Page 30 of The Dark Obsession

“Oh ‘Sir’,” he mimics. “I’ll come and sit with you…”

I push away from him and rush to button my shirt, but his lips force themselves upon mine.

He removes his shirt, then tugs at mine. He opens it further and pulls my body against his own. His hands tighten painfully around my arms so hard that his nails dig in.

I deserve this.My arms grow numb against his tight grip, and he bites hard on my lips, my neck … “Stop!” I struggle to get away.

Dale’s grip only tightens as his teeth sink sharply into the skin of my collarbone, and finally, they break through my skin.

I struggle against his groan of pleasure, my hands pushing against his forehead.

He releases me and jumps backwards, his eyes wide with excitement, my blood smeared across his face. “Rosalie, my darling.” His soft voice does not match his violent expression.

I stumble backwards and fall onto my bed. My body trembles as I push myself farther back against the wall. My mind can’t seem to figure out how to complete a coherent sentence to shout at him.

He follows me and leans across my bed, his face inching closer to mine. “I got carried away, Rosalie,” he mumbles breathlessly. His hot breath brushes my cheek, making me recoil, my back pushing hard against the cold wall. He reaches for me again and licks his lips dangerously. His fingers trail over my body, caressing and pinching, until his hand wraps around the back of my neck. His sinisterly vacant eyes stare into mine; I can feel a large tear building in the corner.

A jolt of pity shoots through my body, and I push his hands away.

His pale chest and shoulders tense, stretching his skin over the muscles. I don’t look at his face but at the veins in his arms, which slowly shrink in size as the seconds pass. His breathing slows, his hands collapse around his face, and he falls face down onto my bed.

To my horror, I hear a sound erupt, one that causes pain a thousand times worse than a bite. He’s crying. “Dale?” I whisper timidly. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what? You haven’t done anything. It’s me. It’s always me.” He can barely finish the sentence before his sobs return.

My stomach grumbles painfully with anticipation as I move around him and stretch my arm around his body. “Dale, please. It’s okay. Look, things are tense. I think we need a few days apart.” I slowly move backwards, as if the words will cause less ache the farther away I get.

He leans onto his elbows, tears streaking down his utterly perfect face.

My muscles ache with loss, desperate to forget what is happening.

“I’m damaged,” he whispers between pained sobs.

“As am I, Dale. This whole fucking world is damaged.” I shake my head. “I’ve got to go.” I turn my back on him and hurry out the door before he can respond.

It pains me more than it should. I don’t understand my absurd reaction to this man. My hands are still shaking on the steering wheel, and I stare absentmindedly out the window as I drive towards Rafael’s office. I don’t focus on the early morning traffic, instead, my thoughts are back in my house, where Dale could still be. My pain for him, for who he really is, is barely a tiny fragment of the pain I feel for losing my mother, but still, it burns deep into my heart. My physical pain from Dale’s bite is fizzing out fast, and now that I am finally away from his allure, any sympathy turns into cold anger.

How can he be like this, after what has happened? I struggle to think straight as my body trembles with rage. I slam my car across two spaces in the car park of the office.

“Rosalie.” I hear a sigh of relief from behind me as I step from the car. Rafael’s hand rests on my shoulder before I get the chance to turn around.

“Mr—” I clear my throat. “I mean, Rafael.” I turn to face him.

His anxiety-riddled eyes scan my face. “What’s happened? And don’t give me no crap.”

I stare at him for a moment, my eyebrows furrowing with bewilderment. “What?”

“I know he did that to you.” His voice trembles angrily with every word, a scarred hand brushing across my collarbone.

The tears of pain and anger flow at an unstoppable force, my cheeks reddening with every self-conscious whimper I let escape from my tired lips.

He directs me into his building through the back door, his hand resting lightly on my quivering shoulder.

I focus on the colours that flash beneath my closed eyes as he sits me on the comfy leather sofa I know well.

“Why?” His voice is as soft as velvet, but his breath is shaky. He’s unable to completely hide the anger threatening to overflow.

I stare at him again, my eyes hurting, prickling every time I blink. “It’s not his fault,” I lie, my voice steadier than it has been since yesterday.

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