Chapter 122: Dangerous Plotting

I practically jumped out of my skin and clutched my chest in an attempt to get blood flow pumping in my heart again. “Holy fuck, Julian, don’t scare me like that! What the fuck are you doing just standing there?! And I thought I told you to leave me alone for the rest of the night!”

Julian was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. His silence unnerved me. Usually, he gave me a charming response and a compliment that made me blush. But that intense stare of his held a different vibe this time. The blue embers in his eyes traveled to the open bag on his father’s desk.

“What’re you doing?” he still sounded as nonchalant as always, despite his demeanor.

My jaw clutched. I didn’t like anything about this situation. *Fuck. My. Life. Fuck me sideways. Fucking hell…!* I reinforced my willpower with mental steel armor before saying what was on my mind. “Poking through the bag you’re gawking at. So, where’s your pills at, Julian?” I paused for a moment, but not long enough to show hesitation, but I still couldn’t help but question myself if it was wise to poke a lion. “You eat ‘em or run out?”

Again, Julian didn’t answer any of my questions. But that charming grin of his did return to his pink lips. When he took steps closer to me, I instinctively stepped backward. The roar of intense rainfall outside the window behind me was making it hard to hear anything as loud as a whisper.

Julian reached out to me like he would always do to stroke my cheek. “You’re looking pale and it's getting late. Let's get you back to bed.”

I smacked his hand away before it could touch my skin. “I’m fine. I’ll go back to my room when I feel like it. Mind your own business. I’m not your girlfriend, remember?”

“Are you sure?” he gave a tilt of his head while looking down at my abdomen. “You still haven’t taken anything for… you know. It might be too late now.” his hypnotizing, intense gaze made contact with my eyes. “Yet again, it might’ve already been too late for a while now. Right?”

My body stiffened. I had a gnawing feeling that Julian may have known the entire time, but I didn’t expect him to confess the moment our parents were gone. What’s his game? “Fuck you, Julian.” I spat and walked toward the door, but he grabbed my shoulder before I could pass him.

*Ah, shit…*

Julian’s grip was firm enough to keep me from moving. “I was thinking, since our relationship has been taken to the next level, maybe we should get married after all?”

“The fuck?” I squinted a glare. “The fuck makes you think that I’m gonna just casually marry you? I’ve done told you I don’t want ANYTHING to do with you! Now let go!” I flinched when his grip tightened.

“I know you’re still in love with me.” he pulled me closer to his chest. “I can see it in your eyes each time you look at me.”

“What the fuck are you on about?? The only time I look at you is with loathing!” Or lust… fuck me. If I was a dude, that last thought would’ve felt like a kick in the nuts out of shame. My burning glare turned cold as ice when looking up at him. “You’re still nothing but a fucking burden to me.”

That familiar expression of being stabbed somewhere sensitive crossed his face. For a brief second, I remembered everything that he’s done for me and I felt a pinch of guilt, but I had to remind myself of everything that he’s done to me too. I mean, the bastard purposely got me pregnant!

I finally ripped my shoulder free from his grasp. “I would never marry you. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay the fuck away from me till our parents get back.” I thought those painful words would be enough to put him in his place like they always did… but not this time.

Before I could walk out the door, Julian suddenly reached over my shoulder and closed the door. I didn’t even get the chance to curse any more threats or turn around at all because one of his hands darted onto my face, covering both my mouth and nose. The other arm held me tightly in place, my back pressed firmly against his chest. Panic sets in. My quick breaths couldn’t go in or out from the restriction on both my face and my chest. I had to escape! I need to escape! But my racing mind didn’t give me a chance to think of how to escape. Before I knew it, my kicking body became too weak to move, and my vision went black.



Fire.

Void.

Pain.

I was back in my inner hell that I’d never be able to escape from. When did I fall asleep? My first instinct is to look for Dad. He’s trapped down here, too. I have to set him free! …But where is he? I don’t hear his deep voice calling out my name. All I hear is the crackling roar of the flames, the heat licking at my sore skin.

“Dad? Daddy!” still nothing. Yet, I’m not surprised… I’ll always be alone down here. I deserve it. I–

“Sukia.”

My loneliness turned into dread. I knew whose voice that was and I was afraid to turn around. I was scared.

“What’re you doing here, Julian?” I was still too scared to turn around.

“You and I,” I couldn’t hear his footsteps, but I could still sense him approaching me from behind. I jumped when his arms wrapped around my abdomen and his voice echoed like a faraway ghost in my ear. “We belong together. And we’ll *burn* together.”

*What??*

I gave a startled gasp when he pushed us forward. “No, stop!” *I don’t want to burn!* I couldn’t get my last thought off my tongue. Did I have the right to feel that way? *But I…!* “STOP!!” I struggled in his grip, but it felt like I was chained to a driverless car, bound for death. I screamed in agony when he forced us into the fire.

My screams continued till my throat felt sore and I coughed on air, the horrors in my head disappearing in a flash and waking up on my bed. I coughed again while trying to calm down my shivering body. It was easier when I had somebody at my side to comfort me, but Mom was gone and Amy was on the other side of the city. Not even Julian was next to me. Then again… that’s probably a good thing.

My boiling blood turned to ice when my memory from last night came flooding back like a tidal wave. Holy shit. Did that really happen?! It was hard to believe. Julian had done some whacky shit in the past and had been forceful with me multiple times but… so suffocate me? Then again, bastard almost drowned me…

I shook my head and slapped my cheeks in an attempt to get myself together. When I got up, I noticed that I was wearing what I usually wear as PJs for the night. *What the fuck? What the hell is going on?!*

All the red flags had just turned into one colossal red flag telling me to get the fuck up out of there right now. *It’s time to go.*

I changed out of my PJs and threw on anything that I could find. I didn’t care about the style right now. Peeking down the hallways had become a bad habit of mine by now as I left my bedroom. The violent thunderstorm from last night may be over, but the windows were still dappled with water droplets as if it's still sprinkling outside. I looked down at my phone and ‘tsked’ in frustration. *Still no fucking signal?!*

Each step I made was wary as I made my way through the mansion and towards the garage. It was too quiet for this time of day. *Where were the maids? I should at least hear noise in the laundry room or gardeners mowing the grass outside! Well, yet again, it has been raining like hell’s about to be washed out.*

A relieved gasp released from me as I hurried to my car, but I quickly noticed it was shorter than usual. *Wait–what?* I looked down farther and that familiar boulder of dread rolled around in my gut again. Each tire was slashed, and it looked like it was done by a large, dangerously sharp object.