Page 115 of Twisted Redemption

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

BROOKE

DAVID KEEPS ME locked up all day. An entire day. And Imani’s wedding is tomorrow.

I can’t miss it. She’s one of my best friends, and I’ve been looking forward to being there while she gets married for months. Even more important than that, I need to get away from David.

But how the hell am I going to do that?

No one’s coming to save you.

I knew Blaze would find me eventually at the hotel. If not, he’ll probably remember Imani’s wedding, and he would’ve intercepted me there. But now? The only thing leading to this house is the address I had David send to my college email. The one Blaze doesn’t know about.

You really fucked yourself over, Brooke.

I already tried for hours to get out of the ropes binding me. I tried to untie the one tethering me to the bedpost. But all the knots are too intricate, too tight. And now my fingers are sore and almost bleeding from clawing at the rough material. My wrists are raw, too, the skin red and painful.

Sometime in the late afternoon, I realize that my chances of being able to run from David again are slim. And the chances of actually getting away after that are even smaller.

Which only leaves one option: cooperate. Stick with my original plan of making him think I’m naive. Not a threat. That I believe him.

As the sun sets behind the trees, the door opens. David stalks in and hovers by the bed, arms crossed. “Have you learned your lesson?”

“I didn’t mean it,” I whisper. “What I said about Blaze.”

“Do you love him?”

I shake my head. But I hesitate, and it’s my downfall.

He’s in my face in an instant, hand grabbing the hair at the back of my head. “I know what you think of me, Brooke. You think I’m some abuser. That I’m not worthy of forgiveness. But what about him, huh? I heard about some of the shit he said to you. Why does he get your forgiveness? What did I do that was worse?”

“I...”

“You know I’m right. You know I’m right, Brooke!” He’s shaking me, his grip on my hair excruciating.

“You are,” I say, and I have to remind myself that I don’t mean it.

Physically, David has been much worse than Blaze. Blaze has never hurt me like that. But emotionally? Mentally? What they did was pretty much on the same level.

The thought doesn’t sit right with me, so I focus on the dark look on David’s face instead.

“That’s right, you whore.” He throws me onto the bed. “You’re lucky I still love you, you know. You’re lucky anyone does.”

His words sting, but I refuse to let them sink in. Instead, I concentrate on sitting up and facing him. “Do you remember what you said after I said yes?”

“What?”

“After you asked me to marry you and I said yes.”

He narrows his eyes.

“You told me that you’d do anything to keep me. That you’d show me how much I meant to you every day.”

“I remember,” he snaps.

“Did you mean it?” I whisper, forcing tears to fill my eyes. If this is going to work, I’m going to need to pull off the performance of the century.

“Of course I did.”

---