Page 61 of Mad Love

“You stupid bitch,” he raged, pressing his hand to his face as blood oozed from where I’d caught him.

I smiled, ready to embrace whatever came next and knowing I hadn’t gone down without a fight.

“Boss?” Two men stood behind Evan, both dressed in the same charcoal suit as the former. I recognized one from the night of my engagement party. He’d grabbed me in the cemetery and hauled me home.

Gary glared at me, his chest heaving. “You’re going to pay for that.”

“Worth it,” I ground out with a laugh, still struggling against Evan. I tried to get my feet under me for leverage as Gary snapped his fingers at the two goons. “Fucking hold her down.”

I kicked as much as I could as they approached. It was pretty pointless, and within seconds, I was pinned to the floor and unable to move.

“I hate you,” I hissed at Gary.

He slowly knelt beside me and wiped the blood on his hands onto the front of my shirt. “Not nearly as much as I hate you. But allow me to show you what the rest of your life looks like.” He glanced at Evan. “Turn her over.”

All three men flipped me onto my stomach, and I kept struggling, kept fighting, until I felt something cold and sharp press against my shoulder. I froze, and Gary dug the knife into my shoulder, the point cutting easily through my skin and muscle. He added more pressure, and I screamed as it scraped against bone.

I clenched my teeth and whimpered, the searing pain beyond anything I’d felt before as he twisted it once.

Twice.

I almost blacked out the third time, and, like he knew I was close to passing out, he ripped the blade from my shoulder and started slicing away my clothes before I could breath. Blood ran hot and sticky over my skin and pooled under me as I swallowed a ragged sob.

Cool air hit my exposed back and legs, and I gagged at the fear clawing up my stomach while what remained of my dress was ripped away. He left me in my underwear, and I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to see what came next.

I hardened my heart, built a wall of brick and cement around my emotions, and vowed that whatever he did next wouldn’t matter.

The clink of his belt coming unbuckled was the only warning I got before fire erupted on my lower back. I shrieked against my clenched teeth before I could swallow the sound.

The belt came cracking down again, this time against my ass. I felt my underwear rip from the force of it before the next lash hit my shoulder blades, flaying my skin and sending a new blast of pain through the place he’d stabbed me.

Every time the belt came down, fire licked across my skin until I thought I would combust. I pressed my face against the rug, my eyes closed as tight as possible as pain flared hot and cold through my body until I was just dizzy, barely able to draw a breath.

Until I finally, thankfully, passed out.

* * *

The sound of sobbing pulled me from the darkness. As flames licked up and down my back, from ass to neck, I realized the sobs were coming from me.

“Shhh,” a soft, familiar voice admonished before a cold cloth was pressed to my shoulder.

The world went white as I cried out, fresh pain flaring across my nerve endings.

“I know it hurts,” Mrs. Delancey continued, still applying pressure, “but I have to clean your wounds, Maddie.”

I shuddered, the trembling of my own body sending even more ripples of agony down my spine.

“I’m going to have to stitch some of these closed,” she added, her voice oddly soothing as she worked. A cool cream was gently massaged into my torn flesh, providing the barest hint of relief.

“W-why are y-y-you helping m-me?” I managed through chattering teeth. Why was I so cold?

She sniffled, and I got the impression that she was… crying? No, that couldn’t be right. Mrs. Delancey had been with Gary for years. She knew what he was capable of.

“I tried to tell you,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I told you not to fight him. But you’re so much like your sister. She refused to back down, too.”

The mention of my twin made me blink away tears. Had she gone through this, too? Had Mrs. Delancey stitched her back together after Gary had beaten her unconscious? “Why?”

“Because you need help,” she answered, her soft hands moving down my back to my hips.

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