Page 114 of Aftermath
My only worry was getting to her in time.
Mallory was obsessed with her. Even with that worry spreading, I knew there was a chance she wouldn’t hurt her. It was more likely she was using her as bait. She needed control back, and that couldn’t happen if I still existed. She wouldn’t hurt Len unless I didn’t give her what she wanted.
Me.
28
LENNY
Everything wasblack when I finally woke again. I tried to open my eyes, but they fluttered against something. When I tried to move my hands, I found them bound behind my back, my body upright and my hands touching a metal chair.
Finally, I heard someone speak and lifted my head, moving around to try to gain my bearings.
My body jumped as hands touched the back of my head. The fabric fell away, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light of the room. I tried to crane my neck to get a look at them.
I didn’t need to. They walked around the chair to stand in front of me, and my breath caught in my throat.
No, this wasn’t right.
Mallory hovered in front of me, red lips pursed and arms crossed. She scowled as I struggled to catch my breath again.
“Why did you have to do this?” she asked. “Everything is ruined.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, still confused.
My mind raced with every possibility.
Mallory started to walk around my chair, examining me. Her hand brushed my shoulder, and she picked up my curls, slowly starting to hum.
The sound was eerie, almost haunting. I recognized it. My mind didn’t want to admit it, but I’d heard that same exact sound before.
“It was you,” I said. My throat burned as I got the words out.
“Obviously,” Mallory said. “It was me who took care of you all these years.”
“You tried to kill me,” I choked. “You ruined my life.”
“I saved you from him.” Her hands tightened on my curls and yanked them. My neck snapped back, my head forced to look up at her. I found my eyes staring into hers, looking down at me.
“They all leave. I saved you from the pain of it. I saved all those women from the pain I had to endure.”
“I don’t understand. This isn’t you, Mallory,” I tried.
I knew I was lying to myself, but if there was a chance I could get out of here alive, I had to try.
She scoffed. “Do you know how I met Ethan?”
I shook my head, and she let go of my hair. I heard heels tapping against cement floor as she walked back around the chair. I tried to look at my surroundings, but I didn’t recognize anything in the room.
“That’s where he left me: The High Tide Pub. Ethan was working that night; he’s the one who called the sheriff’s office. We were supposed to get married only two weeks later, and he left me.”
I’d never heard the story before. I knew Mallory hated men, but she never talked about any of the ones she’d been with. Never once had I heard her mention a fiancé. I always assumed she had bad luck with dating apps or some wild dates, but never this.
“I don’t understand,” I tried.
My throat was dry, a combination of whatever drug she used to get me here and the lack of water.
“They’re all the same. He left me for some other woman and moved across the country, leaving me here. For months, I was forced to sit there and watch every happy couple who came to the pub. It was our spot, and he left me there.”
