Page 20 of Ruin Me
“Rhett, please. Let me explain.”
But it’s too late, I can already see the pain, his anger and heartbreak, and I know he feels it. Because I do too.
“It’s fine Hadley, I get it.”
He backs away and leaves, and my heart leaves along with him.
Six
Hadley
Myeyesflungopen,my heart racing as I remembered the day I fell for his protectiveness. We had been kids, but I knew then that I’d always love him. Being stuck here with him only increased those feelings.
But I knew he was loyal to my dad. He’d never do anything to upset my father, and if that meant marrying me off to some prick, he’d let that happen.
I couldn’t stay here. I had to get away.
The doors weren’t locked. The generator hadn’t kicked in, and even the phone reception was down. The only way to escape was to run.
I looked over at him, fast asleep. Slowly, I pulled myself out of the bed and grabbed my shoes. Every movement I made in slow motion to make sure he didn’t realise I was going to make a run for it. I grabbed my phone, in case the reception came back and I moved to the door. Rhett moved a little and my heart all but stopped for a moment. He settled again and I crept to the door, pushing the handle down slightly, and pulling the door open. A slight creak sounded and I instantly snapped my attention back to him but he was still fast asleep. I shuffled out the door and slowly closed it, making sure it didn’t make a sound before I ran for the stairwell. I ran as fast as I could down the stairs, almost tumbling down several times. I looked down at my phone and saw it was almost dinner time. Everything was pitch black, which meant the storm was still raging.
It didn’t matter. I just needed to get out.
Once I saw the bright side on the side of the wall that read G, I opened the door. Staff were at their stations in the foyer and in the restaurant, knowing full well that guests would be in their rooms. I crept past a couple of them having an argument over when the storm would pass, keeping to the shadows of the room so they didn’t see me.
I knew there was a button on the side of the glass doors that would open if I pressed it. The doors wouldn’t be locked now, thanks to the power outage. I just had to get ready to run. I edged closer and closer, the voices of the staff members rising to a full on argument, which caused enough of a distraction that I could push the button. Slowly, the sounds of howling winds, lashing rain and thunder filled the foyer, snapping everyone’s attention to me.
I fled through the opened doors, with them clambering after me, and running into the crazy storm, heading for some form of shelter. The rain was cold on my face, the winds even colder as I felt ice in the air. I tried to think of anything warm to keep me going.
This storm was pretty crazy. I couldn’t even see in front of me, and the rain was blocking out the sound of the staff calling me back.
Pure need not to go back to my dad’s rules and the marriage I never wanted was what fuelled me forward.
My feet didn’t want to run anymore, the shoes completely filled with water as I looked for anything but all I saw was darkness, and all I felt was the cold, wetness of the storm overhead.
I broke down, not sure what to do. Rhett would surely know I’d escaped by now, and would be after me, and he’d probably tie me up until the storm cleared and he could get me home.
Fuck.
How had it come down to this? I’d covered my tracks so well.
I’d made sure to never tell anyone of my desire to come here. How had he tracked me down?
I slammed my fist against the tree I was under, feeling the pain radiate up my arm as I cried out in the storm.
I felt something grab onto my arm. I wheeled around to see Rhett glowering at me, his face only just recognisable in some form of light close by.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he growled.
“You can’t expect me to just cooperate, can you? You’ve fucked me senseless, you’ve marked me and now you’re going to send me off to marry someone else. You’re a fucking monster, Rhett.”
“You are not mine,” he said. “I have no claim over you, no matter how much I want to. I have to take you back, but it’s upto you whether you marry him or not. Don’t run, tell them what you’ll be doing. Be the woman I know you are.”
We were yelling now, trying to be heard over the loudness of the storm.
His words hit deep. He was a man of his word. He’d promised to return me, but now he was telling me to go against my father.
Emanuel Armstrong was the most feared gangster in Sydney, and here Rhett was telling me he thought I could tell him what to do?
