Page 109 of Psychotic Obsession
I sideways glance at my knife block, unsure if I will need to go as far as defending myself by inflicting pain on him. "I haven't slept with Ewan in a long time, Tobias. You're the father, I promise. Please just try to control your breathing and look at me." I move towards him, my hand on his shoulder, turning him. "Focus on me."
With a snarl, he looks me up and down, his entire form shaking with rage. "I love you enough to accept what we need to do. That way, we can all be together forever."
"What?"
He pulls me out of the kitchen and down the hallway, stopping at Gabriella's bedroom. "Sit on the bed," he orders, and I comply, watching him pull apart her wardrobe in a hurry. With my heart racing at an unhealthy pace, I gulp down a painful lump suffocating me. "They should do it."
My eyes widen as he turns, two long cables in his hand while he checks the sturdiness of the curtain pole. "No, Tobias. No. You don't want to do this."
"I do," he responds, knotting them both with large loops big enough to wrap around our necks. "You can go first, then I'll go. Or we can do it together." I jump from the bed and try for the door, but he grabs me once more. "Stop fucking fighting this."
"I don't want to die!" I scream out, kicking my legs as he tosses me back on the bed. "Please!" I cry as I bury my head in the duvet, my body heaving while he stands on Gabriella's stool, positioning the cables side by side. "Tobias, please. I want my kids to have a chance at life."
"Our fucking kids.Ours!" he corrects me, snapping at me with wide eyes, delusional to his earlier accusation. "This is not up for negotiation, Aria. Stand up."
My nerves are taking over, but I need to protect my babies. I grab a pen from Gabriella's bedside unit, driving the point into his bicep before making a run for it.
Somehow, I manage to make it to the bathroom and lock the door while Tobias groans in pain, yelling at me to get back.
I rest my back against the door, breathless, tears soaking my face. "Oh my God," I say to myself, covering my mouth as I hear Tobias' footsteps advancing, passing the door to enter the kitchen down the hall, returning seconds later.
"Aria, you need to open the door right now. You're ruining everything." I stay silent, my body shaking as I weep for my life. The sound of him busting open the door touches my ears as he leans against it to mirror my seated position. "It's the only way. I don't want the other side of you coming out and making it worse. She's evil and hateseverythingabout me."
The other side of me?
Why the hell did we need to leave Dumfries? Why did I not tell Ewanwe'd just stay there forever? I was in heaven, happy, care-free, and now, I'm in a living hell as I hear Tobias taking deep breaths to try to control himself.
"My mom told me you were beautiful, that she understands why I'm so in love with you. She told me I should never stop fighting for what I want. And that'syou, Aria. I want you in ways that make me... I don't even know how to explain it."
"If you loved me, you wouldn't try to kill me," I snap.
Silence follows as I wait for Tobias to calm down so we can talk.
I hear him let out a deep breath. "It won't be long now."
Frowning, I sit forward, my eyes widening as soon as I smell it.
Gas.
"What are you doing?" I ask, rushing to the window, but it’s locked. "Tobias!"
"I do love you, Aria. I wish I was normal so you could actually be with me, but I'm not. I've never even been close to it." His voice echoes in the room, soft and calm. "But you saw something in me that made me enjoy life for the first time ever, even if it was only for a few months. It won't hurt. I promise you'll pass out before I light it up."
I gasp a cry, grabbing a hand towel, rolling it up in a panic and stuffing it under the door to block any more gas from leaking in. "You can't do this!" I yell at him, my breathing erratic. I use another hand towel, soaking it in the tub then holding it to my face, pacing the bathroom while I press a palm to my stomach.
"You need to just sit down and let yourself fall asleep."
"Stop it!" I cry through the wet rag, every single nerve in my body exploding with fear. Then, I hear it: the flicking of a lighter as Tobias coughs.
I have one last chance.
Unlocking the door, he falls back as I open it and jump over him, dropping the hand towel as I make a run for it.
I manage to grab my keys and unlock my car, climbing in, completely out of breath, tears streaming down my face.
Before I can close the door, my heart sinks as a hand full of dried blood stops it. "Aria!" Tobias calls out, curling his fingers on the metal as I scream, trying to yank it shut and failing as he throws it open. "I'm trying to save you from her!"
He grabs my hair, pain surging through me while he pulls me from the car and slams my back against it. He cups my face in his hands, blood trickling down his arm where the pen is still lodged, something he doesn't seem bothered by. "Come back to me, Aria. Don't let her control you."
