Chapter 43

Chapter 43

I yawned, feeling like taking a shower and crashing for the night. I was just in front of my door when I

halted in my tracks.

The apartment number on the wall was the same as I remembered, but the door was not.

It creaked on its rusty hinges, hanging ajar with the bolted lock dangling against the wood.

Oh, f*ck no.

My heart thudded in my ears, adrenaline filling my veins as it woke me from any exhaustion I had been

feeling. I was wide awake now.

1

I reached for my phone, my fingers ready to dial the police, but I cursed as I pulled out the black

screen. All my neighbors were asleep if they were even here, and the only security we had was James,

the blind old man.

I debated for a moment on turning around and pretending as if I had never seen the door, sleeping in

my car for the night until I could call someone to investigate in the morning.

That would have been the smart move.

But I never claimed to be smart.

I reached for the pepper spray I kept in my purse at all times, pushing the nozzle open as I readied it in

my hand like a soldier with his weapon. I crept softly across the ugly carpet, making no noise as I

peeked into my apartment.

It was dark, with no lights on except for the flickering fluorescent bulbs in the hallway. My shadow fell

across the floor, obscuring any visage of light.

I kept the door open, in case I needed to run back out, as I crept inside. The light switch was on the

other side of the wall.

I swallowed, fear building in my chest. I’d always hated scary movies, and now I felt like I was in one.

I raised the

in hand as I reached the corner wall. Slowly, I moved out from behind the wall, facing the pepper spray

my living room with my heart racing out of my chest.

A dark figure stood in the middle of the room.

“Freeze!” I yelled, my hands shaking.

“Adelaide,” the intruder called, and I flinched, recognizing the voice.

“Ashton?” I lowered the spray, frowning as he chuckled, flicking on the nearby lamp.

I squinted at the sudden light, blinking away the white spots until I saw the intruder fully. It really was

Ashton

And he looked terrible.

His suit was disheveled, and a deep blue and purple bruise spread across his cheek as he stared at

me deeply. His eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with dark shadows, and he was missing his tic..

“What happened to you?” I frowned.

“Me?” he chuckled, gesturing to the bruise on his face. “Oh, this? Just a little wake-up call.”

Something wasn’t right here. He stared at me, unblinking. There was an unhinged appearance about

him, like something in his mind had finally cracked.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, calmly, palming the pepper spray behind my back. I stepped back

the moment he stepped forward, but my apartment was not very large.

My back hit the window and I swallowed, uncomfortably at the way he was looking at me.

Almost, obsessively.

Like a dying man who had seen an angel in his last moments.

“I made a mistake,” he admitted, pitifully, glancing at his hands. His knuckles were red and bruised, the

skin split and bloody as if he’d been in a fight..

One he had apparently lost.

“I’d say,” I said, calmly. “You should apologize to Corinna. You ruined her life.”

“Corinna?”

He glanced up at me, blinking stupidly like he didn’t understand what I was saying.

“Your fiancee. My sister?”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Ashton shook his head. “I don’t care about Corinna or that whore. The mistake I

made…”

He raised his eyes, taking a step forward and smiling, “Was losing you.”

“You need to leave,” I said, firmly, pushing against the wall to move sideways. Before I could turn to the

door, however, Ashton slammed his hand against the wall, mere centimeters from my head.

My heart pounded, and I gripped the pepper spray in my hand tightly as Ashton leaned forward.

“I love you so much, Adelaide,” he whispered, looking like a broken man as he pleaded. “I made a

mistake choosing Corinna over you. I understand now how much I hurt you, so just come back to me.

I’ll treasure you properly this time.”

He pulled me into his chest, burying his hands into my hair, but I only stiffened. I felt disgusted, having

his touch on me, and I pulled away with a sharp tug

“Ashton,” I snapped, sharply, unyielding to his confession. “We’ve been over for a long time. Now

please leave, and we can forget this happened.”

“Leave?” Ashton’s demeanor switched in a second as he loomed over me, a snarl twisting his

handsome features until he resembled more of a demon than a man. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I swung my hand upward, pressing down on the pepper spray, but Ashton caught my wrist before it

could hit him.

“I’ve been nice, Adelaide,” he said, darkly, glaring at the pepper spray before squeezing my wrist tightly.

I screamed as my bones pressed together painfully, forcing me to drop the spray to the ground.

“No!”

In my panic, I tried to pull away, but Ashton was stronger and faster as he grabbed my other wrist and

slammed me against the window, rattling the glass behind me.

“Help!”

“I apologized! I admitted I was wrong! What more do you want from me?” Ashton snarled into my face.

“Leave me alone!” I screamed, trying to tear myself away from him. I swung my legs forward to kick

him, but he swung back, throwing me forward.

I hit the carpet, knocking my nose on the floor. It stung painfully and specks of red fell onto the floor, but

I had no time to

worry about that.

“Now, look what you made me do!” Ashton growled, running a hand through his messy hair. “You

should’ve behaved, Adelaide!

“Help!” I screamed, my voice distorted as the blood fell from my broken nose. I scrambled forward, but

Ashton was faster as he climbed onto my back.

“No! No!” I threw my fists as fast as I could, blood pouring down my face as Ashton flipped me onto my

back, pinning me down.

He caught my wrists, holding them above my head in one hand as he leaned down until we were nose

to nose.

“You are mine, Adelaide,” he snarled. “Only mine.”

“F*ck you!” I screamed, headbutting him in the nose. Both of us were left dazed by the impact as he

cursed, letting my hands go. I struggled to wiggle out from under his weight, my nails scratching on the

carpet as I tried to crawl away from

him

“F*cking b*tch!” Ashton growled, grabbing the back of my hair and slamming my face onto the floor.

My vision went blurry, and I could only see spots of red as my head pounded, the pain drowning out all

other noises.

“Help.” I called out weakly.

I felt his hands on my pants, pulling them down my legs, and the clinking of his belt buckle as he

pressed his whole body onto me, smothering me with his weight. I could barely breathe, my lungs

squeezed tightly as I struggled to inhale.

“Don’t worry.” Ashton wiped the blood off his face, lining himself up, “I’ll make a good wife out of you.”

Tears flooded down my cheeks, my vision so blurry I could barely make out shadows as only one name

came to my mind.

“Damon,” I whispered.

“You b”stard!”

Someone screamed, like hell itself had risen from the depths. I heard shouting as Ashton was ripped

off of me and I took in a proper breath, trembling as I curled up into a ball.

I could only see the shadows on the wall, two figures pounding into one another or more like a new

figure destroying the

other.

Ashton screamed over and over as I saw the figure’s fists pound into him again and again until the

fighting stopped, and there was only the ragged breathing of the new figure.

I was still delirious, confused, and my head ached, but I knew the minute hands touched my bare back.

“No!” I screamed, struggling to crawl away. “No! Please! Leave me alone!”

“Addie! It’s me! It’s Damon!” he cried, taking his hands off of me and putting them on the carpeted floor.

“It’s me! I won’t hurt you.”

I gazed up, everything still blurry between the tears and concussion, but my eyes met dark ones- ones

too familiar to forget.

“It’s me. I’m here.”

Hesitantly, he cupped my cheek, the sorrow, and fury in his eyes something for me to latch onto. “I’m

so sorry. I was late. God, I’m-”

I scrambled up, the wails bursting out of my lips as I threw myself into his arms.

It was Damon.

He was here. I was safe.

“Shhh,” he rubbed my back, gently, clutching me to him as if I might disappear.

“I want to go home,” I choked out through the sobs.

“Okay,” he nodded softly and pressed a kiss to my temple.

“Let’s go home.”