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I walk over to the sink and pour myself another glass of water and drink it, waiting for her to leave.
She’s still staring straight at me.
When I shuffle toward the door, she stands there, blocking me, her mad eyes boring into me.
“I guess Joshua lied when he said I was allowed to go anywhere.”
Her eyes snap with rage, but she moves out of the way instantly, letting me pass. When I walk past her through the doorway, she bumps into me, hard.
I walk down the hall, and she follows very close behind. I can feel her hot breath on my back. Annoyed, I stop suddenly, and she stumbles into me. She lets out an animal-like growl of rage, then steps back.
I keep walking. She keeps following.
I’m angry. Despite the horrible collar and ankle hobbles, I’d been looking forward to exploring the house, but having Elizabeth crowding me with her mean-girl schoolyard bully crap is ruining what little pleasure I’ll ever have again in my life.
And I’m somehow disappointed in Joshua.
I thought I was starting to understand the rules here. Now it looks like I was wrong.
Apparently, he’s into playing extremely childish games. And worse, he’s stooping to letting Elizabeth do his dirty work. He’s thrown a curveball at my head, and I don’t know how to work with this new reality.
I feel glum as I walk into a big library with wall-to-ceiling shelves. Elizabeth follows me in and stares at me challengingly.
The collar and the chains and Elizabeth’s angry presence are incredibly distracting. The room is beautiful, all dark wood and Renaissance paintings, but I’m too physically uncomfortable to want to look around and explore. I head to a bookshelf. I grab the first book I see; it’s a hardback collection of mystery stories.
I twist around to glance at Elizabeth, who’s moved into the middle of the doorway.
I’m not going to be able to concentrate on reading with her there.
“I’m going back to my prison cell, if you’ll excuse me,” I snap at her. I walk right up to her. She stands still, spreading her arms wide so I can’t pass.
The malicious glee in her eyes is really pissing me off. I’m enduring enough already; I don’t need to put up with this schoolyard bullshit.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re jealous of me,” I say scornfully.
Rage twists her face. She makes a horrible growling sound again and slaps me so hard my eyes water, and I cry out in pain.
I stagger back, clapping my hand to my face, and her eyes snap with challenge. She clenches her fist, a fierce joy twisting her face.
She wants me to fight her, because she knows Joshua will punish me horribly if I do.
I stand there, breathing hard, my hands trembling with the desperate desire to slap the shit out of her. My heart pounds painfully in my chest, but I will not cry, because of the awful smile twisting her lips.
Then I hear footsteps pounding down the hallway toward us, and Elizabeth goes pale with fear.
By the time Joshua rounds the corner, she’s sunk to her knees.
She’s scrabbling wildly as he grabs her by the hair, pulls her to her feet, and hurls her against the wall. Her body makes a sickening thud. She slides down and lands on her ass and gives him a miserable, pleading look. I see it in her eyes. Desperate, agonized yearning. She isn’t obeying him out of fear—it’s out of love. And I can understand why, on some sick level. Hell, I crushed on the guy for months until I got to know him.
“You dumb bitch,” he snaps at her, biting each word out precisely. “I was in the middle of a very important business call when you started playing your stupid games, or I’d have been out here sooner. You think you’re being useful to me right now?”
She crawls over to him, clutching at his leg. He shakes her off violently. When she crawls back, he kicks her in the stomach like she’s a dog, wrenching a grunt of pain from her.
Despite how furious I am with her, the blow makes me queasy, and I find myself tensing in sympathy. I hate Elizabeth, but I also hate seeing men hit women.
“Stay here,” he orders me. He reaches down, grabs her by the wrist, and stalks away, dragging her behind him. She scrabbles along, trying to climb to her feet, making grotesque wailing noises.
So she wasn’t supposed to bully me or hit me. Joshuaisfollowing the rules that he’s set. Shameful relief flows through me.
