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I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself and get my head centered. I knew from the start that this wouldn’t be a quick and easy process. It would take more than a whipping to make Tatum tell the truth.
A tear slipped down one of her cheeks as she stared up at me. I frowned, my thoughts veering off in another direction.
Maybe she genuinely believed she was innocent. Maybe she’d been traumatized by the horror of what she did and blocked it out, unable to process or cope with the guilt. But somewhere, locked away deep inside her mind, there must be the knowledge that she was fully responsible. Why else would she give in to me so easily? Why else would she beg for more punishment?
“Okay. We’re done for tonight,” I said stiffly. “Go to bed, Doll. I’ll see you again soon.”
“Tomorrow?” she asked, eyes widening. If I wasn’t mistaken, she was hopeful. She actually wanted to see me again.
Something flared brightly in my mind. An idea. A good one, too.
I smiled patiently. “Yes, Doll. Tomorrow.”
She nodded and crawled into bed. I brought the blanket over her, keeping the fake smile plastered on my face as I tucked her in.
The other day, she told me that I could never truly own someone who hated me, and now I realized she was right about that. I couldn’t. I also realized I could never completely and utterly destroy something I didn’t fully own. Not properly.
As long as I was cruel and malicious toward Tatum, she would continue to hate me, even if she outwardly gave in and obeyed me. Even if she physically desired me. She would continue to hold out on the inside, never letting go in her mind, never truly submitting to my ownership.
But if I changed tactics and stopped her from hating me, I could make her let go. Make her submit. Mind, body and soul. If I managed that, I could conquer her and truly own her. Then I could finally enact my revenge and destroy her with cold and deadly precision, making her regret every second of her existence.
There was only one way to achieve that. Only one way to make her stop hating me. I had to throw all my plans out the window and head in the opposite direction.
I had to make her fall in love with me.