AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We’ll find him,” Grey says. “We’ll report her missing, and we’ll have the whole fucking town searching for her.”
“Do you think he’ll hurt her?” Beau asks warily.
I won’t even entertain the thought.
If I go down that road, I’ll descend into madness, and I might never resurface.
Hold on, Princess. We’re coming.
30
HARPER
I hate him.
Michael, or whoever he is.
I wake up to my hands zip tied, lying on a bed and his anxious face peering down at me.
“Hi, Sleeping Beauty,” he murmurs, giving me a crooked smile. His fingers trace lazy circles over my stomach, and my head pounds with pain.
He knocked me out.
I used to find him attractive. But the boyish features that complimented his face have warped into something sour and childish, like a toddler in a permanent tantrum.
“Where are we?” I croak, staring at the wood paneled ceiling.
“I rented a cabin for a few weeks,” he murmurs. “So, we can talk, and I can make it up to you.”
I don’t like the sound of that.
My wrists ache from the zip ties, and I roll onto my side, away from him, so he doesn’t see the disgusted look on my face.
But he doesn’t stop his touch. His hand moves to my back and attempts to massage the tension in my muscles.
Too bad they’ll never go away as long as I’m with him.
“We can get a kitten, if you want,” he says conversationally. “I’m sorry I wasn’t honest about that. I just didn’t want you to love the cat more than you loved me.”
Idon’tlove you,I want to scream.
I don’t think I ever have.
“But I’m ready to be a better man for you,” he continues. “And I’m ready to tell you the truth about everything.”
I scoff, staring at the cream-colored wall. The cabin we’re in is well-crafted with a modern touch, and any other time, I would love it.
But it’s just a gilded cage.
A well-decorated prison.
“My original name is Clyde,” he says quietly. “But Michael sounds better with Harper, and that’s who I want to be now.”
I try to keep my face neutral, but I can’t stop the flinch at his words.
“Your birth name is Evelynn Harper Chapman,” he says. “Your birthdate is October 16th.”
Oh, good. At least he kept something accurate on my fake I.D.
