Page 154 of Spark

“You seem to be eating well,” Sid said, trying to play on the positive.

That was the only thing I was happy about. She was eating; albeit the portions were smaller, they were always healthy. I decided to compromise a little after everything I had put her through. I couldn’t have her throwing everything up again if her anxiety overwhelmed her.

Jaden responded with a small smile. “I know it makes Darren happy when I do.”

“What else do you suppose makes Darren happy?”

Jaden sucked on her bottom lip before responding, meeting Sid’s gaze. “When I do what he says.”

“And what makes you happy?”

“Making him happy.”

I felt my heart skip a beat. Good girl.

“Is there anything else that makes you happy?”

“Not really,” she said softly, hopelessly.

Not a shocker. The only thing she focused on anymore was me. And that was exactly what I had wanted. The problem was she didn’t care about herself, not her mental well-being. I originally needed her focus on me, and now that I had it, it was time to add a subsection: her. I wanted her not only happy to please me, but I also wanted her to be happy with me. I wanted her to enjoy life outside our relationship, but it was clear she wasn’t in that mindset. Just because she was with me for the rest of her life didn’t mean she had to be unhappy outside of my attention and affection.

After a while, I had tried to goad her, just to see if I could get a rise out of her, but she would never bite. She’d always concede, and I couldn’t help but smile and relish in my twisted success. I’d ruined her. Officially fucking ruined her. And now, it was time to fix it. I needed to remind her of who she was and why I had chosen her in the first place.

I needed to really piss her off.

“What about Camaro?” Sid asked.

Jaden shrugged. “She does her job just like everyone else does.”

Sid took a deep breath and exhaled before he revealed his analysis. I waited anxiously for him to light the match. “Would you like to know what I see, Jaden? What my observations have led me to? You seem to have a feeling of indifference to your life outside Darren. You don’t sleep, we’re grateful you eat, but you don’t seem to find enjoyment in anything anymore. You don’t play with Camaro, you don’t paint anything with real color, you don’t speak with volume, you walk with your head down, and the most disturbing thing of all is you don’t even train anymore. Why, Jaden?”

Jaden shrugged again. “There’s just no point in fighting anymore,” she said simply.

“No point?” Sid asked incredulously.

“Mention her father,” I said into the speaker connected to the earpiece Sid was wearing.

“How do you think your father would feel about that?”

My heart was pounding out of my chest as I watched Jaden’s eyes lift to harden slightly, but before I could even focus fully on it, it was gone. Her face back to being passive.

“My father is dead, Sid. He doesn’t feel anything.”

“Fuck,” I whispered under my breath. I was sure that was going to get a rise out of her, but all I got was a small hint of emotion. And it didn’t last longer than even a second. Even Sid looked surprised by her remark.

And that was all I needed to know. I had finally won, and now, it was time to mold the marble in my image. My future wife and mother of my children would not be a goddamn mouse like Katherine. The only thing I wanted Jaden to understand was that she was never getting away from me and to learn to be happy with her life. She appeared to have accepted everything, and that was what was depressing to her.

I had to slowly introduce her back into the world she would eventually rule with me—the world that didn’t allow the survival of mice. I would start with her training. She thought fighting was pointless? Fighting me was pointless, but her skillset was too valuable to permit it to fade. Knowing what she was capable of, how well she could fight? It turned me on. It also gave me a sense of security to know she wouldn’t be completely helpless when surrounded by a threat. Eventually, the threats would come, and I wanted her prepared.

Time to get the ball rolling.

53

Gone

* * *

All I ever tasted anymore was blood. The metallic flavor coated my mouth like a stain I couldn’t remove no matter how many times I tried to clean it. But the taste was my reminder. It kept me grounded, cautious, and afraid. I had to stay afraid. It kept me in line, showed me the boundaries that I never wanted to test. And it kept Darren happy—the only thing that mattered anymore.

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