38. Chapter Thirty-Eight
”Wakey wakey, Callie.”
Ice-cold water splashes across my skin, jolting me awake.
Groggily, I try to lift my arms, wanting to clear the water from my face, but they won’t move. I groan in pain when I yank my arms up, using all of the strength that I have, but they still won’t work.
Something cold and hard digs into the skin around my wrists and ankles when I move.
I force my eyes open and squint at the light shining down on me.
“Finally, you’re awake!”
My heart jumps, and my legs involuntarily kick out at the sound of Cameron’s gleeful voice.
“Cameron,” I croak out, whipping my head from side to side, searching for him. “Please, let me go.” The bright light above me obstructs my view of the majority of the room, but I can see plain bricked walls and plastic coverings laid out across the floor.
I lift my head, gritting my teeth from the pain. When my vision clears, I see shackles around my ankles and wrists and realise I’m tied down to a metal table.
My head drops back down, my brain rattling inside of my skull, and my pulse accelerates.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
A whimper releases from my throat when I turn my head and feel a wet substance seeping into my hair.
“You see, this was meant to happen years ago. I had everything planned out perfectly. I bought this house, set up surveillance, and made sure I had all of the tools that I needed. Everything was set up perfectly, and then that fucking bitch left and ruined my whole plan!” He shouts, banging his fist against the table, sending vibrations through my body and causing my stomach to clench with fear.
He leans over me, a snarl on his face.
“You weren’t a part of my original plan. Well, I was still planning on killing you, obviously, but I wasn’t going to make it painful or put a lot of effort into it. I didn’t think you were worth it back then.”
“Cameron, please. Let me go,” I plead, tears filling my eyes.
“Once Clarissa left, my sights were set on you,” he continues, stalking around the table. “You see, before she left, it was just her that was occupying Father’s time and I was still the centre of his attention. So I didn’t really resent any of you that much.”
His hand trails the length of my bare leg as he walks towards the top half of my body. A tremor runs through me, but I try my hardest to keep still.
“Then, he found out about her little secret. My, oh, my, was he furious! I thought he was going to end up killing her, which would’ve saved me the trouble. Instead, he let her go, like a fucking coward, he let her live!” His fist slams into the side of my face, and I scream, a sickening crack sounding out across the room.
He sighs, shaking out his hand and chuckling when he sees the blood trickling out of my nose.
“Do you know what her secret was, Callie?” He forcefully grabs my chin, twisting my face until my nose brushes his and I’m staring into the dark, empty pits of his soul. “Did she ever tell you that she whored herself out and ended up pregnant with another man’s baby?”
I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head and twisting my body, wanting to break free from his hold and the bindings.
“I always had my suspicions, ever since you were born, but Father used to tell me that I was absurd for thinking that you weren’t his.” He pushes my head back, slamming it against the metal table and chuckles.
“Once he found out the truth, everything changed,” he spits, the smirk dropping into a furious scowl as his eyes scan the length of my body.