Page 73 of Twisted Love

My throat dries, and I press my hands into the chair’s armrests to steady myself. He’s lost his mind. He doesn’t want the truth. I need to placate him long enough to call for help. “Charles …” I begin, my voice trembling slightly. “I understand what you’re saying and maybe you’re right, but all of this is so sudden. I just need time to … to figure it out, to come to my senses.”

He laughs—a hollow, chilling sound that sends shivers racing down my spine. “Come to your senses?” he repeats, his tone mocking. “Sure. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, Raven, it’s that space gives clarity. So it’s great you want to think things through. I’ll make sure you have plenty of time to do that—privately.”

Alarm bells ring in my head at the nasty edge in his voice. My eyes dart to the doorway, but he steps closer, his presence towering over me now. “What do you mean?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm.

“It means,” he says, his eyes narrowing into something dark and unreadable, “I’ll help you. I’ll take you somewhere safe. Somewhere you can think. And then, once you’ve had time, you’ll see the truth in what I’m saying.”

My heart races, panic making my heart flutter like a bird as his gaze burns into me. There’s something unhinged in his eyes, a glint of ugly fury barely contained. He never showed this side of him to me, ever. Other people warned me, but I didn’t heed their warning because I never saw it. Every instinct in me screams at me to get out of this room, to get away from him, but I think of the child growing inside me. I can’t risk anything happening to it.

I force myself to nod, my movements slow and deliberate. “All right,” I say softly, keeping my voice even despite the hammering of my heart. “But let me tell Nora where I’m going. She’ll worry if I don’t.”

Charles’s expression darkens ominously. “You don’t need to,” he says coldly. “Just leave. Come with me. She’s just staff. You don’t tell the staff where you’re going. They’re there to serve you, not the other way around. You need to take a few lessons from my mother.”

The venom in his voice chills me, but I square my shoulders, summoning every ounce of courage I can muster. “You’re right, I have to,” I say firmly, reaching for my phone on the table. “But — Let me just call my mom at least and tell her you’re here. She’s been asking about you. They’ve missed you so much.”

I dial Nora instead, my fingers trembling as I press the buttons. Before I can lift the phone to my ear, Charles lunges forward, snatching it from my hands. His grip is iron, his knuckles white as he clutches the device.

“What are you doing?” I stammer, panic rising in my throat. “Give it back, Charles.”

His smile is gone now, replaced by a cold, terrifying calm. “Hand it over,” he says, his voice low and menacing.

I try to laugh again, a feeble attempt to diffuse the tension. “Charles, stop being so ridiculous?—”

The glint of metal stops my words dead in my throat. He pulls out a gun from his jacket pocket, the barrel catching the light. I freeze with shock, but my mind races with every possible escape plan, all of them useless.

“Hand. It. Over,” he repeats, his voice quieter now, but far more dangerous.

I have no choice. My fingers tremble as I extend the phone toward him, my knees weak beneath me. He takes it without breaking eye contact.

“There’s no need for this, Charles,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “Please, put the gun away. We can talk about this. You know me. I’m not going to run away from you. We were going to get married, remember?”

His lips curl into a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Talking hasn’t worked so far, has it?” he sneers, slipping the gun back into his pocket. “Let’s not waste more time, Raven. We’re leaving. Now. By the way, I saw you buying a pregnancy test at the pharmacy and, judging by your expression, the test was positive.

I stare at him aghast. Even when he pulled out the gun I did not fear him as I do now that he has casually told me he has been stalking me without my knowledge.

“Make sure you smile at the staff as we pass by them or all three of us, you, me, and baby will be leaving this world together. I always fancied the idea of a triple suicide.”

Tears sting my eyes as I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. I could lunge at him, but I could fall and harm my baby or he could make good his crazy threat. For the baby, I tell myself. For the baby’s sake I will go with him and figure out how to save myself when the opportunity presents itself.

He grabs my arm, his grip firm but not bruising, and steers me toward the door. The last thing I see before stepping out of the conservatory is the faint light filtering through the glass, a fragile reminder of the peace I’ve just left behind.

CHAPTER45

EARL

The morning's chaos replays in my mind as I drive home. What a day it has been. My body is heavy with fatigue, but my mind is racing. In my head, my workers are yelling amongst the sickening sound of scaffolding collapsing. Liability concerns swirl with genuine worries for my crew’s safety. My shirt clings to me caked with sweat and dust.

Then, I think of her.

Raven.

Her name is enough to soften the edges of the turmoil inside me. I picture her face as I left this morning, the morning sun painting her features with a soft glow. Even half-asleep, her presence was enough to ground me in a way nothing else ever has. She’s become my anchor, even if I’m too stubborn to admit it outright.

I smile despite the exhaustion. I wonder how long it’ll take before I can get her to completely let her guard down before the last remnants of her fear dissolve and I can finally tell her everything she means to me. I’ve come to terms with her need for wealth. I mean, I thought I was enough for her, but I guess I wasn’t. And so what? I rather have half of her than be without her. There’s so much I still need to say, but for now, I let myself bask in the thought of seeing her again.

As I pull into the driveway, the weight on my chest begins to lift. I’m home. She’s home. That’s all that matters. I step out of the car and stretch, brushing off the dust from my pants. My strides quicken toward the front door, eager to close the distance between us. But as soon as I enter, the energy in the house feels … wrong.

Nora is waiting in the foyer, wringing her hands, her face tight with worry. The sight stops me mid-step.

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