Page 41 of Ruined

Leaning down so that my eyes were level with hers, I stared down into their dark depths, giving her a silent challenge. She swallowed thickly as she slightly leaned back from me. “You’re not the only one who’s changed, Addy baby, and I promise you that I will bring the old you back,” I quietly swore.

“I’d like to see you try,” she snapped at me, trying to hide her panic, but I needed her to break, needed her to come back to me.

I smirked down at her, and her throat bobbed nervously. “Oh, you will, Addy, and I’m going to break you down as I do,” I promised. There was no escaping me, and there was no escaping my plan to destroy the demons that burned inside her.

I cuffed her wrists behind her and dragged her to the bathroom. She fought me, but I just dragged her. Once we were in the small bathroom, I thrust her toward the running shower. “Get in the shower,” I ordered.

“Go fuck yourself, Tristan,” she snarled, her breathing quickening.

Without a word, I swept her off her feet and stepped into the shower with her. “I fucking hate you!” she screamed, those beautiful, brown eyes sparking fire at me.

A humorless smirk twisted my lips as I set her on her feet. “If that’s the case, baby girl, your hatred is only going to grow,” I warned her.

She glared at me with nothing but cold hate and disgust shining in the depths of her eyes, but I swallowed down my guilt and that need to apologize to her. Because if I wanted Adelaide back—myAdelaide—I had to break her down, no matter how much it pained me to do so.

She would understand why I had to do this in the future, and she might even thank me for it. So, for now, she could fucking hate me.

“You’re a mother fucking asshole!” Adelaide shouted from my room after I shut the door to my apartment behind me. I hated leaving her like that, but I didn’t trust her to not run away again. I needed her to stay. Needed her to staywith meso that I could fucking help her.

Jesup arched an eyebrow at me. “Sounds like everything is going swell,” he sarcastically stated as Adelaide screamed at the top of her lungs. Just fuckingscreamed.

I ran my hands down my face, exhaustion and guilt weighing down on my shoulders. “I have to do it to her,” I said quietly. “I hate it, but I don’t know how else to bring the real her back.”

“Tristan, get your ass back in here and uncuff me!” Adelaide shouted.

Jesup barked out a laugh. “You cuffed her?” he asked, his eyes shining with humor.

“To the bed,” I said, not even ashamed. If I didn’t, she was going to try running, and I knew how sneaky she could be.

Jesup only laughed harder.

You’ll forgive me for this later, Adelaide.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Adelaide

Isqueezed my eyes shut, desperately trying to fight the panic attack that was threatening to overwhelm me. Ineededto be uncuffed. God, I would do whatever Tristan wanted me to do if it meant I got uncuffed. I couldn’t stand being restrained anymore. Not after everything that I had gone through.

Tristan had to come back in here and uncuff me.

“Tristan!” I shouted, squeezing my eyes shut again. Tears burned in my throat, and my chest tightened. I couldn’t fuckingbreathe.

I watched as Vin stepped into the room, his heavy boots making soft thudding noises as he made his way closer to me. Fear clawed at my veins, shredding me apart. I pulled at the shackles that held my wrists to the wall, my breathing quickening as panic began to settle in. Vin officially had his hands on me, just like he’d always wanted.

He was going to ruin me. Destroy me.

Vin was going to break me in the worst way possible.

“You know you’re mine now, right?” Vin taunted as he pulled his shirt off, revealing his heavily muscled form.

“What is your obsession with me?” I choked out, fear making my heart slam heavily against my breastbone. It was beating so hard, I thought I might have a heart attack.

“You’re the only one to escape me, love.” Tears slid down my cheeks. I hated when he called me that. “And I can’t have that. You’re supposed to be mine.”

“Vin, please,” I begged, tears streaming down my face.

He undid his belt, and I sobbed. “Oh, I’m going to love listening to you beg me to stop.”

---