Page 52 of Bound To Me

I considered going to rehab again. I considered going to therapy. I wanted to put my life back on track and for it to not revolve around someone who hated me. But then, a few weeks later, someone named Jessica called me out of nowhere.

She asked me for details about Michael. I asked her why and who she was. When she told me she was the sister of Hana’s husband, I knew it was my chance to get rid of Hana once and forall. I would tell them the truth about Michael, if they didn’t know already.

I told Jessica everything. I told her about him abusing me, controlling me, threatening me. I told her about him tying me up and mutilating me, about coming to me again months later to do it all over again. She was horrified. She was sympathetic and warm, even over the phone. I knew just by talking to her that I liked her. She said she would keep in touch, and we said goodbye.

She called me back not long after, asking to meet with her and Jack to discuss Michael. She said he was becoming a problem in their lives. I immediately agreed to meet—I was too curious not to.

Jessica met me outside a coffee shop in Chelsea. I spotted her right away because she looked just like Jack. I waved to her as I approached, and she beamed at me, but I could tell there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Or was it pity? Either way, she welcomed me with open arms. I instantly thought she was the nicest person I had ever met.

“Thank you so much for coming to meet me and Jack. It means a lot, especially after all that you’ve been through.” Her hand was on my shoulder, and her British accent sounded so sophisticated.

I smiled. “Of course.”

“And don’t mind my brother if he’s a little harsh. He’s been in a terrible mood lately.”

I nodded and shrugged. “If he’s dealing with Michael, I don’t blame him.”

We walked in, and I spotted Jack sitting at a table in the corner with a scowl on his face. But even with the scowl, he was fucking gorgeous. Jessica greeted him first as he stood, then he turned to me.

I smiled at him. “Hello.”

He was cold to me, but I was used to that kind of behavior from attractive men, so when Jessica scolded him for it, I waved her off. Seeing his eyes turn from angry to pitiful when I showed him my scars gave me a sense of satisfaction; I had never shown anyone, and knowing that they were as hideous as I thought made me feel validated. Validated, and then ashamed, because I admitted that I still loved him.

When Jack told me that Michael and Hana were back together, it felt like a hole had cut straight through my heart. But she didn’t know the real him. She didn’t know all the horrible things he was capable of.

But now was my chance to show her.

Now

I was like a fucking moth to a flame with Michael. He decided to stay with me in my hotel, declaring he would pay for the rest of the week, and then he would find us a nice house wherever I wanted. I couldn’t believe I was finally getting what I wanted from him; I was getting Michael all to myself again—and he was going to love me this time. He hadn’t hurt me yet, at least not terribly, so I was hopeful. I had reverted right back to the Jackie he had met that first night in the East Village, and he knew it. He wasn’taskingme to do anything; he was nudging himself back into my life without questioning what I wanted. But he knew what I wanted; I’m sure he could see it in the way I stared at him and his beautiful body as he walked out of the bathroom after my bath. I lay on the bed, naked as he requested.

He crawled on top of the bed beside me and began to trail kisses on my body, on all the scars he had given me years before. My nipples perked as his lips pecked my thighs and I moaned with pleasure, my pussy already wet again for him. But as soon as he began, he stopped and hovered over me, his hard cock jutting into my stomach.

“You’re not going to see Elliott again. Do you understand?” His angry glare struck me with fear.

Not see Elliott again? God, I couldn’t stand the thought. But if I was going to be Michael’s again, there was no way I could face Elliott. My heart stung—I loved Elliott. But I was deeply,psychotically obsessed with Michael. I knew who the clear winner should have been, but it was as if I was being controlled by a force that overturned all rational, logical thought. And that force was Michael.

I only nodded as I stared into Michael’s deep gray eyes. “Yes, Daddy.”

He immediately smiled. It felt like I had won the lottery as I stared up at him.

“Oh, sweet Jackie. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, how much I’ve craved you and everything you do for me.”Oh my God, yes.“To finally be in control again, to have you be my sweet fucking submissive who would do anything for me.”

I licked my lips and nodded as my heart raced, my body enveloped with a conflicting mix of pride and anxiety. I had so many questions for him, but fear held my tongue. The first and most important—why was Hana a lost cause? Did he give up on her when she testified against him? From the details she gave during the trial, he didn’t hurt her nearly as much as he hurt me. But I understood why she testified against him—I probably would have too, if the defense hadn’t deemed me “too mentally unstable.” A pang of bitterness surfaced as I remembered. Maybe that’s why he still wanted me. He trusted that I would be loyal to him, or that no one would believe me if I tried to tell the truth. A twisted sense of belonging mixed with dread settled in my chest. Despite everything, I was grateful for his attention, no matter how destructive it was.

“You don’t need to work anymore either. I’ll take care of all your expenses,” he continued, then pressed his lips against my collarbone.

I wouldn’t argue against him even if I could; the gentle way he was treating me rendered me completely useless. But I wasn’t stupid. I knew exactly what was happening—he was going to control me all over again, make me rely on him completely.

But I muttered the words anyway. “Yes, Daddy.”

Michael let me hold him all night. I didn’t think I had ever been happier in my entire life. My heart felt full, and a sense of warmth and contentment enveloped me as I clung to him, savoring the rare intimacy.

The next morning, my phone rang incessantly. I knew exactly who it was, but Michael didn’t let me even look at it, let alone answer it. A knot of anxiety formed in my stomach. I couldn’t just ghost Elliott—I needed to figure out a way to tell him we wouldn’t be able to be together anymore. The thought of hurting him made my chest ache, but I knew I was trapped in Michael’s orbit, unable to break free.

“Let’s go out. There’s some open houses in the area I’d like to see,” Michael suggested after we showered and he seduced me easily, fucking me roughly just as he liked it.

I was horrified when our Uber pulled up a narrow hill to a house just around the block from Elliott’s. Michael obviously knew where he lived, so he must have been doing this on purpose, either to hurt me or to hurt Elliott.

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