Page 59 of Fatal Attraction

My house was trashed.

I thought Carter had lost it and hurt himself.

I found him in my room, beaten and gagged.

It was a trap.

My head spun as I thought back to what happened before I’d blacked out. He’d beaten Carter, threatened to slit his throat if I didn’t agree to come with him.

I caved and agreed, and then the next thing I knew, he was putting a rag over my face.

It was Perry all along.

HE DID THIS!

“You sick FUCK,” I spat, my chest heaving as I thrashed more, desperate to break free and claw his fucking eyes out. “It was you all this time.”

“Guilty,” he admitted, not looking the least bit fazed over it, his grin spreading wider.

“WHY?” I screamed, unable to stop the puddle pouring down my cheeks. “Why did you do this?”

“Why?” he repeated, playing the innocent act as he slid down against the door until his knees were propped against his chest, his arms dangling over his knees with my gun still locked in his grasp, aimed at me. “Why do people do a lot of things, Charlotte? Why did Karl cheat on you? Why did Kate die that day instead of him? Why did you start going to the sanctum?”

“Wh-what?” I asked in confusion, blinking through more tears.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said simply, dismissing everything with a shrug. “I have what I want now.”

“Why did you do this, Perry?” I begged to know. “Just tell me.”

“Because you’re perfect, Charlotte,” he said, getting to his feet and approaching me, so much adoration in his eyes it made mewant to puke. He reached his free hand up and slid his two index fingers across my damp cheek, gathering my tears and sucking them deep into his mouth, his eyes closing like he was savoring the taste. “You’re absolutely perfect.”

I puckered my lips and managed to spit in his face, just to cry out when his hand shot back and slapped me hard across mine, the blow knocking my head sideways.

“You ungratefulbitch,” he hissed, his eyes black with rage. “Why did I do it? Well, it’s simple. Karl didn’t love you, didn’t appreciate you like I did. For so long I’ve watched you, studied you, at work and at home, learning everything there is to know so that I’d become the perfect man you’ve always dreamed of.”

He was sick.

Deliriously sick.

“But then you just had to go and find salvation in that goddamned sex club,” he growled, his eyes flashing. “Right inside Detective Hutch and Rhodes’ arms. Tell me, Charlotte, did you know who they were before you started whoring your pussy to them?”

“Fuck you,” my voice cracked. “I amnota whore.”

“Might as well be,” he murmured, his eyes rolling in heated disdain. “But that ends now, Charlotte. You no longer belong to them. You belong to me. I’ll whip you into shape soon enough, so you know who your rightful master is.”

“You’re fucking sick,” I spat again, my voice trembling. “You-you killed Blaire!”

“Ah, Blaire.” He grinned bigger, like he was proud of what he’d done. “She didn’t have to die, you know. She loved me, dearly. She told me she was going to leave her husband and devote herself solely to me.” He paused, picking at a piece of invisible lint on his sleeve. “She wasn’t what I wanted. I only used her to get closer to you.”

“She-she was fucking pregnant, you sick fuck!”

Something dark flashed in his eyes. Then in a blink he was beside me again, pressing the gun against my head.

I didn’t dare move or speak again.

“What the fuck did you just say?”

More tears slid down my cheeks, but I kept my lips pressed shut.

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