Page 25 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

He struggled in the seat, trying to break free. I rolled my eyes, tired of seeing him try. I moved closer and pulled the duct tape from his mouth, and he groaned.

“Let me go, you crazy bitch!” he spat.

“You pushed me, Ryan. I never wanted to do this. You kept blackmailing me and asking for all my hard-earned money. What was I supposed to do?”

“You won’t get away with this. My friends will come for me.”

“You have friends?” I said with a dramatic gasp. “I’m shocked,” I added.

“They will know something is wrong and go to the cops, even my grandma. I call her every day, and thanks to you, I haven’t spoken to her in, what? How long have I been here?”

“Two days.”

“You won’t get away with this, I promise you,” he said, throwing daggers at me with his eyes.

“I want to let you go, believe me. I’m just scared you’ll go to the cops,” I told him.

“Wow, are you a psychic? ’Cause you just read my mind.”

“You left me no choice! If you had quit asking for money and threatening to spill my secrets, you wouldn’t be tied up in my closet right now.”

“What are you so scared of? He is the father after all. Is three years not enough for whatever happened between you—”

I stuffed some steak into his mouth, shutting him up.

“I’m protecting my baby,” I murmured to myself.

“Are you planning to keep him away from his son forever?” he asked as he chewed his food.

“That’s the plan.”

“Damn, you’re cold. Why am I even surprised? You seem like someone who could commit murder,” he said.

I glared at him. “This is my first time doing something like this. You forced my hand.”

“Secrets are dangerous, wifey.” He smirked.

“Just shut up,” I said and put more steak in his mouth.

“It’s not every day a hot chick ties you up and feeds you. It’s kinda a turn-on. By the way, my favorite part of all this is that I get to see you every morning as you pick out a dress with only a short towel tied around you, those sexy thighs and smooth legs. Best view ever.”

“You’re despicable,” I said, and he winked at me.

I fed him and left the room after putting the duct tape back on his mouth. I met Vina in the kitchen, turning on the electric kettle. She stared at the plate in my hand, then at my face.

“What? I felt like eating in my room.”

“I didn’t say anything,” she said and searched the top cabinets for her favorite mug. “Is your boyfriend gone? I haven’t seen him in, like, two days.”

“Yeah, he went back to LA.” I tried not to stutter.

“He didn’t even care to say good-bye to me,” she sighed, walking past me to the sink.

“He was in a rush.”

“So … your job, how has it been so far?” I tried to change the subject.

“Draining. My feet are sore from standing all day.” She grunted. “But I love the place, except my nurse manager. She is a pain in the ass. There is this hot doctor in my unit,” she added with a dreamy smile that showcased her dimples. “He’s every woman’s wet dream. His name is Jacob, but we started off with a grudge because …”

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