Page 50 of Stalked by His Ex
Four months ago…
The ringing builds to a crescendo as those three words echo throughout my consciousness, taunting the thin layer of resilience I’ve built. I’m almost lost in the rabbit hole of darkness when the click of the lock and the creak of the door slam my cold, hard reality back into focus.
“Avery,” Sarah singsongs like we’re besties at a sorority. “I’msosorry for my behavior. It wascompletelyuncalled for.” More like boarding the crazy train with a one-way ticket.
“How am I still alive? I’ve barely had any food or water, and the gash on my head.” The time elapsed doesn’t add up, so I’ve been unconscious longer than I initially thought.
An evil smirk lifts the corner of her mouth. “The same way as the other times, of course. IV and NG tubes. I may have missed a few feedings. Sorry about that.” The false apology falls from her lips like water through splayed fingers. “Sooo… Jaxton and I have made some amazing progress. We’ve gone on a few dinner dates—and the other night he stayed over.” She beams while whittling a tiny chunk of my heart, wondering if she’s telling the truth.
He wouldn’t give up on me already…Would he?I’m suddenly unsure. I’m utterly in love with him, but we’ve known each other for less time than I’ve been missing. So, what’s keeping him from going back to his ex, who he’s been with for years?
My heart sinks with the possibility, especially since the very person who took me away is manipulating him. She smiles widely, proud of the pain that’s flashes, before I tuck it safely away.
“Anyway,” Sarah continues, “I’m giving you a new cocktail tonight. Jaxton’s coming over, and well… you know—I want you to hear us. This way you know what I’m saying is the truth, that he doesn’t want you anymore.” She’s so eager that she’s convincing. “I’m ecstatic that we pursued our connection again. We gave into our passion the other night when he was over.” She moans, closing her eyes. “He felt so good inside me, his hard body against mine as he kissed me passionately.” Her glare is arctic as she continues, “He fucked me so hard.” She stares me down, eyes blowing wide when pain riddles my features. “I guess I haveyouto thank. He said he didn’t want to wait, that life changes too quickly, and unexpectedly.” She let those words sink in for a moment. “Well, I don’t want to give any more away. You can hear for yourself in about ten minutes.”
Is she saying Jaxton will be here in ten minutes?
She watches as hope flashes and smiles like the devil. “Don’t worry, I’m going to crack the door so you can hear better.”Like that’s what I’m hoping for.As if she’s doing me a huge favor. My mind sets to rapid fire, digesting the information she’s thrown in my face, not understanding what to believe. I want so badly to trust him.
Sarah uses my obvious distraction to get closer and jab a needle in my arm, proving she not only wears the smile, but is actually the devil herself. I attempt to use her proximity and swing at her, but when I connect, my fist bounces away like a bothersome fly, as the drugs are already swimming through my veins.
She doesn’t bother addressing my poor attempt at an assault. Instead, she taunts me. “Now, if you’re good, I’ll feed you tomorrow.” Her smirk slips instantly when I fall back on the bed, her eyes snagging on my midsection, staring like a deer in headlights before snapping back to reality. “You fucking,bitch!”She reaches over, ripping my shirt up my torso, as the drug turns my arms and legs into dead weights. “When the fuck did this happen?”
A protest of expletives sits eagerly on my tongue, waiting to be unleashed, but is hostage by whatever concoctions in the latest dose. The demanded rhetorical question is confusing.
She calms, closing her eyes, and breathing deeply as if centering her inner chi. “The new drug probably has you feeling numb. Moving or talking will not be possible, so you’ll only be able to do is listen.” Her smile stretches impossibly wider as she explains. “Luckily, the drugs and treatments I’ve given you are safe for the baby.”
Baby? What the fuck is she talking about?
