Forty-One
Their Obsession
Liv
W hat in the actual fuck?
A basket was at the foot of my bed, wrapped with cellophane and two fake white roses. Scratch that. Two fake white roses with blood on them. But there was a card.
“While we aren’t nearby, taking care of your pain, here are some alternatives to help you through. Sincerely, your phantoms,” I read aloud.
But I quickly discovered that they had dipped the roses in the blood of my period.
Ew.
Gross!
What in the ever-loving fuck?
With caution, I grasped the flowers by their green stems and discarded them in the trash can. Two more roses to take out to the trash before Sebastian came home today. Another reason for me to be absolutely unsettled.
My fingers fumbled with the wrapper as it crinkled, and I readied myself for more gruesome surprises gone too far. Sin and Saint teetered like a ticking time bomb, and I never knew when they’d explode. They also had no limit, and this proved my point.
But what about me?
I let them fuck me in my blood. I got off on their devilish, naughty ways, for Christ’s sake! Three times! Plus, I let them clean all the blood from me and cherish me with their sweet sides they loved to hide. But now the assholes do this?
Fuckers.
These men who lurked in the shadows had given me dark chocolates in the shape of hearts, even though it wasn’t Valentine’s Day. There were extra tampons in the care basket, along with pain relievers, to help manage any cramps. There were facial scrubs to clean up an unwanted acne outbreak, which was a damn curse no woman wanted when they bled for an entire week. A hot water bottle to soothe cramps and ginger tea to drink to help reduce my menstrual flow.
Again, they had gotten into my home while I had slept. I had ensured I locked everything. I had triple checked or else I’d go mad. Maybe I was on the verge of going batshit crazy because I had fallen for these two dumbasses. These two jerks who weren’t big idiots after all and were extremely creative with everything they did.
This care package went to show their clever minds had a softer side I never imagined could live inside their delicious bodies. These men weren’t just cold-hearted with skin and bones, but had real brains wired with actual feelings after I’d found out about their torturous past—a previous history they viewed as shaping them to be who they truly were, and I was their missing piece.
This had all started with blackmail and had turned into a screwed-up threesome. I was in an affair with two men who could very well own my heart. But I never wanted them to.
This situation should be unforgivable. I should hate their guts and maybe I still did. They had forced me into a mess I didn’t know how to get out of, but I didn’t know anymore if I had wandered into this willingly. My phantoms have captured every thought, all my pieces, and my heart was on the line. But once they captured my affection, I was a goner, and my soul wouldn’t be too far behind.
I took the contents in the basket and opened my window, fully prepared to throw everything out onto the street. My eyes caught sight of the trees in the park swaying in the breeze. The greenery my ghosts chose to blend in behind and watch me from afar. Their eyes on me, lingering over my skin with goosebumps rising. They were there. I knew this, watching and waiting for me to make my next move.
I hesitated.
I couldn’t drop the damn basket, my hand wouldn’t let go. Sin and Saint had prepared this special surprise for me and my disregard for their out of the ordinary character would lead to a consequence. I felt this straight to my bones, but a small part of me wanted to keep the gift because the gesture was generously sweet.
“Fuck,” I muttered as I slammed the window shut and dumped the contents on the bed.
I’d sort this shit out before Sebastian came home, and I’d dump the dumb basket into the garbage alongside the stupid flowers. As for this note? I’d rip the paper up into shreds like it never existed. And as for those assholes, they’d receive a piece of my mind.
I typed out a text message.
Me:
How did you get into my house?
Sin responded in a flash. He must live on his damn cell phone when I wasn’t around to preoccupy his time. Ass.
Unknown:
Have your keys gone missing recently ?
Wait a minute… They had! I had to get a new set of keys made. One for my condo and one for the mailbox. This all happened right after Sin entered the picture. The jerk took my keys!
Me:
You fucking stole my keys?
Unknown:
Yep.
“Real smooth,” I mumbled as I typed in anger and was ready to throw my phone across the room.
Sin didn’t care. He didn’t even lie. He revealed the truth, as if taking someone’s keys was a natural thing everyone did. Flat out psychotic.
Me:
I want them back!
Unknown:
I’ll give your keys back.
Me:
Good.
Finally, there was the goodness in Sin he let creep to the surface. The same soft side who helped clean me up and put together pain relief supplies in a nice pretty basket with a red bow on top. This was the man I wanted to deal with, not the crazy side of him.
Unknown:
But first, I’ll make sure I get extra copies made.
And the asshole was back.
Me:
I’ll change the locks.
Aggravated, I sighed and knew he spoke the truth. Mr. Cruz’s relentless pursuit of what he desired was driven by his obsession and unhinged state. I knew this for a fact.
Unknown:
Fine. We’ll find another way in. Nothing will keep us from you.
Goddamn it. Sin would order Saint to kick my front door in, or he’d hurl himself at it until it caved in. I didn’t need to clean up any more of their messes.
Me:
All right. Keep the damn keys. I don’t need them.
Unknown:
Good. I’m glad we can agree. Now be a good girl and wave at me.
I heaved a heavy sigh and stomped toward the window. Each heavy footstep resembled a teenage girl angry at the world, and I waved out the window. I made sure I was visible enough but knew I didn’t have to do much. Because Sin Cruz was somewhere out there mingling with the shadows and being the creepy fucker that he was.
Me:
There. Are you happy?
Unknown:
Extremely. Now go have some chocolate and make yourself some green tea. We want our girl rested and pain free.
Me:
Shithead.
Sin didn’t even have to be present. He didn’t even have to be anywhere near me. Because I heard his evil laughter like the sound lived inside of me.