Page 55 of The Devil of Hollywood

“He left shortly after that. My mom was going to be home soon.” Her face turned almost angry, but her stare never broke from Elec’s. “I cleaned up the guest house. I forgot the decanter and the glass.”

“And your mother found it?”

“Hours later. That led her to watch the footage. She was so angry. She slapped me. She went crazy.”

Elec nodded.

“And then what happened?”

“She said he raped me. She kept blaming the alcohol, talking about consent. I told her I wanted it to happen. I told her we were getting married.”

Marian sobbed.

“What did she say to that?”

“That I’d never marry a Pennington. Never… marry a rapist. She kept saying he raped me, over and over. She… kept trying her… tricks on me. She—She—She⁠—"

“Slow, Marian. You’re safe, remember. What did she do?”

“She told me to go to bed. I did… and then… my arm.”

“What about your arm?”

“There was pain. A pinch. She… gave me a shot of something.”

Elec inhaled deeply. “And then?”

“I… don’t know. I… I was so sick. And it was nearly noon the next day. My mom said I had to go to London. That it was best to get me as far away as they could from a rapist. She—She told me—W-What I did. I-I didn’t—I’d never⁠—”

“She drugged you, Marian. Do you know that?”

“Yes.”

“Did you ever confront her about it.”

“Yes. All the time.”

“And what would she say?”

“That no one would believe me. They didn’t. I tried to tell them. I… tried… everything. No one listened. No one helped me.”

“I’m going to help you, Marian. Listen to what I say and listen well. Forget The Order. You were never here. If you start to remember, they’re just bad dreams. It’s not you. This never happened. What happened was an accident. A car accident on your way home from the airport. That’s what you’ll remember when you wake up, and the missing pieces will be amnesia. You know this. You’re in London, and you’re only here to collect your belongings. You’re marrying Drayton. You will give him as many heirs as you can. When you learn of the betrothal, you will not fight against it. Penny needs you, and you will give this to her. That is your mindset. That makes you okay with this.” He paused. “Now, go lay down on your pillow and go to sleep. Let your body heal, and let the pain disappear. You feel no more pain. You won’t even wake up and regain memory of your new life until I say.”

Marian blinked, turning to move back to her pillows. Her lids lowered and blue eyes rose to mine. Elec just stared at me, and there was nothing I could do. Nothing I could say. What the hell had I just witnessed? What did any of this mean?”

“You have a lot to process.” He rose, coming to stare me down. “You have your chosen, and you have her side of the past. What you want to do about it is up to you.”

Marian

Darkness. Heaviness. Men. Ego. Even in the void, I couldn’t let go of the nagging. It was pulling me to the surface. Bringing me back to reality. I didn’t want to return. I didn’t want to remember. But I did. I should pretend. As Elec’s words and actions returned, I knew I should push the anger away and keep my mouth shut. I couldn’t. A car accident? My future child? The more clarity I experienced, the more I raged. Their current conversation wasn’t helping. Ego. Men. These men—all men. Anger. So much fury burned within me. Men…

“It was just like I feared. The guards know nothing more than the last time I asked.”

“What about Marian?”

“What about her? I told you. It’ll turn out exactly as I said. When she’s back at the hotel, I’ll work on the details with her even more.”

“There’s no way she’s going to buy that story. She’s not okay, Elec. Fuck. She’s not okay.”