Page 84 of Edge of Heaven

“Oh, boo fucking hoo!” He rolls his eyes. “If you cared about my needs, you’d be all in for that stuff. When we first started dating you used to give as good as you got—and then you got all mousey and timid. Or is it that you started screwing Mick so now you don’t like it when I fuck you?”

“You don’t even wait for me to come anymore!” I say in frustration. I wouldn’t stay with him regardless, but he doesn’t get to put this on me. I was ready to leave before this started.

“You think you deserve orgasms?” He throws back his head and laughs. Then he slaps me so hard I stumble back, losing my footing and landing hard on one ankle.

“Callum!” I cover my face as he kicks me, hard, in the ribs.

“Get up!” he yells.

I try but my ankle buckles and I wind up on the floor again.

“Stupid whore.” He grabs me by the ponytail, pulling me across the floor toward the bed.

A sharp pain in my chest tells me he probably just broke one—or more—of my ribs.

“Callum, please.” I try to grab my head, but he yanks me even harder and lifts me onto the bed.

“Remember when I said you’d pay dearly for the last three payments? That starts now.” He slaps me across the face again. “Because you’re never going to forget the man who helped your kid get better.” He crawls on top of me and puts his knee in the middle of my chest.

Pain explodes out of me but all I can manage is a whimper because I can barely breathe with his weight on me.

“Or who supported your skanky ass when you had nowhere to go.” He slaps me twice more, once on each side.

I want to cry, plead, beg him to stop, but as horrible as this is, I realize he’s going to regret it when he comes down from his high. That’s his M.O. whenever he gets physical with me.

Andthiswill give me leverage.

He’s already out on bail so getting arrested again could land him back in jail until a trial.

So I just have to survive whatever he’s going to do and then wait for him to sober up.

“Are you listening to me?” He grabs me by the throat, squeezing hard enough to cut off my airway.

“Stop…” I rasp.

“Cunt.” He lets go of my neck and backhands me.

I taste blood this time and close my eyes as he smacks me a few more times.

“You think you’re just going to walk away from Callum Yates? Think again. You’re not going anywhere.”

He slides off the bed and grabs my phone off the table, putting it in his pocket. Then he digs my wallet out of my purse, puts that in his pocket as well, and walks out of the room without looking back.

I don’t know whether I’m relieved it’s over and I’m still alive or terrified about what to do next. It hurts every time I take a breath, which means I have to get help.

I don’t know what time Mick is supposed to get back, but I’ll try his room first. If he’s not there, I’ll go down to the front desk. That way, I’ll have witnesses.

Then, if Callum won’t pay the final two payments, I’ll threaten to go to the cops.

This isn’t how I envisioned getting out from under Callum’s thumb, but I feel like there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel.

And I’m heading full-speed in that direction.

Chapter29

Mick

My phone lights upwith messages as soon as I get off the plane. The Wi-Fi on the plane was broken so I couldn’t check in with anyone until now, and my blood immediately goes cold.

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