Page 126 of Unapologetic Obsession
But I had already lost my balance. A shriek exploded out of me, so shrill and animal-like that I barely recognized it as my own. My hair whipped into my eyes and mouth. All the noise of the party—music, laughter, the drunk symphony of my friends—collapsed into a vacuum, and in that hush I could only see him.
In that suspended moment before impact, I caught one final glimpse of his face. The mask of cruelty and cocky disdain he wore like armor had shattered. Instead, he was a shell of a man, mouth twisting with desperation. He looked like a man watching his own soul plummet off the ledge, and I realized his wild expression might be the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
Chapter
Forty
ROSE
Present
My body stiffenedin Caden’s lap as each fragmented memory detonated in sequence. The fog that had smothered my recollections had thinned just enough to reveal two important revelations.
First, my own brother tried to murder me, repeatedly roaring the words,You stupid bitch,as he drove a knife inside me. I had stolen what he considered his birthright, and the injustice didn’t sit well with him. Natasha said the exact phrase,You stupid bitch, and now I understood why I’d nearly blacked out with rage and attacked her. The words triggered a response within me, unlocking a room inside that was slick with blood and betrayal.
Secondly, the man from my nightmares was none other than Caden. How many times had my subconscious tried to warn me? The nightmares had been haunting me for days, and the horrifying images hit me like a freight train. Caden’s menacingface. His footsteps echoing in the ominous silence of the warehouse. His hand wrapping around my neck before he threw me to the ground.
I finally knew why I had fled the hospital. Amelie said I was in a medically induced coma, and the only person who had access to me was Caden. One glimpse of his face when I regained consciousness, and something inside me snapped.
I ran only to end up on a boat with the same man I was trying to escape.
With a shuddering breath, I pulled back from Caden. Slowly, so as not to alarm him, I climbed off his lap and rummaged through the car for my underwear and dress that he had haphazardly tossed aside. All the while, I prayed my hands didn’t betray their tremor.
“What’s the rush?” he asked, barely coherent. His euphoria hadn’t subsided, eyes half lidded.
Carefully masking my expressions, I stepped out of the car with my dress and underwear in hand. “I need to use the bathroom.”
He chuckled. “That’s the same excuse you used when I announced our engagement. What’s freaking you out this time?”
I hated that he was so perceptive. It was impossible to pull the wool over his eyes. At least he was naked, and it would take him a few minutes to gather himself. It gave me an edge. I could run and disembark before he wised up. Poppy was in the Bahamas, I could go to her.
My smile was plastic as I stepped into my dress, forcing myself to stay calm. “I guess I have a nervous bladder.”
He watched me for a moment, dissecting me. “I’ll come with you.”
“No,” I said a little too quickly, immediately regretting it.
Having me underneath him had momentarily dulled his killer instincts. But his calculating eyes narrowed at my hasty refusal, cutting through my defenses.
Despite Caden’s impassive face, I knew the exact moment when he figured it out. “How much do you remember?”
I bolted.
There was no point in pretending. My feet hit the floor, and I ran out of the dark showroom and into the harsh corridor leading to the grand ballroom. I waited for the sound of his footsteps following me, for his voice calling my name in that possessive tone, but the only footsteps I heard were my own. It was almost worse than being chased, because it could only mean one thing—I was already trapped.
I was proven right when Linda materialized behind me, power walking with long strides. She wasn’t actively pursuing me, simply closing the gap so she could tackle me to the ground if it came down to it.
The tactic surprised me until the boat seemed to lurch forward beneath my feet. The water turbulence was unexpected, given that we were docked at the port. At first, I thought it was the rush of adrenaline making me dizzy, but a glance through the oval window confirmed it. The boat was moving.
“No!” I gasped, watching the pier recede.
We weren’t supposed to set sail until tomorrow. No wonder Caden hadn’t bothered to chase me down. He had ordered the captain to move the boat away from the dock so I couldn’t disembark and track down my cousin.
My pace slowed as I realized there was no escaping Caden. I bit the inside of my cheek in frustration. God, I really wanted to get back at him. I already knew I couldn’t get away from him, but I needed a small win, however petty. A streak of rebellion, perhaps. I was just so tired of being bested by Caden Maxwell in both my past and present lives.
Unsure of my next move, I marched toward the bathroom with Linda watching me from a distance. The area around the bathroom was jam-packed with women. When a horde of intoxicated girls came out of the restroom, I ducked behind the giggling group without thinking. I drifted into the pack, using their collective mass as camouflage. I allowed myself to be swept along with them, hoping to shake Linda off my trail. I could enjoy a few precious minutes of unwatched freedom if she assumed I had disappeared behind the bathroom doors.
When the girls blocking me from Linda’s view passed a set of swinging doors, I pushed through them and slipped inside a narrow corridor. Satisfaction warmed my blood at the image of a confused Linda searching for me and a frantic Caden tearing through the crowd with the same desperate energy I had used to distance myself from him. I hoped they felt just as helpless and powerless.
