Page 39 of The Dark Obsession

Taking two steps at a time, I throw open her bedroom door with such force it bangs against the adjoining wall, rattling at the hinges.

Malory’s bed is made. The creamy sheets folded in half, her pillows fluffed.

Without a trace of her presence.

I turn deathly still, suppressing the visceral bodily reaction that threatens to take over, forcing myself to listen to my surroundings.

There’s nothing.

No sound of running water in the bathroom.

No sound at all.

“Malory!” I roar, barely hearing myself over the rapid beat of my heart.

No answer.

I yell her name over and over until my throat is hoarse, tearing through every room like my life depends on it.

Nothing.

She’s neither in the green house, nor in the garage she never enters, nowhere on this fucking property.

Cold sweat runs down my forehead as I stand at the edge of the tree line, pacing in an endless circle like a madman.

I can’t lose her.

I won’t let that happen.

What began as mere revenge has turned into something all-consuming. Every cell of my body fucking longs for her, and Iwon’t rest until I make every last piece of her mine.All fucking mine.

I’ve always been careful not to let anyone in, yet this tiny being has shattered that resolve to dust.

There’s no getting away from me now.

Squaring my shoulders, I narrow my eyes with renewed determination.

Malory’s intelligent, she wouldn’t just run into the wilderness blindly.

Only one road leads to the cabin which I took driving up here and she wasn’t on it.

How fast could she have hidden upon hearing the car coming? Not fast enough.

There is one other trail though...

Rounding the clearing, I call her name one last time at the top of my lungs, sending the birds from a nearby pine flying.

“Over here!”

Unsure whether I imagined Malory’s soft voice or I’m starting to lose it, I scream her name again.

“I’m down here!”

It’s distant but it’s there. I hang onto it like it’s my only lifeline, like I may die without hearing it again.

Turning towards the creek, I break into a sprint. Low branches hitting my face as I barrel through the thick wood.

I don’t feel them, wholly absorbed in reaching the source of the sweetest sound. I ignore my burning muscles, my blood pumping hard through my veins.

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