Page 89 of Prized Possession

“By the end of the meal, I’d had enough. We didn’t get on… Well, I don’t know if we would have got on as he didn’t care enough to ask anything about me. It was all about him, and I’d seen enough to know that we weren’t a match.”

She pauses, dragging in a shuddered breath, and that’s when I see a lone tear rolling down her cheek. I reach up with my thumb to wipe it away, and the look she gives me guts me.

“You don’t have to tell me any more,” I say, hoping she can hear how genuine I’m being.

For the longest time, I’ve needed to know her secret, and I still maintain for her own wellbeing, I should know it. But now the moment’s here, I’m not sure I can hear it.

I meant what I said before, I’ll never look at her differently, but it’s quickly becoming apparent to me that I care about Chloe enough to feel her pain, and that scares me. I’ve never cared about any one else in that way before, except Miles and Jake.

She gives me a small smile as she says, “I do.”

“Only if you’re sure,” I reply, and she nods her head, squeezing my hand tighter.

“When the date was over, we left the restaurant, and he asked me if I wanted to get a drink with him. I said I was going to head home, but remained polite as I thanked him for a lovely evening—lying through my fucking teeth.

“The moment I turned him down, his expression shifted. He insisted on giving me a ride home. Obviously, I tried to decline, but he said my parents wouldn’t be happy with him if he didn’t do the gentlemanly thing.

“I knew he was mentioning my parents as a threat, but I didn’t know what else to do. So I got in the car with him.”

Her voice cracks at the end, and the tears are now freely flowing down her cheeks. Her eyes look almost empty as she stares blankly, lost in the horrors of her past.

I don’t say anything. Mostly, as I’ve no fucking clue what to say, but also to give her the time she needs. I keep my grip tight on her hand, letting her know that I’m still here.

“The next part is a little fuzzy, but without going into too much detail, he drugged me and took me to this room where he kept me prisoner for around two days.”

My eyes spring wide open at that part, my brows shooting so high they disappear under my floppy fringe. “He fucking kidnapped you?”

She nods slowly, her eyes dropping back to the floor as she lets out a sob. “I’m sorry.”

“What the fuck are you apologising for? Why the hell didn’t I know you’d been kidnapped? Why didn’t Jacob tell me? I’d have helped to find you.”

I know I’m supposed to be staying calm, but I can’t. Anger bubbles under the surface, making my skin itch as fire races through my veins. I’m so fucking furious right now, but then I hear her sob.

I look up to see her staring at me, tears rolling down her face as she shrinks away from me. She thinks I’m mad at her.

“I’m sorry, Chloe. I’m not mad at you, just the situation,” I explain, pulling her close, so I can wrap my arm around her.

She lets out a sob, but leans into me. “Nobody knew,” she whispers, so quietly I can barely hear.

“What?”

“Nobody knew I was missing. He texted my mother to say we were getting on so well that I was going to stay at his beach house for the weekend. Mother was just so pleased we were getting along, she didn’t say anything.

“I’m not sure Dad or Jake even knew I was gone,” she admits with a shrug of her shoulders, like that makes it better.

“Your mother is quickly making it to the top of my shit-list,” I say through gritted teeth.

Chloe lets out a humourless laugh. “She’s on mine too, but she’ll never be at the top.”

I sigh, knowing exactly what she’s not saying. “Were you drugged the whole two days?” I ask, praying that she was.

It’s pretty fucking bad when you’re praying someone was drugged, just so they don’t remember all of the horrors that were inflicted upon them.

“No,” she says quietly. “I woke up in this room, tied to the bed, completely naked. Eventually, when I had proved I could be trusted, and wouldn’t try to escape, he untied all of my limbs except one ankle. He kept that shackled on a long lead, so if by some miracle I managed to break out of the bedroom, I couldn’t get far.”

“Motherfucker!” I snap, letting my emotions get the better of me.

Chloe leans into my side harder, like she’s the one comforting me, and once again I feel like an arsehole.

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