AllFreeNovel
Share Us
WINTER
After Mason putme to bed earlier, I was so exhausted, but sleep evaded me. My anxiety is through the roof, and I can’t get the thoughts in my head to be quiet. They keep taunting me, troubling me. They’re so loud my mind doesn’t know what peace is anymore.
I keep wondering if this is how my life will be now, forever bombarded with too many things to deal with and no way out of it. At least that’s what it feels like right now.
When sleep eventually came, it was fitful, and I kept tossing and turning. I keep having the same recurring nightmares over and over again. They won’t stop no matter how much I try to think of something else. They bombard my subconscious when I’m least expecting it.
The nightmares are of me being stabbed again and again, then I’m being hunted like a deer caught in its predator’s grasp with no chance of escape. Then it’s one of me running from this faceless monster who wants to hurt me. Deep down I know that it’s just a man, but not knowing who he is and what he wants with me makes me see him as nothing other than a monster. No matter how long, how far or how fast I run, I can never seem to outrun him.
Tonight, however, he manages to pull me into his grasp and I’m no longer running. I wake with a gasp, my eyes flying open, waking me from the nightmare. I feel disoriented for a minute, and it takes a while for me to catch my breath. For a second, I look around the room and can’t remember where I am, but it only takes a moment to remember that I’m back in Ravenwood.
I hear what sounds like voices and I sit up in bed and listen for it again, but the voices have quieted down, either that or I’m hallucinating. I’m so on edge these days, the slightest noise wakes me up. I’m probably being paranoid, but then again, I know I’m not.
That man in Aspen said they’d be coming for me, and it could be now, tomorrow, months from now or even years. The not knowing when it could all go to shit again is seriously messing with my head.
Obviously, whoever they are, they seem to know my every move because they were here in Ravenwood and then they followed me to Aspen. How they knew I was even going there is beyond me, and that’s another thing added to the list that I have to worry about.
I turn to look over at the clock on my bedside table and see that it’s eleven p.m. I managed to get a few hours of sleep even though it wasn’t the best. A giggle, which definitely sounds like a woman’s giggle, comes through the bathroom and I get up and out of bed intent on investigating.
The door to the bathroom on my side was left open from when Mason left, so obviously the sounds filtering through are coming from his room. My heart skips a beat and the hurt I always feel when I think of him with someone else resurfaces. Let’s face it, we all know what the implication of someone in his room means.
I just want to kick myself in the ass because I don’t know why I keep setting myself up for failure when it comes to him. Because I need to see him betraying me again, I get up and walk quietly into the bathroom and see that the door to his room is also open.
The light in his room is on which means he must be in there. I walk slowly toward his door and stand in the doorway, keeping my body in the bathroom. I peep into his room, not at all prepared for what I’m seeing though I should’ve seen it coming.
He’s standing in front of his bed with his back toward the bathroom and standing in front of him in all her naked glory is none other than that tramp Amber. I guess they’re still together. He had the audacity to fuck me twice… well, three times, but the first doesn’t count since that was him punishing me for what he thinks I admitted to.
His voice is so quiet that I can’t hear what he’s saying, not that I’d want to. Amber spots me standing there and gives me a smile that I can only describe as malicious before she throws her arms around his neck and kisses him. His hands land on her waist and that’s all I need to see before I’m turning around and rushing out of the bathroom.
I shouldn’t feel any type of hurt because of what he’s doing with her, but, man, it fucking cuts me to the core once again. I thought after the plane and then earlier in the bathroom–well, I honestly have no clue what I thought was going to happen since we’re nothing but toxic when you really look at it.
I hoped that maybe he’d stop fucking around but then again, I guess he doesn’t owe me shit anymore. I can’t believe I let him touch me and then hours later he’s with some other skank. The man really has no fucking class whatsoever.
I’m so fucking stupid! And that’s the understatement of the century if there ever was one. When the hell am I going to let him stop hurting me so much? I start to feel choked up thinking about it and once I get to my room, I pull on some clothes, not even paying attention to what I’m putting on. I need to get out of this house as fast as I can.
Once I have shoes on, I rush out of my room and down the stairs. I’m in such a rush that I’m not paying attention to where I’m going. With tears streaming down my face, I collide face-first into Alister King’s chest. I quickly take a step back and groan inwardly because he’s the last person I want to run into while in this state.
“I-I’m sorry,” I mumble out as I go to sidestep him, but he grabs onto my arm, keeping me in place.
“Now, what’s the rush, little lady?” he asks in that smooth voice of his. I’m guessing it’s the one he uses to pull people into a false sense of security before he devours them. I can see right through it because I hate the man as much as I’ve come to hate my mother.
“I have things to do, so if you’d let me go, that’d be awesome,” I say, trying to put on the bravest voice I can muster. This man is like a snake. The slightest form of hesitation or weakness shown to him will just make him pounce on you faster.
“Walk with me. I have a new proposition I wish to discuss with you,” he says in a hard tone that’s meant to intimidate me.
He walks with my arm still in his hand, pulling me behind him. Without thinking I snatch my arm out of his grasp.
“What the hell? I don’t want to listen to any proposition you have! Contact my lawyers and then I’ll get back to you if I feel like it!” I snap at him.
I trust him and my mother as far as I can throw them, which is not even an inch. So yeah, I’m not about to listen to some bullshit proposition he has. Before I can even move another inch, he spins around and slaps me hard across the face.
The force of it makes my head snap to the side and I taste blood on my lips a moment later. The slap stings and I turn to look at him. He sneers at me.
“Don’t forget whose house you’re living in, little girl! Now fucking follow me before I snap you into pieces!” he growls and motions for me to walk in front of him.
With no other option besides doing as I’m told, I walk in front of him and toward the direction of his office. Once we step inside, he closes the door behind us. Images of what happened the last time I was in here with him comes to the forefront of my mind and I shiver. I had no plans of ever being alone with this man, but here we are. He creeps me the fuck out.
He moves closer to me and places his hand on my face where he slapped. He uses his thumb to stroke my face. I involuntarily take a step back. He notices and that causes him to let out a laugh. I hate his touch and want to get out of here as fast as I can.
