Page 14 of Vows From Hell

“You know that I had to leave, Bambi.’’

He brushed a strand of my hair away from my cheek and placed it behind my ear. His hand lingered, fingers intertwined with my hair for a while longer. He was unable to let go, and just stood there, seemingly embracing the tense atmosphere.

And that nickname...

Something I missed beyond comprehension. Something that had left a wound so deep that I never would have imagined the pain that came with hearing it again. It was a vivid reminder of how a man so rough was able to soften for me.

Yet, he didn’t come to me.

Not even once.

His sneaking into my apartment, lectures, and following me around meant absolutely nothing. He should’ve been by my side, not my shadow. If anything, I was the one who wanted desperately to become his shadow.

I swallowed harshly and nodded.

“You were never supposed to be gone for that long.’’ My words were barely a whisper as I took a step back, lowering my gaze. “In fact, all I’m seeing is you could’ve come back, but you didn’t want to.’’

“That’s not true.’’ With each step forward Micah took, I took two steps back.

That was the nature of our relationship, after all. One step forward, two steps back.

Realistically, this relationship had no future. There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind that if I wanted to be with him, I had to give up everything I had worked so hard for.

My job, my family, my friends and colleagues.

And it was only me who was willing to make sacrifices.

“Isn’t it?” A bitter laugh escaped me. “Three years. One letter in three years. For all I know, you’ll keep me here for a while before tossing me aside yet again.’’

He took another deep breath, closing his eyes.

The moment his eyes snapped open again, a wave of terror ran through my body.

It was as if I wasn’t looking at Micah, but someone else. The harshness, viciousness, and pure desire to put me in my place were something I’d never seen from him. I couldn’t move a single inch; his gaze completely dominated me.

Was this the last thing his victims saw? Pure terror.

How fitting.

The Terror of the Night.

As if they were two completely different people, battling for ownership of one body.

“There are so many things you don’t know, things you couldn’t even dream of.’’ His cruel tongue sent shivers down my spine, and I straightened my back. “It was beyond me. If it were up to me, I would’ve snatched you the moment you got discharged from the hospital three years ago.’’

“Then why didn’t you?” I all but screamed at him. My voice rang in my ears, my vision getting blurrier with each passing second. It took me a solid moment to realize that my eyes were filled with tears.

Gently, his thumb brushed underneath my right eye, wiping the fallen tear.

“I’ll explain everything to you, I promise,’’ he whispered. “But before I do, I want to be with you for a while, without any interruptions.’’

I chuckled, tilting my head to the side. “Who could interrupt us? It’s not like we’ll be found soon.’’

“The man you’ve been working with isn’t as dumb as the rest of them. In fact, I believe he’ll find us by the end of the week.’’

“Kyle?”

His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing at me. “Do not utter another man’s name in my presence unless you want to be bathed in his blood.’’