Page 32 of A Debt of Darkness

We stay like this and I don’t know what to make of it. It's new and I'm unsure. It isn't complicated and it isn't straightforward. I'm not opposed to this, but I think I should be.

“There’s something I need to take care of, urgently and I’ve already delayed it. I’ll be back shortly,” Henry says, breaking the silence. “Do you want anything, Ivy?”

I shake my head and he frowns. “Space.”

Henry isn’t thrilled that the first thing I ask for—that I genuinely want—is to be left alone, but he seems relieved I’ve asked for something. For anything. He’s noticed the shift, even if it hasn’t given him what he wants. It’s a step he wanted and it makes me unhappy.

“Would you like me to send some tea?”

I shake my head and back away.

“Just space,” he says, turning and heading out the door. “I'm pleased, Ivy. Really pleased.”

The door closes and the lock clicks. The atmosphere’s changed and I don't like it. The room is empty now he's gone and I hate him for it. I'm spinning and I don't understand why. Our fight brought us closer together and it’s another thing Ididn't agree to.

I'm losing my goddamn mind. Henry's still an asshole and objectively nothing has changed. But something has shifted and I can't figure out what.

I pace the room, struggling to brush off what happened.

Or my reaction to Henry. I don't like him, but he does something to me. It makes me feel alive. It’s despicable and my body responds to it.

It’s unsettling.

It’s different.

It’s exciting.

I've never been this attracted to anyone before. One look is enough to set me on fire and when he touches me, I burn. I hate him, except I don't. I don't like him but I’m attracted to him.

It’s a fucking mess.

The sane bit of my brain screams he wants me like this—isolated, confused, adrift, and desperate for salvation—and he’ll step into the ambiguity and bend me to his will. I’ll be dependent on him and then he can move the needle as often as he likes. As often as he wants.

It’s brilliant.

A masterstroke of manipulation.

A soft knock interrupts my thoughts. It’s a gentle tapping I haven’t heard before. It isn’t Henry. It isn’t Ryan. My eyes bore into the wooden panels, expecting the door to open, but it doesn’t.

And then the lock turns and the mechanism clicks open.

Someone should walk in with tea.

But the goddamn door remains closed. The lock’s open but no one enters. It’s a puzzle and I need to solve it. Quickly.

This could be some sort of cruel test devised by Henry to torment me.

Or this could be my chance. Someone unlocked the door and it’s possible at least one person here may be on my side.

I’ve got no way of knowing which of the two things it is, and guessing wrong could cost me. But doing nothing isn’t an option and I’ve spent too long trapped in this room. This is the first chance I’ve had to escape in a week and I’d be a fool not to take it.

My hand shakes as I turn the handle, and the door swings open. The corridor is empty and my heart races as I creep through it, edging down the staircase and trying to remember my way out.

The place is deserted and adrenaline pours through me as I walk, pretending everything is normal. The front door is close enough to be in reach but far enough away that the seconds it takes to reach it turn painful.

I turn its handle and sunlight streams into the entrance hall. It’s a ray of hope and I step outside, unsure where the hell I am.

Yet again, I’ve got no fucking plan.

---