Page 148 of Changing Rules

“Help!” I try again, but the pressure he put on my neck has all but stolen my voice.

“You never know when to shut up, do you?” He grabs my hair and smashes my face into the tile. Pain blinds me as dizziness overwhelms me. Blood pools in my mouth and drips down my chin. “I said,quiet.”

He pulls me back onto my knees and crouches in front of me, still holding tight to my hair, making sure I look at him. “I didn’t realize what a fucking slut you were. That fucker Walker, then the pathetic dude at the gym who uses any excuse to talk to you. And yesterday? I couldn’t believe it when I fucking watched you go into that hotel with your boytoy from New York. Did you spread your legs for him too? I’m sure you did. That’s the only thing you’re good for.”

My heart plummets. Has he been following me?

“Why are you doing this?” I rasp.

“Because I want my fucking life back! I love football. I’m the best of the best, and I’m tired of feeling like a fucking loser.”

He pulls a thick roll of tape out of his pocket and tears off a piece. As he sticks it over my mouth, I scratch at his arms, his face, anything, but my efforts only earn me a slap across the face.

“Stop making everything so fucking complicated,” he hisses, tilting his head to the side. “I don’t get it. When you were with me, no one fucking liked you. But once it was you and this backstabber Walker, suddenly everyone’s a fan, impressed by how a fuckboy like him settled down once he found the right girl.” He stands and yanks me up with him. “He got withmygirl, and now the whole world is fucking obsessed!”

He slams his fist into the wall beside my head, making me jump. Tears stream down my face, but I can’t make a sound.

With a growl, he drags me to the living room and pushes me onto the couch. He hovers over me, breathing hard, his blue eyes wild and unfocused. “I fucking loved you, but for you, it was all pretense. Fucking lies and trickery. You were too selfish to understand how good you’ve had it.”

He crouches down so his face is inches from mine. “You never loved me. Not when we were kids, and not when we got back together a couple of years ago. You used me. Because dating the most popular guy in school, the famous wide receiver for the Boston City Warriors, brought you status. And all the while, I was losing my mind just looking at you. I was a fucking trophy! You weren’t even sorry you cheated on me. You humiliated me and continued to live without an ounce of guilt.”

Every one of his points is a perverted version of our history. God, how long has this been brewing in his mind?

He smashes my wrists together, holding them with one hand while he yanks a length of rope from his pocket.

“Did you know I was watching you?” He loops the rope around my wrists, the friction burning my skin. “Of course you didn’t. Neither did that asshole Walker. So oblivious. Since the moment I left rehab, I’ve been paying attention to your every move, waiting for a chance.” He grips my chin between his thumb and index finger. “I saw him fuck you in his damned Porsche before you went to New York. You were so into each other on the way home from the restaurant, you didn’t even notice me. And don’t get me started on how you let him fuck you in the showers at the gym.”

Realization and dread wash over me. It was Jake. He saw us at the gym.

“I stood in the room for a good ten minutes, and you didn’t even notice.” He digs his fingers into my chin so hard, I flinch. “You were never like that with me.”

He pushes my face away roughly and paces in front of me. I sit quietly, praying Kaden understood my cryptic responses. That he’ll get here in time. That Mr. Jensen heard me and called the police.

Please, I want this to stop.

And it does, but only for a moment, only so he can pull a small knife from his pocket. I lean back into the couch, eyes zeroing in on the weapon, my body trembling.

“And the stupidest thing about me? I still love you. I’m fucking obsessed with you, and no matter what I do, no matter how many women I fuck, you’re always the one I want. Always. In high school. In college. After college. You own me, Isabella, and I need you the fuck out of my system. I need you to leave me the fuck alone. I need to erase your beautiful face from my mind, make sure you’re as ugly on the outside as you are inside.”

He tilts his head and admires the knife, twisting the blade one way, then the other.

“What should I carve into your skin? Any preferences? I’ll have to put it where everyone can see. So they’ll all know who you really are: a fucking whore.” He laughs cruelly.

As he steps closer, I jerk away from him. My trembling has turned to violent shaking. Tears stream down my cheeks as I try to free my wrists, twisting and tugging, loosening the rope a fraction.

A sick smile spreads across his face. “Aw, baby, why are you so scared? You knew this was coming. There’s no way in Hell I could let you get away after what you did to me.” He rests his hand on my cheek, wiping away my tears. “You deserve to be punished, Isabella. For your lies, your disloyalty, your wrongdoings.”

He uses the back of his hand to wipe at his own tears, his gaze traveling down my form. When he gets to my wrist, he narrows his eyes on the tattoo there. “Marking your body like your stupid lover boy does? I hope you won’t mind if I upgrade the design a little.”

He slices into the rope, cutting it away and pulling my hand closer. “This will hurt, but I’m sure you’ll get used to it.” Hemeets my gaze, pressing his knife to the skin on my wrist. “Whores like you are used to pain.”

He drags the tip down my skin, then back up again, and I howl behind the tape, kicking at him. He backhands me, sending my head snapping back.

“Shut the fuck up.” He pushes me onto my back and straddles my legs, pinning one arm with his knee while he finishes carving the W.

Every slice of the blade hurts more than the last. A steady stream of blood drips down my arm and off my elbow. I’m balancing between conscious and unconscious as he carves the E, certain I’ll pass out, but when he stands abruptly, I’m shaken back to the moment.

He angles in and grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. “You fucking pitied me. You used me, knowing I’d give you everything you needed. Nice clothes, a home, status. Then you hopped on Walker’s dick without any regrets, and now you’re fucking paying for it. But do you really think he’ll want you now? You’re a piece of shit. You don’t even deserve a second glance.”

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