Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Fury takes the sleeve of my shirt and jerks it up, revealing my upper arms. I know he’ll see bruises there, and I quickly pull away, stepping back and growling, “How dare you?”
“He fuckin’ hits you.”
His voice is ice, and his eyes flash.
Before he can say anything more, Hope appears all dressed in her pajamas. Her eyes move between the two of us, and I know I need to calm my face. I force a smile and say, “You ready for that book? Uncle Fury is going to make your grilled cheese.”
She nods and rushes to the bed.
Fury steps up closer to me, his hard chest pressing against my back as he leans down and murmurs into my ear, “We’re not done here.”
Swallowing, I move toward the bed and as far away from him as I can get.
He’s getting too close.
I need to put a stop to this.
Right now.
“WHERE WERE YOU?”
Ethan’s voice is as cold as ice as I step through the front door, trying to be as quiet as I can. The moment I hear that emotionless rasp, my entire body freezes. He never wakes up, and now here he is, waiting for me to get home. I should have known better. I should have never left. Now I have to try and come up with something that will ensure he goes easy on me.
“A student of mine ran away. The school called to help me find her. It is all resolved now.”
Standing, Ethan steps toward me. His hand lashes out and connects with my face, sending my head aggressively to the side. I yelp and press a hand to my cheek as I take a weary step back. “Ethan, please. I’m telling you the truth.”
“You do not leave this house without me. You come in, you tell me, and I escort you. You know the rules, Alexis.”
“I’m sorry,” I say quickly. “You were sleeping, and I didn’t think ...”
Gripping my upper arm, he hauls me closer to him. “You’re right, you didn’t.”
He tosses me backward until my back slams into the door. Shoving his body against mine, his fingers creep up and curl around my neck. He squeezes, enough for the air to cut off and for panic to set in. Desperately, I cry his name as my head begins to throb due to lack of oxygen. I claw at his forearms, but nothing I do has him loosening his grip.
“I own you,” he growls.
“I know,” I gasp.
“I could destroy you in a single second.”
I nod, attempting to get the tiniest bit of air into my lungs.
I’m growing dizzy.
“Do you know what I would do to you if you ever tried to get away?”
I nod, gasping his name once more.
He finally releases me, letting me crumble to the ground.
“Next time you think about leaving the house without telling me, think again.”
With that, he turns and strides into the darkness. Pressing my hands to my chest, I take a few broken breaths as tears burst forth and roll down my cheeks. Pressing my head into my hands, I cry silently on the floor.
One day he’ll kill me.
I know it.
The next day comes slowly, and I’m forced to wear a scarf to cover the finger marks on my neck. He rarely leaves marks where people can see them, but something came over him last night. Perhaps a fear that I could grow stronger and leave. Whatever it was, there was a single moment where I truly thought he might just kill me. It was as terrifying as I could have ever imagined it would be, and, suddenly, I’m very uneasy about my future.
I wish there was a way for me to escape.
“Good morning, Miss.”
As the students pile into my classroom, I feel a sense of ease. It’s the only place in this world where I know he can’t touch me, and I can truly be myself. Being here, it’s my safety blanket. Without it, I would be a shell of myself. I don’t think I could cope.
I smile. “Good morning, everyone.”
“Bit hot for a scarf.”
The rumbling voice has me turning to face Fury with Hope by his side. Today, she’s wearing socks, and I could cheer. I’m not used to seeing him bring her in, but here we are. His eyes scan over my scarf, and I avoid his statement, staring down at Hope. “Good morning, honey. How are you today?”
“Good,” Hope responds, her voice soft and quiet.
She looks tired, and I wonder if she had much sleep last night. I stayed with her until she ate and then I read to her until her eyes fluttered closed. I knew she would have a restless sleep, but I was hopeful that at least, she knew she was safe and that she was surrounded by people who cared about her.
“That’s wonderful. Hey, listen, do you think you could feed the fish today?”