Page 13 of Tangled in His Game

No one is hiding behind the other side of my bed. I swallow hard as I grab my phone. It’s the middle of the night. I glance toward the windows.

Was it a dream? Or was there actually someone in my room?

I take a few more deep breaths because I don’t want to go check the rest of the house right now. My fingers tremble around the vase I’m still clutching as I sit down on the edge of my bed.

No one’s here.

It’s just my mind playing tricks on me. I was probably in the middle of a dream and it somehow transferred to real life, so I saw something that wasn’t there. It’s the only explanation. If someone had come to rob the house, I’d hear more noise. They wouldn’t be looming over me like...

Sebastian.

I close my eyes for a moment because I don’t want to think about him, but I can’t push the memory out of my mind.

I’m asleep in bed.

“What did you do, bitch?” A loud shout wakes me up as Sebastian yanks the covers off me.

His short dark brown hair is a mess, his hazel eyes wide.

The lights blind me, and my pulse is in overdrive as I blink at him.

“Babe, what’s happening?” I stammer.

“What’s happening?!” He leans over me, his hand burying into my pajama shirt. “You cheated on me. You fucking cheated on me! Didn’t you?”

“What? No! I would never! I swear!” I beg as tears start streaming down my face.

“Then why the fuck are you crying?” His face is so close to mine, his eyes wide and bloodshot, his nostrils flaring.

“I... Please!” Terror squeezes my insides as he balls his fists.

I’m so sure he’s going to kill me.

Suddenly, a smile erupts on his face as he straightens his back.

I stare at him, barely breathing, my tears silently running because I’m too afraid to make any noise.

“Relax, baby,” he says. “I know you didn’t cheat on me. It was just a game. Was I convincing enough? But now you know what will happen if youdocheat on me.” He grins.

I stare at him in complete shock as he bends down and places a soft kiss on my cheek.

I pull myself out of the memory. It’s been months since I thought about it, but something brought it all back.

I get to my feet, still holding the vase, and I slowly walk through the door and into the hallway. Nothing moves as I turn on the lights wherever I go. I stand in the kitchen for a bit, just listening, but everything is perfectly silent.

As I open the door to my parents’ bedroom, I immediately flip the light switch.

No intruders, but just as I’m about to turn off the light, my gaze falls on the curtains. They’re lightly swaying in the breeze, which shouldn’t be possible. Unless...

I inch toward the window.

My heart skips a beat.

It’s not fully closed. There’s a slight gap, which I know I didn’t leave. I latch it carefully and spin around, my pulse racing again. Someone was in here. Someone broke into my home, loomed over me, and touched my face.

I make a dash for my room, snatching my phone. Do I call the cops? My parents? But it’s the middle of the night and the window couldn’t have been opened from the outside. Someone got out through it, which means they were here all the time while I was...

I can’t breathe. My throat is impossibly tight, my chest heaving.

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