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He hung his head, and every muscle in his arm tensed.
“I will get out of here,” I continued. “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but there will come a moment when you least expect it where I’ll escape … And you know my past, Ethan. I have no problem killing you if it comes to that. I could bash in your pretty red head and never bat an eye. I’d be able to carry on without an ounce of empathy for it. But you? You’d walk around with regret every day, more than the load your carrying now. I couldn’t imagine the daily pain you’d face if you ever hurt me.”
A growl roared from him before he slammed his fist through a cabinet. Knowing I got a reaction out of him brought a menacing smile to my face. Everything I’d said had only been a half-lie. The truth was, I may feel empathy because it found me before.
Ethan stormed toward me, grabbed my hair in his fist, and yanked my head back, his chest heaving. “You know what your problem is, Jett?” Despite every strand of hair ripping from my skull, I sucked in my lips and narrowed my eyes to match his internal strength. “You forget, you and me? We’re one and the same.” Ethan released his hold and returned to the kitchen counter, and my held breath returned in short, harsh shudders. “Don’t underestimate me.”
Afterward, di
Ethan spoon-fed me tomato soup he heated over the stove from a can. I’d thought about refusing to eat, but I needed strength. I needed to get out of here, and the only way was to take care of my health and eat the food he offered while pla
After the entire pot of tomato soup was gone, Ethan left me waiting at the table and returned to the kitchen counter. One by one, he hand-washed every spoon, spatula, and dish, drying and placing each item in their designated spot. He scrubbed counters, the table, and wiped down the stove before washing and drying his hands for the third time.
I never took Ethan to be so meticulous—a clean freak. But then again, I never really knew the man at all.
Once Ethan cleaned the kitchen area to perfection, he grabbed me by the arm and lifted me out of the chair. I walked in front of him down the stairs and back to the bedroom. Again, my ankles were bound, and I was left alone.
Hours passed, and the night only grew colder and crueler.
Without Ollie, my heart felt like December in the middle of spring.
A tear ran down my cheek, and it was warm and welcoming.
At some point, I must have fallen asleep because the next time my eyes opened, Ethan was lying next to me with a damp cloth to my forehead as he hushed melodically. My body trembled inside the only warmth of the hoodie, refusing to use him as a security blanket like I once did. Ethan would be warm, but I’d rather freeze.