Page 14 of Behind the Mask

Her eyes widened in fear as I tilted her chin towards mine. "What did you just say?" My teeth grinded against each other as the words spewed from my mouth. I released her face and punched the wall beside her. "Did you know? This whole goddamned time and you didn't bother to tell me? How the fuck did you find out?"

She ran her hands through her brown locks in frustration. "I found out back in college, okay? I was curious to know about the girl who broke your heart, who made you turn to fighting. I was trying to see if I could even compare to her. I called dad and he did some digging, and eventually he found out the answers I needed."

My fists tightened at my sides. "Then what?"

She shrugged her shoulders and went back to the bed, as she crossed her legs. "I talked to my dad about it, and he said I needn't worry about the girl because she opened her legs to another man, so she already lost you, and therefore I had no competition."

Her perfectly manicured nails moved her hair to the side, as she smirked at me. The diamond ring I had gotten her flashed about as she messed with her hair.

I was done. This was the last straw. "The wedding's off," I said as I gathered the keys in my hand and gathered some clothes.

"No! Axel, please talk to me about this."

I stopped what I was doing and glared at her. "Why? Because you kept the biggest secret from me and tricked me into falling for you? You knew she was my first love, and you damn well knew that you'd be out on your ass if you told me."

Her face scrunched up in confusion.

"I'll arrange a flight back to Texas so you can get your shit out of my house, and I'll call a cab in the morning to pick you up, but as far as you and me are concerned, we're done."

I swung the duffel bag over my shoulder and put my hand on the knob.

She sobbed. "Please, don't leave! Let's talk this through."

I shook my head and put my room key on the dresser. "You've had two years to talk. I tried to move on with you, tried to be the best man I could be. But being here in this town with her is making my head spin. I was never truly over her, and tonight just clarified for me just how much I love her. I'm sorry, but I can't pretend anymore. I guess we're both liars."

As I opened the door, I heard her yell out. "Fine! Don't come crying to me when she walks out on you again!"

I slammed the door behind me. Even if it was only for a day, I would have Olivia back in my arms.

Chapter Twelve

Olivia

A warm hand was pressed on the inside of my shirt, lying flat against my stomach. My eyes clenched shut.No, no, no. Please not again.I couldn’t move; there wassomeonein my bed. I wasn’t alone. Fear took over and my body started to shake. My lips trembled and my teeth chattered. It was like I was cold, unable to get warm and find comfort underneath the blanket.

“Liv, you okay?” it registered that the voice belonged to Axel and not my attacker, but I still couldn’t get out of the paralyzed state I was in. My thoughts started driving a wedge between the dream world and reality once again.

Somehow, my back was pressed against the bed. Someone climbed on top of me, and that's when a scream erupted from my mouth. Tears filled my eyes, and as my gaze landed on Axel’s, the awareness that he wasn’t my attacker still didn’t register.

I was stuck on that night. Stuck on being helpless and alone, with no way of fighting him off. The sounds of his hips slapping against mine, the repulsion of his touch, the labored breaths didn’t settle. My panic rose, and I couldn’t calm myself even if I wanted to. I was shivering, and as Axel hurriedly tucked me into the blanket like a burrito, no comfort came.

He placed two hands on my face. “It’s me, Liv. You’re okay. You’re at home. It’s just me and you. Your parents are gone, and no one's here to harm you. Everything will be okay.” As the words came from his mouth, I still couldn’t seem to register them. My mind was hazy, and my vision was blurry.

He cursed and leaped off the bed. Suddenly, the water from the bathroom turned on. I didn’t know what he was doing, and I couldn’t ask. I was in a dream-like state, I couldn’t ask for help even if I wanted to.

Before I could blink, he took off my clothes and carried me to the bathroom. A gasp escaped my lips when he placed me in the hot bath water. My teeth continued to chatter, but as he cupped water in his hands and gently poured it over my body, the clarity of the situation began to register. The wheels in my mind began to spin again, and I was able to break the spell.

I placed my hands over my face and took a few deep breaths. I was okay. I was in my childhood home, nothing could hurt me in this house. I was safe. But I didn’t feel safe. Even though I repeated the words in my head, it didn’t register with the fear inside my body. Being back in this town with the devil himself was terrifying.

Axel’s hand gently caressed my back. “Breathe, Liv. Everything is okay.”

I removed my hands from my face, but kept my head cast down, so my eyes were focused on the water. Suddenly, exhaustion swept through me. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

He was quiet for a minute, but I didn’t dare look up, he was starting to see every broken piece of me, and I didn’t know how to feel about that.

“Does that happen a lot?”

I cupped the lukewarm water in my hands, and lifted them so the water drifted over and made a waterfall. “Yes.”

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