54. Chapter Fifty-Four | Savannah
Chapter fifty-four
I thought asking to take a shower would give me a moment of reprieve from Kyle’s suffocating stare and presence, but I was sorely mistaken.
He insisted on starting the shower for me and getting the towel and toiletries out.
Instead of being grateful he has everything I would need, I’m overwhelmed with a massive ick at how accurate his preparations for me to be here have been, down to the leave-in conditioner and my preferred brand of cotton rounds to remove my eye makeup.
“I should have offered you a shower earlier, I’m sorry. I’m just so excited to finally have you here after all this time,” Kyle goes on as he flitters around the bathroom getting things ready for my shower. I make a noncommittal noise in agreement as I watch him move around.
“Alright, is there anything else you need, Angel?”
“Actually, I seem to be missing the ring I wear every day. Do you know where it is? It’s very important to me.”
Kyle slams a cupboard door shut as he snarls, “You were so quick to replace Shane’s ring with another man’s. The only ring that should be on that finger is from me.”
It dawns on me that he thinks the sapphire ring I’ve been wearing on my left hand since June is a gift from Theo.
“That ring is important to me because it was a gift from my mother, Kyle. I replaced my wedding ring with it the morning I hired a divorce attorney.” If he did something to that ring, I will …
well, my options are quite limited right now, but I would be furious.
“I didn’t realize that. I simply took it off and set it on the table before we left your place.
” You know, I love a good fairytale retelling, but he seems to forget he is the villain in this story.
We didn’t leave my place—he drugged and kidnapped me.
He walks closer to where I’m leaning against the vanity.
Please don’t touch me right now. Please don’t touch me.
My eyes shut as he reaches out and gingerly touches the bruises that are now on both of my arms from his actions earlier.
“I’m sorry you made me do this earlier. I’ll try to be better for you, Savannah.
I know we will have to both work on rebuilding our trust, but I believe that our love is enough to overcome any obstacle that tries to stand in our way.
” He leans down and kisses the bruises that he put on my arms. Kyle then runs his nose from my shoulder to the base of my neck, and my entire body tenses as he then licks the side of my neck.
The fear that rises within me as his tongue slithers across my skin threatens to overcome my ability to hold it together. As my eyes sting with tears, I refuse to let him see me cry. I take a deep breath before opening my eyes. “Would it be okay if I had a little privacy to shower, Kyle?”
“We don’t need privacy from each other. There isn’t anything I haven’t seen, although, I’m very much looking forward to being able to see and touch your exquisite body in person. I’ve been waiting to love you properly for so long.”
“I won’t be long, I promise.” I try to school my expression to look as sincere and innocent as possible. I need a moment to myself, and he hasn’t let me out of his sight other than to use the bathroom a few times all day.
“You know, you’re probably right, Angel.
It’s better for you to rinse off anyone else’s touch before I claim you fully.
Of course you’re right; you’re so smart.
” He leans down and kisses my nose. “I’ll be on our bed waiting for you, but if you need anything, just call out, okay?
” I nod and try to manage a smile, but it feels more like a grimace.
Kyle doesn’t notice my hesitation and finally leaves the bathroom so I can exhale for the first time in hours.
I already know from earlier there aren’t any weapons in here, and of course the one thing I wish he had left me that would match my toiletries at home is a razor, but if he has them for me, they aren’t in the bathroom .
After I forced myself to eat the yogurt and granola bowl that he made for me earlier, he insisted we sit in the den together and watch my favorite television shows, which ironically is about a family of police officers.
My ick factor is maxed out between the utensils that match the ones at my house, the DVR that is filled with my favorite shows, to little comments he has made today that have me seriously concerned for my safety if I don’t play along with this little game of his.
I also learned that Kyle has been watching and studying me for years.
He told me that when Liam updated my security system last year when everything was happening with Vivian, it prevented Kyle from accessing my security feeds for four days—which was the longest he went without having eyes on me in over three years.
Three years. He has been watching my security cameras and me for three damn years.
