Page 69 of Betrayal (Corrupt Empire 1)

Chapter Fourteen

Aiden

I had too much to do. Those couple of days we spent away. The bliss I’d experienced having her submit to me. It was all fucking gone. I shut it out, buried it in the deepest part of me. Only there could it remain, nestled against my fucking useless organ beating in my chest. The one chaining me to misery and loathing. For her sake and for mine, it had to disappear.

I’d admitted too many things. Given her too many insights into my complicated soul. And worst of all, I’d lost control of myself in her. It couldn’t happen again.

My fucking weak point. That’s what she was. Unhinging me. Tearing me apart. Making me feel. Feelings weren’t welcome in the hellhole that was my soul. Not when they tangled themselves up with memories.

Memories.

l

Screams. More screams echoed through the flat. Tears ran tracks down my cheeks.

“Stop, please. Please.”

I crept along the hallway.

“Stop. It hurts. Please, not there.”

Louder. The screaming, crying, pain. It hurt my ears.

“Take it darlin’,” a gruff voice I’d never heard before grunted.

“Stop.”

“You missed me, didn’t you?”

His voice was accented. American.

“No, please.”

I peered around the doorframe. All I could see was a man with light brown hair, his back to me. In front of him, on hands and knees, she stared straight ahead. They were both naked. I could see exactly what he was doing.

“You always miss me. You can’t think about anyone but me because of what I gave you.”

“He’s nothing like you.”

He slammed into her. It wasn’t the place I saw other men doing this to her.

“Don’t lie darlin’. Every time you look at our son, you see me.”

My hand flew to my mouth. I backed away. Unable to listen any further. I ran. I ran back to my room, crawled into my bed and put my hands over my ears.

The man with my mother.

The man hurting her.

That man was my father.

l

I took a breath. One fucking long breath. I sat in the car, trying to ignore how much that fucking night broke something so deep inside me. So many memories. So much pain. Nothing to fill the void.

Nothing but her,a voice whispered to me.

No. I couldn’t let her have that power over me.

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