Page 45 of Deadly Vows

I feel like I’m drowning, gasping for air as the past suffocates me. My entire body shakes as I try to grasp what he’s telling me. The man I thought I knew was unraveling before my eyes, and the picture that was forming was terrifying.

“My dad was no saint,” Danny continues, his voice low but intense. “But he didn’t deserve to die like that. He didn’t deserve to be beaten to death in front of his own son.”

I can’t stop the hot tears from spilling down my cheeks, and I don’t bother wiping them away. “I didn’t know,” I whisper.

“Of course you didn’t.” Danny leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “You were a toddler. But I wasn’t. I saw everything. And after that… after your father went to prison, after everything fell apart, I promised myself that one day I would make things right.”

My breath catches in my throat as the pieces start to fall into place - the strange way Danny had seemed to know me even before we started dating, the way he always seemed so interested in my family, asking questions I didn’t think much of at the time.

“You tracked me down?” I ask, my voice trembling. “You were following me?”

Danny nods, unashamed. “It wasn’t hard once I found you. I watched you for months, learned your routines, and learned everything about you. And then, one day, I ‘bumped’ into you at the supermarket. You remember that, don’t you?”

Of course, I remember. How could I forget? The day we met felt like something out of a movie - perfectly timed and serendipitous. I had no idea it had all been orchestrated.

“You planned all of this,” I cringe, the horror of it sinking in.

“Yes,” he says simply, with no remorse. “Because you belong to me. You always have. You’re the debt the universe owes me for what your father did.”

I can’t breathe. The room is spinning. “You’re insane. This is insane.”

Danny stands up and walks over to me, kneeling down in front of me again. He takes my chin, forcing me to look at him. His eyes are burning with something dark I can’t quite name.

“I’m not insane, baby,” he says softly. “I’m just making things right. And now, with you here…with our baby…it’s all finally coming full circle.”

I flinch at the mention of the baby, a fresh wave of fear washing over me. “You think this will make things right?” I ask. “You think keeping me here, forcing me to stay, will fix anything?”

Danny’s grip tightens on my chin, and his eyes harden. “I think it’s the only way,” he says, his voice deadly serious. “You belong to me, Talia. You always have. And now, you always will.”

I pull back, wrenching my face away from his hand, but he doesn’t move. He just stares at me, waiting, watching.

“You’re sick,” I say, my voice stronger now, fueled by a sudden surge of defiance. “You’re delusional if you think this will even the score.”

Danny’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t say anything. He just stands up, looming over me once again.

“I’ve waited years for this,” he says quietly, his voice sharp as a blade. “Years of searching, planning, watching. You’re not going anywhere. Not now. Notever.”

I swallow hard, the lump in my throat threatening to strangle me. How did I not see this? How could I have missed the signs, the little things that, in hindsight, should have setoff alarms? The way he always seemed to know too much, his uncanny ability to be wherever I was seemingly by chance. But now, it all feels like a trap I walked straight into.

I shift uncomfortably, trying to steady my trembling hands. “I’m not staying here. I’ll find a way to leave.”

“Leave?” His laugh is cold. “You won’t get far. The doors and windows are locked. And even if you did manage to slip out, where would you go? Who would believe you? I’m not the monster you’re making me out to be. To everyone else, I’m your perfect boyfriend, the father of your child. They wouldn’t believe you if you tried to tell them the truth.”

His words twist the knife deeper. I want to scream, to yell, to run, but I feel trapped, tethered to this horror that’s suddenly become my life.

“How can you do this?” I ask, my voice breaking. “This isn’t love. It’s not even close.”

He crouches again, his eyes narrowing with an intensity that chills. “Love?” He scoffs. “This isn’t about love. This is about balance. About making things right. My father died because of yours, Talia. He was ripped away from me. And now, you’re here giving me back what I lost. I’ll be the husband and father he wasn’t.”

I shake my head, unable to comprehend the depths of his obsession. “You can’t just claim a person, Danny. I’m not some object you can own.”

His hand moves to my cheek, the gesture almost tender, but it makes me want to claw my skin off. “You don’t get it yet, do you?” he whispers. “You were always meant to be mine. You’rethe one thing the universe gave me to compensate for my loss. Everything was leading up to this.”

I slap his hand away, the anger bubbling up like a volcano. “You’re wrong,” I say through clenched teeth, my words heated with raw emotion. “This isn’t justice. It’s just more violence.”

His expression flickers and something dark passes over his face. But it’s gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced with that unnerving calm.

“Maybe,” he says quietly, standing up again, looming over me like a shadow. “But it’s the only justice I know. You and the baby are mine.”

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