He points at a small, dark brown circle on the pancake still in the pan, emphasizing the accusation. He likes them perfectly light brown. I fucked up. I can’t defend myself though, it’ll only make him angrier.
He yanks my hair and throws me to the side. I hit the counter. Pain shoots through my hip, but I stay where I land, perfectly still. I have to. If I move before he says so, it’ll only get worse.
“You’re useless, you filthy bitch. I gave you a name and a good reputation. The least you can do is give me edible food.”
He steps closer. My skin prickles.
“Your mother promised me a perfect wife. But I see you can’t deliver on that promise.”
Maybe he should’ve married my mother. It would’ve saved all of us a lot of trouble. I keep that thought to myself. Eyes down. Hands folded in front of me. Just the way he likes it.
“Now I need to waste my time disciplining you again,” he mutters, full of distaste. Then his voice drops — cold, sharp, aimed right at me. “Spread the fucking rice and kneel. Two hours. And don’t even try to get up sooner. I’ll time you.”
I push myself away from the counter and do as he says. He learned this punishment from my mother. He thinks it hurts me, but I’ve been doing the rice-and-kneel routine for so many years, I don’t feel it anymore. Two hours is nothing.
Stupid fucker. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure your pancakes are perfect. Just like the wife you want.
...
I sigh and wave that memory away. They always come when I visit this place.
“This will be my last confession,” I say, crouching at the edge of the pit and setting the plastic bag by my foot. My voice is calm and clear, just like my mind.
“I don’t think this one will upset you as much as finding out about the roaches I blended into your food whenever I could. I don’t think you’ll care. But in the end, this isn’t about you. This is about me, and you’re only here to listen.”
Bowie turns his hateful, pale blue eyes to me, glaring through the mud caked on his face.
The club wanted him dead the day they caught him — the day of the shooting, not even ten miles outside Silverpine. Bones came to me before they acted, offering me the right to choose how he died.
But I didn’t want him dead. Not yet. Because even though my mind was screaming that all hope was lost, my heart was still clinging to that last thread of light. I wanted to believe Dominic would live. And when he walked out of that hospital, I wantedhim to be the one to slay this beast for both of us. I just had to wait for him to get some of his strength back.
I glance at my phone, checking Dominic’s tracker. Not much time left.
I clear my throat and get back to it. After this, he won’t be mine to deal with anymore.
“The first time I cheated on you was in year six of our so-called marriage,” I say evenly. “A new teacher joined the school that year. You remember Paul, don’t you? You met him a few times.”
“He was discreet, and he could make me come. So I agreed to a standing appointment. Every Thursday. Three p.m. We had our little abandoned closet at the school. You thought it was my planning period, but it was my fucking time. He fucked me every week for three years.”
I release a long breath, letting those words fall and sink into the pit. I’ve been doing this almost every day since he’s been down there. One ‘confession’ a day. I don’t know why, it just felt right.
“Hhorr.” The gurgled sound barely makes it past his crusted lips.
“Whore?” I tilt my head, repeating it. A faint smirk pulls at my lips. “Oh, Bowie… That word means nothing coming from you.”
I rise to my feet, picking up the plastic bag, and take a step back.
“Someone else called me that once. If it didn’t break me coming from him, you don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell.”
“Thatsomeonewill forever regret saying that word to you.” Dominic’s deep voice cuts through the space behind me.
I knew he was close, but… damn. I didn’t hear a single step.
I half-turn, raising an eyebrow. “It’s a good thing thatsomeoneis now saying — and writing — a whole lot of nicethings to make up for it. And he’ll be doing it for a very long time.”
“For the rest of his life,” he murmurs, his dark gaze locking onto mine.
I’m about to answer ‘We’ll see’, but he reaches me first and steals the words from my mouth with a kiss, his arm wrapping around my waist.
