Page 40 of Die For Me

“You fuckingkidnappedher. That’s not winning,” he spit out, inching closer to me.

I still had the grin plastered on my face. It was fun prodding him on. I shrugged like I didn’t know what he was talking about; I really wouldn’t consider it kidnapping if she fell in love with me.

“And she still stayed. Then begged for me to come find and rescue her from her demented Prince Charming.” I had my hands in a fist on my sides, ready to take him.

Michael was finally right in front of me, obviously fuming with anger.

“What, you want to fight me?” I raised my eyebrows at him.

“That wouldn’t be a fair fight. I could easily kill you.”

I chuckled then quickly raised my left fist and punched him right in the eye at full force. He lost his footing and bumped into the counter behind him.

“That’s for when you stole her from me the first time,” I spat out, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Something flickered in his eyes, a darkness I hadn’t seen before. Maybe he did have it in him after all. He suddenly barged forward and tackled me into the cabinets behind me, glass shattering to the floor as his fists pounded into my ribs. I was able to get away, ducking underneath his arm. I spun around and took my arm to his neck, putting him in a chokehold.

“Listen to me, Michael,” I growled out into his ear. “You have no idea what I’m capable of. You think you’re so fucking tough? Just try insulting me again, and I’ll show you what I can do.”

I let go, and Michael gasped for air, reaching for the counter.

“Hana ismine. I’m only sharing her because if I don’t, she will end her life. Don’t you fucking believe for one second that I’m weaker than you because I’m compliant. If anything, it’s because I care about her more than you do,” I spat out.

Michael didn’t look back at me. He gripped the counter, his head hung low. Then the fucking psychopath started laughing.

“What’s so fucking funny, you nimwit?” I asked with annoyance.

“You think Hana is yours because you forced her to marry you? Because you’re fuckingcompliant? No.” He turned around, glaring at me. “No, Jack. Hana is not yours and she never has been. She’s been mine this whole time and you wanna know how I know?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. I wanted to hear what this delusional fuck really thought.

“She fucking salivates when she looks at me. She hangs onto my every word as if I were a fucking god. I know for a fact she doesn’t look at you the same way.” He smiled smugly, his right eye starting to swell and hints of blood on his lip.

I chuckled. “If that’s what you need to tell yourself, mate. Might wanna clean yourself up a bit before the girls get back.” I waved him off as I walked out of the kitchen.

I barged up the stairs into the room that we all three somehow ended up sharing and punched my already raw fist into the wall. He somehow knew how to get under my skin, figuring out my biggest insecurity: the fear that I wasn’t as good as him. Hana could tell me she loved me all she wanted, but Michael was right. Hana practically had stars in her eyes while looking at him. I needed to figure out how to show her he wasn’t perfect. I needed to find his biggest weakness and tear him down with it.

Emily

Hana sighed heavily as we walked down the tree-lined street through the neighborhood. The sun shone down on us brightly, and I noticed our feet walking lazily in sync. The late April afternoon was perfect, sixty-three degrees with no clouds in sight. The birds were chirping overhead, and I realized how different our hometown was from the city. There were no assholes bumping into us on the sidewalk and you could walk down the street without having to step around trash. I looked over at Hana as she smiled down at the sidewalk in front of us; I hadn’t seen her so carefree in such a long time. Her long, blonde, wavy hair was drying in the sunshine as she flipped it over her shoulder to look at me.

“I have a lot to tell you,” she said, a hint of a smile on her face.

I let out a laugh. “Um, no shit,” I scoffed. “First, I need to know: Were you really with Jack this whole time? And what the fuck did Michael do to you, because I swear to God I will fight him.”

Hana laughed and shook her head. I couldn’t believe how nonchalant she was being about this.

“Um…Jack and I…it’s complicated. Everything I told you before, at that hotel in Jersey, was true. But…he’s so different now. And I am…obsessedwith him.” She stopped walking as she spoke, her hands in her zip-up hoodie pockets.

My heart sunk to the concrete under my shoes. “Hana,” I scolded, shaking my head at her. “Hetookyou. He…did some unimaginable things to you. Why in the hell are youobsessedwith him?” I couldn’t understand how she could go from terrified of him to absolutely in love with him.

She shook her head back at me, chewing the sides of her cheek. “I don’t expect you to understand, Em. I just really want you back in my life, and if you want answers, I’m gonna give them to you whether you like them or not.”

I started to tear up. I didn’t know if I could ignore their past. “And what about Michael? Didhefucking kidnap you too?”

Hana sighed heavily. “Yes. He was desperate. And then I became desperate too,” she started, averting her eyes.

“Please explain, Hana,” I begged.

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