Chapter 40
FORTY
Her mother didn’t hug her after their conversation about him.
They lay for hours in awkward silence, each of them drifting in and out of sleep.
At least now they had warm covers and something to eat and drink.
She hated herself for being grateful to him.
She had no idea what time it was when he threw the door open again.
Both of them scrambled to sitting positions against the wall, watching warily as he descended the steps.
He stalked across the room, dragging something behind him.
Her mother bolted to her feet and pointed at it. “What is that?”
A sinister smile stretched across his face. “It’s exactly what it looks like. A wedding dress. Your wedding dress.”
It didn’t look like anything her mother would wear. It didn’t even look the right size. Where had he gotten his hands on a wedding dress on such short notice? Or had he been planning this for some time? The thought made bile rise in her throat.
“No.” Her mother’s hand flew to her mouth. “I can’t. You know I can’t.”
He was even more psychotic than she thought. Did he really think he could force her mother to marry him? He was sick. Delusional. How would that even work?
He didn’t seem very concerned about the logistics.
The back of his hand connected with her mother’s face with a resounding thwap that she felt all the way down to her toes.
Her mother crumpled, holding her cheek and scrambling away from him.
Except that he didn’t stop. Tossing the dress aside, he kept going, yanking her mother by the hair and punching her until blood flowed from her mouth and nose.
She could barely hear her mother’s screams above her own. Her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. There wasn’t enough air. Dizziness washed over her. She knew she should try to help but she was frozen.
Finally, he stopped, stepping back toward the stairs, his chest heaving from exertion. “Now, when I come back, you better be wearing that. If I have to make you, I’ll be giving you much worse than that.”