Obsessed by Aleatha Romig

Author:Aleatha Romig
Language: eng
Format: epub

Laurel

Present Day

Wrapped in a blanket, I waited on my laundry. The first load was in the clothes dryer with the second load washing. Kader’s orders for my appearance in his office could wait. I had no intention of leaving this floor again until I could do so fully clothed. That predicament left me alone, staring out the large windows with my thoughts, currently, not a good place to be.

The sunshine glistening upon the fallen snow no longer displayed its splendor. The crystal sapphire sky lost its appeal. The river at the basin of the ravine was now infested with rattle snakes and insects waiting for the spring thaw to increase their activity and sink their fangs into the nearest prey.

Kader’s performance hadn’t ripped off my rose-colored glasses; it had shattered them, the heel of his boot grinding the shards into the hard floor until they were beyond repair. Peering out of the large windows, now I saw the reality beyond the panes: freezing temperatures, potential hypothermia, and probable dangers at every turn. The view wasn’t the only thing he’d spoiled with his performance.

Everything associated with him was tainted.

I tried to rationalize that Kader had lied to scare me. But how does one rationalize lying from a man who claimed not to lie? Why after what he’d said last night had he pushed me away? I hadn’t been the one to make the binding statement of staying. It had been he who’d claimed he wouldn’t let me go.

I’d been replaying that scene as well as every moment since our first meeting, on repeat in my head. Like snippets of film by a cinematographer, I’d dissected and critiqued each frame. The result was a headache. The conclusion was that I couldn’t be certain of anything.

After Kader had walked away, a part of me hoped that when I went downstairs to the kitchen, we could try to discuss how he’d behaved and what he’d said. Perhaps it was my background in psychology that pushed me to seek understanding. That part of me was willing to listen—until I entered the kitchen. Finding a protein bar, yogurt, and water on the counter and Kader nowhere in sight was the final blow to his assault.

He’s beaten me without throwing an actual punch.

It wasn’t that I expected a champagne brunch. After what we’d shared and how he’d behaved last night, I simply expected something. Instead, I was down for the count.

The door behind me rattled. With a gasp I pulled the blanket defensively higher, covering his shirt I was still wearing, as the sound of the opening door amplified like fingernails on a chalkboard. I wasn’t certain of his aversion to locks, but like the bathroom in the basement, this bedroom was without one.

Although I’d heard Kader enter, besides lifting the blanket, I refused to turn, to see his hauntingly handsome face and associate that vision with his earlier cruel words.

“I told you to eat.”

My gaze stayed fixed on the outside scene.

His steps neared. His voice came closer, deeper, his sentences more concise.

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