Her plastic smile is smugly in place while she repositions me on the bed and pulls the covers up, tucking me in like a goddamn child. “You didn’t know, did you?” She pets my hair back and behind my ears. “There, there. This is probably my fault.” She sighs. “I knew that if I got pregnant Jaxton would stay with me, and go through with the wedding, so I poked holes in all of his condoms.” She shrugs like she didn’t just rock my world. “It should have been me, but since you didn’t know, that means he doesn’t either. This can still work in my favor.” She pats my head as if I’m her pet while laughing like a hyena. “Enjoy the show tonight. I’ll come down later and we’ll figure out how far along we are.”
How far alongweare?What does she mean by that?True to her word, when she exits, the door remains cracked. The bottom step is visible. But when I attempt to move, it’s pointless. Whatever she shot me up with feels like cement in my veins, weighing down any hope and dreams of escape. My lips function to part, but words never form, only internal frustration as reality sets in. Angry tears leak from the corner of my eyes, wishing I could reach for my stomach to feel what she’s seen.
When the mental calculations come together, my period is beyond late. There’s no evidence that I’ve had one here, and now that I think about it, I didn’t have one the entire time Jaxson and I were together.Idiot!We were careful, so it didn’t dawn on me.
My focus returns to the door, not wanting to lose control. My moment of escape isrightin front of me, and there’s nothing I can do. I try to move, to get to the open door, but it’s useless. As if on cue to breathe life back into me, a flutter tickles my stomach, sparking the fight that’s slowly been extinguishing.
I’m pregnant—with Jaxton’s baby.
A plethora of emotion coils within like a witch’s brew—fear, anxiety, happiness, and determination are all thrown into the mix. Enough for a surge of excitement, believing I can do anything, and break away from this drug’s grip. But try as I might, there’s not so much as a twitch. I’m frozen in place. The highs and lows are draining as exhaustion invades, threatening to pull me under.
Then I hear it—voices from above, and I recognize him immediately. Jaxton’s here. The elation is enough to shout his name, but then I remember… The reason he’s here to begin with, and it isn’t to rescue me.She wasn’t lying.He came to see her.
The moment of pleasure turns sour, growing into a pit of misery, realizing she must have spoken the truth.He’s fucking here!Their murmured voices float down the stairs and sting my ears. The words are undecipherable, but the tone is easily readable. Friendly. Welcoming. Warming.Familiar.
Now, my entire focus shifts from the baby and escaping to silence, listening and trying to elude the reality that Sarah created. Not knowing if this is something my psyche can witness and snap back from. Jaxton became an essential part of my life so quickly that consequences didn’t occur to me. Not that I could have seen an ex going psycho and kidnapping me, but maybe if he hadn’t blinded me so easily, this could have been avoided. Especially since he’s not as interested in finding me as they reported.
Movement above drags my attention back to this fucked up situation, as they seem to have settled directly above me—no doubt part of Sarah’s plan. Their conversation is too muffled by the floor to decipher, not to mention the drug flowing through my system. But Sarah’s claims are consuming every thought, contemplating their validity, and forcing my ears to perk like a hawk.
Mostly, there’s nothing but mumbles too low to decrypt, which is irritating as hell, but after a while they move again to another location. Wherever they are now, their voices travel easier to my ears, so I concentrate. And after a moment, sound filters through, but then I soon realize these noises I’d rather scrub from my consciousness. Unmistakable moaning and panting slowly builds to a crescendo, sounding like they’re putting on a private show just for me. One that rips the soul from the body, leaving a gaping, unhealable wound that should but doesn’t kill you.
Only moments ago, I begged an unknown entity to hear and now I plead to for it to end. They must heed my call, because it doesn’t last long. A fraction of the time he and I shared, but comparing notes isn’t something I’ll ever do as I shove those thoughts violently away.
There’s a bit of commotion, raised voices, and then the slamming of a door. The noise blends seamlessly with the constant humming that vibrates my skull. The moan that derived from Sarah’s throat as Jaxton fucks her will haunt me.
The drug does nothing to stay the tears that trail their brokenhearted path to misery—giving birth to a new thought—one that’s not filtered through until now.
Maybe it’d be better if she just ended it now?