Page 56 of Exile

Hilton Beach wasn’t just a detour anymore.

It was starting to feel like a place where I might just belong.

***

Two weeks later, I managed to follow the three little rules he had asked me to follow. I especially enjoyed rule number three: fucking every day.

He rarely made me catch my breath or give me time to let my body relax, but all the soreness from all the fucking felt good in a way. He was restless, and when I asked him if he had always slept this little, he just laughed.

Of course, he had slept way more hours before I turned up at his door a couple of weeks ago, but he didn’t seem to miss it.

Today wasn’t about him or our rules. Today, I needed to get out of the house for a bit. I convinced Caspian to let me walk to the general store to get a few ingredients for dinner tonight. I promised him I’d text him the second I arrived, even if the store was just down the road. He wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea, but he relented.

He told me not to talk to Henry, but I hadn’t intended to, anyway. My plan was to go in, grab the ingredients, and leave.

The bell above the door chimed as I stepped into the store, making my entrance seem way more excited than I was. I looked around and grabbed a basket before making my way toward the shelves.

Henry was nowhere in sight, but I’d for sure see him at checkout.

I started placing things in my basket, occasionally grabbing things we didn’t really need. Caspian wouldn’t be too happy about that, but I was sure he’d enjoy some good old salt and vinegar chips too.

“Well, look who it is.” Henry’s voice came out of nowhere, and when I turned around, I saw him standing right there, a few feet behind me. “Heard you’re extending your stay. Say, are you staying on your own will, or is he forcing you to stay?”

I frowned at him. “Forcing me?”

I didn’t have the strength to start an argument with him, but I wasn’t going to let him say things that simply weren’t true.

“Yeah. I’m surprised he let you come here alone. Thought he kept a tight leash on you.”

I gripped the basket tighter. “He’s not keeping me on a leash.”

Henry’s eyes gleamed with mock amusement. “Sure, he’s not. Everyone in town’s talking about it. You know, how Caspian’s got you holed up in that house of his now. Never lets you go anywhere alone. Doesn’t let you talk to anyone.”

“That’s not true,” I said, heat rising in my cheeks. “I can talk to whoever I like, but he’s pretty much the only one I like talking to.”

He lifted his hand to his chest. “Ouch. That hurt, darling.”

God, I hated him.

He was in his thirties, and you would think that he was mature enough not to act this way.

I turned away to grab the last couple of things I needed for dinner, needing to get some distance between us, but he followed me shamelessly.

“Men like Caspian…they don’t change. You think you’re special because you’re family? He doesn’t really care about you. God knows why he’s keeping you here. Probably wants us to think that he’s a good man, but we all know he’s not.”

I was angry.

Hurt by the words he so loosely threw at me.

Henry didn’t know shit about Caspian.

Or my relationship with him.

I opened my mouth to respond, my words ready to attack, but I was stopped when the door behind me creaked open. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. I felt the shift in the air, the sudden tension.

There was also the look of horror in Henry’s eyes, which he tried hard to hide.

Of course, Caspian came to my rescue. Again.

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