Bentley released my hair abruptly, letting my head fall forward with a painful thud. He paced in front of me, his boots dragging against the floor, his laughter filling the silence like a haunting melody. Every step he took felt like a drumbeat, slowly counting down the time until I would break, until I would surrender to the terror he was weaving around me.
“You think you’re strong, don’t you?” His voice was soft now, like he was speaking to a child. “You think you can handle it, that you’ll find some way out. But you won’t. You’re not strong enough for this. No one ever is.”
He knelt in front of me, his face inches from mine, and for the first time, I saw something other than hatred in his eyes. There was something darker, something that made my stomach twist with dread—a predatory glint, a sick amusement. His gaze lingered on my lips, his eyes flicking back to my terrified eyes with twisted satisfaction.
“I gave you a gift, Dove. A gift you’ll never forget,” he whispered, his words slithering in the silence between them. “I gave you a reason to feel again. To truly understand what it means to be broken. You’ve been living in a dream, pretending you’re safe. But this… this is real. You’re awake now.”
I could barely keep my eyes open as my head hung low, my chest heaving with each tortured breath. The tears had long since stopped, my eyes dry and bloodshot, but the emptiness in my heart felt endless. I couldn’t fight him. Not anymore. I had tried—God, had I tried—but I was too weak, too small against the monster he had become. I had thought, maybe hoped, that if I could escape the past, if I could outrun the darkness, I could find peace. But Bentley was the embodiment of my worst fears, and now there was no escaping him.
Bentley’s hand brushed against my cheek, cold and smooth like a snake, as his thumb traced the outline of my jaw. His touch sent a shiver down my spine, not from any tenderness, but from the sheer malice behind it.
“I’m not going to kill you yet, Dove,” he said, his voice low and coaxing, like he was offering me a gift. “Not yet. But I’m going to make you wish you were dead. I’m going to make you wish for the sweet release of it all.”
He paused, as if savoring my reaction. The air was thick with the weight of his words, suffocating me as the tension stretched between us. He leaned closer, his breath hot against my skin, and for a moment, everything stood still.
“I’ve waited a long time for this, Dove. And I’m not letting you go. Not ever.”
His words hung in the air like a death sentence, the promise of torment and suffering. His hand trailed down my neck, his touch becoming colder, more deliberate, as he continued to violate the last remnants of my peace.
Bentley slowly stood up and walked behind me, each footstep heavy and purposeful. I couldn’t bring myself to move, my body frozen, the weight of his presence suffocating me. The room felt smaller, the shadows closing in tighter, until the walls seemed to press in on me from every side.
“Don’t worry, Dove,” Bentley’s voice came from behind me, low and steady. “You’ll come to understand. Pain changes people. It makes them stronger… or it destroys them. But either way, it’ll make you mine.”
My mind was racing, the remnants of my thoughts drowning in the sea of terror that Bentley had built around me. I didn’t know what to do anymore. I didn’t know how much longer I could endure the cruelty, the anguish. My whole world had been shattered the moment Bentley had stepped into mylife, and now it felt as if the last shred of my humanity was slipping through my fingers.
I thought of Ashton—of the moments we shared, of the way he had made me feel alive, loved, cared for. I thought of the small moments of peace I had once found in his presence, the warmth of his touch, the way he had made me feel like I wasn’t broken, like I wasn’t unworthy. I had been so close to escaping. But now…
The sound of Bentley’s laughter cut through the silence, like a knife twisting in my chest. It was cruel, unrelenting, and he knew. He knew that I was slipping, that he was breaking me. I wanted to scream, to fight, but I was too weak, too broken. I felt nothing but coldness now, and the crushing weight of inevitability.
“You’re mine, Dove,” Bentley said again, his voice a whisper in my ear, “and I’m never letting you go.”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. All I could do was close my eyes and pray that somehow, someone—anyone—would come for me before I was lost in the darkness forever.
34
DOVE
The pain radiates through my body and I can’t help the screams that rip from my throat. My eyes fly open as I see I’m still stuck in my nightmare.
“Welcome back to the land of the living…for now.” He sneers.
“What have you done?” I gasp through the pain that currently renders my body in shock.
“Branded you, left my final mark. That’s what they will all see when they finally see your corpse.”
“My corpse?” I mimicked his words like I thought he would let me live.
“After I’ve tortured you, of course, you don’t get an easy death. Eight years is a long time and I want to savour it.”
“Why am I naked?” I gasp.
Oh god, what had he done to me while I was out cold? I couldn’t even think of all the horrible things he could have done to my body while I was unconscious.
“Relax. The only thing that makes my dick hard is seeing you in pain. Seeing you tormented. Seeing that fear in thosepretty little eyes.” My eyes widen at his words. “That is where the pleasure lies, not pumping your cock for five minutes. Do you know the best release is that adrenaline that courses through your veins? That sweet high you get from seeing your poor helpless victim pushed to their limits…now that is pleasure.”
“Your sick.” I spit back at him.
Bentley’s grin widened at my defiance, a twisted expression that sent a cold shiver rippling through my body. He leaned closer, the sour tang of his breath making my stomach churn. His dark eyes, endless voids of malice, glinted with anticipation as he stared into my soul, relishing every flicker of fear that I couldn’t fully suppress.
