Page 222 of The Perfect Spiral
“And I’m really regretting it! How do I know you even have the pictures of her? Show me them—”
Pictures? Pictures of who? Of me?
“Oh believe me! I have the photos! You want to see? I’ll show you, they’re not pretty! She’s completely naked in them, Knox! Do you even want to see that? She’s a slut! These prove it.”
I whip my head around, trying to catch a glimpse of them, but I can’t. I can only hear them. Where are they?
“See! She’s a slut! Sending these around to guys—”
“Shit! Delete them, Lauren! I mean it! I know her, she’s not like that! She’s never been like that! Where did you even get these?”His voice rises with each word.
I can tell he’s furious—I’ve been on the receiving end of that tone too many times.
“Does it matter? I’ll send them to every magazine if you break up with me, Knox! I swear I will ruin that little bitch! She ruined us once. I’m not letting her do that again!”
“Fuck, Lauren, what is it with you? What do you want from her? From me?”
“I want her to leave you alone and I want you to look at me the way you look at her!”
Her voice sends shivers down my spine. She is pure evil. They have to be talking about me. But what pictures? I’ve never taken naked pictures of myself.
This doesn’t make any sense. Think, Alex, think.
“Fuck! Why do you have to be such a bitch about everything? I will never see you the way I see her. But I’ll do everything in my power to protect her from you.”
My breathing starts to get harder at hearing his words.
“You threaten me like that again, I will release them, Knox! I’m not fucking around now—shit, act normal! Paparazzi are here now.”
I hear a loud sigh from him, then footsteps walking away from the car. The rest of my family is slowly making their way out.
I gently place Reign into his car seat. Cole slides in next to him, Sasha up front with my mom. Hannah climbs in behind Cole with Noah and straps him in.
As we drive back to the house, I can’t help but replay the conversation in my head. They had to have been talking about me, right?
But I’ve never taken naked pictures of myself. Ever. So how could it be me? I’m so confused. Something’s not right. How didshe get them if they are of me?
When we arrive at the house, I hop out and grab a grocery bag. My mom tosses me the keys to unlock the door. My mind is still spinning, trying to piece it all together.
Replaying the conversation in my head, I reach the kitchen and set the bag down, leaving the door wide open for the others to come in.
I rest my palms on the cold counter surface, my eyes beginning to widen. A shiver trails down my spine.
The strong cologne he always wore fills my nostrils. I inhale it. It’s him.
Chapter 78
I hear a trigger being pulled back slowly. Teasingly. My mouth begins to feel dry again and I start to cry, feeling my cheeks becoming wet.
My heart starts to pump a dreadful feeling around my body.
How does he keep getting inside the house?
“Happy Birthday, sweetheart,” his sick, haunting voice that I haven’t heard in many years echoes in the room, amusement lacing every word he speaks.
I look up to see his reflection in the microwave in the distance, and I can very clearly see he’s holding a gun, pointing it at the back of my head. Feeling the steps near me, my heart starts to race even more.
I hear the rustling of paper bags as my family comes into view, laughing, oblivious to the danger. I turn my head slowly and make eye contact with my mom, who is smiling at me.
