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Me, apparently. Me to do his bidding. Irritation washes over me. I don’t want to get out of the bath. He’s been gone a fucking week. A week! And I’ve had to hang out alone during that week. It’s not like he’s been giving me updates as to where he is or what he’s been doing. He’s just beengoneand I’ve beenalone. I hate it. I absolutely hate that he can ignore me and then just walk back into my life and act like he gets to start bossing me around.

How aboutno?

So, I don’t move.

I stay where I am.

I lean my head back against the tub and close my eyes. I focus on letting all of my muscles relax. First I focus on calming my forehead and face, then my shoulders, and then I slowly continuerelaxinganduntensingeach part of the rest of my body. I’m feeling anxious all of a sudden, but I know that I shouldn’t be. It’s not like I asked Ian to come here. I certainly didn’t ask him to marry me.

And what the hell is up with that terrible marriage proposal, anyway?

The least he could do is get down on one knee and pretend to like me. He could smile at me. Kiss me. Gently push my hair-

Every thought flees my mind as I realize that Ian is, in fact, pulling my hair. More than that, he’s using it as a handle to yank me from the bathtub.

“What the fuck!?” I screech as he literally hauls me from the bathtub by my hair. I’m scurrying not to fall and to try to keep up as he brings me from the bathtub to the bedroom and drops me in the middle of the damn floor. “What the fuck are you doing?”

The slap that rings out in the room is louder than Ian’s doorbell. He’s hit me in the face, and I fall over onto the lush carpet. Reaching for my face, I grab it and start to cry uncontrollably. Fuck, that really hurt. A lot. It didn’t hurt this much last time.

He must have been holding back.

Ian says nothing as I lie there crying. I think he gets off on this part – on my pain, on my fear. He loves the idea of me hurting and feeling embarrassed. That’s one of the things that attracts him to me the most. I’m easily upset, easily embarrassed.

Well, I’m not embarrassed now. I’m just upset and scared. I can’t believe he hit me over the bathtub thing. Iknowthat was it. I also know that this moment between us is going to fucking hurt. Whatever happened this week while Ian was gone, he’s not happy about it, and he’s going to take that out on me.

“Sit up,” he tells me. This time, I scurry to obey him. Moving as quickly as I can while still crying and holding my face, I manage to get to a seated position. My legs are crossed in front of me the way I would sit in preschool.Criss-cross, applesauce.

I risk looking up at Ian to see him still in his suit, which is now wet, and still in his leather shoes, which are also wet. His face is just as gorgeous as its ever been, but he seems even harsher now, and more steely.

“You’re acting like a child,” he tells me. He says this like it’s some kind of surprise or shock to him. Did he really think I was just going to fall into obedience? He’s been gone for days and he didn’t bother to tell me what was going on. Nobody else did, either.

“I’m angry with you,” I admit. The slightest uptick of his eyebrows lets me know he’s surprised by my answer. Is he surprised by my honesty? Or is he surprised that I’m daring to get upset with him?

“Tell me why.”

“You left me,” I whisper.

“I will often leave when I have matters to attend to. I don’t expect to return home to you acting like a sassy little girl throwing tantrums.”

I nod, unable – or unwilling – to argue with him. I know that this is going to be my life, my future. Ian will come and go as he pleases. He’ll do what he likes because guys like him always do, and I’ll...

Well, I’ll be here.

Waiting for him.

He squats down in front of me and looks at me closely. He gestures for me to move my hand and I do. He examines my cheek where he hit me.

“I hit you hard.”

I choke back a snarky retort and just nod. Yeah. Yeah, he did. I’ve had worse, of course, but it still stings like something fierce.

“It won’t bruise,” he said.

“Okay.” I whisper. I don’t say thanks even though I kind of feel like he wants me to.

“You’ll marry me tomorrow,” he says. I don’t react this time. I just nod. I still don’t understand why he wants to marry me, although I’m guessing it’s to piss off my dad. Ian has already hit me, and he’s already gotten upset, and he’s already left me alone, so I realize that I don’t actually have anything left to lose by asking him why.

“Will you tell me why?”