can’t let him harm anyone else. I don’t know how, but I have to find a way to end this nightmare.

My monsters were right. I should have let them kill him. There’s no blackmailing – or reasoning – with someone as desperately unhinged as he is.

I need to figure out what Carver is planning and find a way to counter it. I have to buy some time, to find some way to outsmart this madman and get out of this hellish situation.

Carver continues his rant about how he’ll make me his as I stare into his eyes, searching for any semblance of sanity. But all I see is darkness.

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