Page 168 of The Wrong Play

His head tilted just slightly, his brows pulling together.

I swallowed hard, my fingers twisting into the fabric of my soaking wet sweatshirt. “It started right after I graduated high school,” I continued, my voice cracking on the words. “He’s my dad’s best friend. He…he was married.”

Jace went utterly still.

“The first time he looked at me, reallylookedat me, I felt…wanted. Like I wasn’t just another girl. Like I was special.” I let out a broken laugh, shaking my head. “I was so stupid.”

Jace’s jaw ticked, but he still didn’t say anything.

I exhaled shakily, wringing my hands together as I talked. “He made me believe that what we had was something real—something I needed.” I shuddered. “And I fell for it. I fell forhim. I let him pull me into his world, let him mold me into what he wanted. And by the time I realized what he really was, what he was doing to me, it was too late.”

Jace’s fingers twitched. “Did he hurt you?” His voice was quiet, but there was something lethal beneath it. It hit me then, how ironic it was that Callum had once asked me that same thing…yet ended up hurting me far worse than anyone else ever did.

I hesitated. Not because I didn’t know the answer, but because I didn’t know how to say it.

Then, finally, I whispered, “Yes.”

His entire body tensed, his breath coming slower, heavier. “Riley…”

I swallowed, forcing the words up like poison in my throat. “He destroyed me.”

Silence. Thick, weighted, suffocating silence.

Jace’s hands clenched at the bench, his knuckles stark white, but I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t bear to see the rage, the fury, the devastation.

So I kept talking.

“He never asked. He would just…take,” I murmured, my voice hollow. “Whenever he wanted. No matter how I felt. No matter if I was sick, if I was exhausted, if I said I wasn’t up for it. It didn’t matter. Because he owned me. That’s what he always said.”

Jace sucked in a breath, sharp and lethal, but I kept going, because I had to. Because this was my truth, and I was done keeping it locked inside.

“He had a way of making me feel like I was the problem,” I whispered. “Like I was ungrateful. Like I was lucky to have him. He’d tell me how much he risked for me, how much he sacrificed. That I owed him.”

I shuddered, rubbing at my arms, trying to erase the ghost of his touch. “He’d say things—cutting, cruel things that made me feel like I was nothing. That I was a burden. That I was lucky anyone even wanted me.”

Jace’s chest rose and fell in ragged, uneven bursts. His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought he might break his teeth. A noise erupted out of him—low, guttural, dangerous. “That fucking piece of—” He cut himself off, his entire body vibrating with emotion.

“I shut down,” I admitted. “I stopped saying no. I stopped fighting. It was easier that way. And I—I wanted to be easy. I wanted to be good. I wanted…to be enough. I wanted to be more than the dirty secret he told me I was.” I sucked in a breath, my chest tightening at the memories. “And then there was my condition.”

Jace’s head snapped up, his gaze burning into mine. “What about it?”

I let out a trembling breath. “He hated it. Hated when I was too tired to go to him. Hated when I had to cancel plans because I was in too much pain. He’d sigh, like I was some inconvenience. And then he’d tell me I was weak. That I was lazy. That if I just tried harder, I wouldn’t be such a burden.” My throat thickened. “And the worst part? I believed him.”

I shook my head, trying to steady myself, because I’d just admitted so much…and there was still so much more to go.

“When I was finally done, when I knew I had to get away…he told me I’d never escape him,” I continued. “So, I cut ties completely. Changed my number. Changed everything. I took off without even telling my parents where I was going because they refused to help me. I thought—IthoughtI got away from him.” My throat burned. “And then…he found me.”

Jace’s frown deepened. “What do you mean, hefoundyou?”

I wiped at my face, sucking in a shaky breath, hating myself for the way my voice shook when I spoke. “He’s here. He’s been here for weeks, watching me. He—he’s a visiting professor, Jace.” I laughed bitterly, my hands curling into fists. “I was waiting for class to start one day, and then I heard his voice, and there he was…standing at the podium. Just standing there, like he owned me. Like he always has.”

“Riley…”

“He’s been threatening me,” I whispered as I wiped at my cheeks. “Watching me, waiting, enjoying the fact that I know I can’t do anything about it. When I met you, I thought maybe—maybe—I could have something real. Something different than what I had with him. But now…” My breath shuddered. “Now, he’s making sure I know he still owns me. That I can’t have a life without him in it.”

Jace’s fingers flexed against the metal, and it made a cracking sound this time. “What has he been saying to you?” His voice was lethal. Low and dark and steady.

I let out a humorless laugh. “It’s not just me anymore. It’s you.” I met his gaze, my stomach twisting at the rage burning there. “He told me that if I didn’t walk away from you, he’d ruin your life.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “And I couldn’t let that happen.”

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