I felt like such a fool when he told me that’s why he had convinced Shane to host the holiday party at our house so he could physically access our system and plant a trojan horse in our security system, which would allow him the ability to not only watch my security feed, but also loop the system.
I don’t even want to know how many times he utilized the loop option so that he could trespass into my home.
He was not happy when I discovered his preferred entry and fixed the balcony door to my primary bathroom, and it wasn’t the first time he scared me as he talked about what it felt like to not be able to access me whenever he wanted.
But he always knew where I was because in addition to the GPS tracking he put on my SUV, he somehow had an app hidden on my own damn phone that tracked where I was at all times, all without my knowledge.
The tracking app let Kyle know when the coast was clear to trespass into my home like the creepy rat bastard he apparently has been for quite some time.
He also casually mentioned that he’s been calling me for over a year—all the blocked calls I received where the caller never made a sound or said a single word? It was Kyle the entire time .
Kyle doesn’t seem like a computer guy so I have to figure out how I can get him to admit who’s helping him, but first things first, I need to try and scrub away the ick of this day.
It’s pointless because he will douse me with more ick the second he walks into the room, but right now, I need a small victory.
I strip down before opening the glass door to the shower and letting the warm water give me a moment of peace. After washing my hair, I use twice as much soap as usual to start trying to clean away the gross feeling coating my skin.
“Perfect.” Kyle’s voice startles me, and I jump before turning to cover myself.
I look over my shoulder at him, holding back my knee-jerk reaction of yelling at him to get out. “Kyle, I thought we talked about this, and I needed some privacy.”
“I know, Angel, but I couldn’t stay away. I won’t join you—this time,” he playfully says as he winks at me.
Before I can say anything back, I feel a familiar trickle and look down to see a small amount of blood. Shit, I didn’t even think about that. But wait, if I’m on my period, that may actually be a good thing for once.
“What’s wrong, Angel?” He scowls and starts to move closer.
In seventh grade, I played Juliet in our school’s production of Romeo and Juliet.
It’s the only acting I have ever done, but I’m going to try and pull off the performance of a lifetime.
If Kyle thinks I’m disappointed, maybe he will be more accommodating to what I want—and do not want—right now.
“Nothing, it’s fine. We just need to postpone your plans a few days.
I didn’t realize my cycle was coming today.
” I give a sad shrug, although internally I want to give my uterus a high five for saving the day.
“You didn’t? I figured it would be here today or tomorrow.”
What. The. Fuck.
“Oh really? How would you know that?”
“Angel, you need to pay closer attention.” He smiles at me like we are in on some joke together.
“I told you I’ve been watching you. I know everything there is to know about you, dear.
Don’t worry, I’m prepared for everything you could need.
The tampons and pads you buy are in the linen closet.
I have a heating pad somewhere around here, I know you prefer that for your cramps. ”
What am I supposed to say to that? For the first time in my life, I am completely speechless. Shane never even knew when my period was and we lived together for over fourteen years.
“You don’t need to look so disappointed, Angel.
You don’t fully grasp everything I’ve done for us to be together, but I promise you, there has been more effort and time than you even imagine.
So don’t worry, Savannah. After everything I’ve done to be with you and allow us to finally be together, a little blood isn’t going to stop me,” Kyle says as he winks.
So, a little blood isn’t going to stop this man from taking something from me today that I am not willing to give? I cover my mouth as a sob threatens to break through. My eyes blur with tears that I no longer can hold back.
“Hey, Angel, it’s okay.” Kyle is now standing outside the shower stall with one arm raised up and leaning against the wall.
“If your cramps are that bad, we can wait until tomorrow or the next day. I know you always feel better after the third day, and remember, I said I would never hurt you. I’m going to make it good for you—I promise. I take care of what is mine.”
I’m not yours, you fucking asshole. I have to figure out how to get the hell out of here before he can carry out his plans now that he all but confirmed nothing—not even my own blood—is going to stand in his way of having me.
I need Theo to find me or The Cavalry to show up. And if not, I need to find a way to save myself.