Page 12 of Break Me Gently

She’d taken my sweatshirts to smell like me. Followed me around because she had a crush on me. But then there were the drawings. Hearts full of ZR + AR. Pages of Mrs Amber Rayne written between the lines of her surveillance. Poems of love and my features—especially my green eyes.

They’d called her names.

Real nasty ones.

I punched my pillow a few times and turned over, closing my eyes.

It had just been a silly crush.

Nothing more.

But as I began to succumb to sleep, I touched my lips and thought of her.

Then the dull thuds began. Isabella’s moans followed. My stomach lurched.

I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head.

That fucking bastard was doing it on purpose.

❧ ❧ ❧

Isabella was humming as she moved around the kitchen with an energy level she shouldn’t have had at her age. Luke made a beeline for her. He came up behind her and began kissing her neck, saying some shit that made her giggle. A grown woman giggling.

Oh god.

What the fuck?

There were children here.

They had no shame.

I felt the blood drain from my face as he continued to bump and grind against Amber’s mum. He must be at least fifty. I glanced at Amber, but her face was buried in a textbook.

I kicked her under the table and nodded at her shameless mother and the perverted old bastard.

“What?” she mouthed, with a frown.

Before I could say anything, Isabella placed a plate in front of me while Luke set one down for Amber. Isabella brushed her hand over my head.

“How did you sleep?”

Luke looked at me.

I looked at Luke.

“Wonderful,” I said, my voice tight.

Luke placed his hand on Amber’s shoulder, and I almost stood up.

“Put your book away for now, poppet.”

Poppet?

She turned to smile at him before closing her book.

He walked away to get two more plates of food while Isabella got the drinks.

I cut into the sausage, slashing it down the middle, considering my options. I was almost finished with uni—I could get a job anywhere near Amber’s uni. She wouldn’t live under his rule.