Page 92 of A Dove To Break

“Can I help you get dressed?” he asks.

“Why? You’re just going to…”

“Is Brently like Edward?” he asks. “Hmm?”

“No,” I admit.

“Sometimes the apple falls really far from the tree. Sometimes, it rolls away and wants nothing to do with the violence,” he says. “I swear to you, I will take you back to your husband. I have kept tabs on you for nearly a decade because I always knew what Dadwould do. I knew I couldn’t prevent it, but I could help once we got here.”

“How?” I ask, looking down. Derek grabs my chin and brings my face up.

“Do not do that. You are not my submissive. Okay?” he says firmly. “I am going to get you out of here first, and then I will help Adrian plan. You need to rest somewhere no one is going to rape you again. So, when we walk out of this room, you need to keep your head down and say nothing.”

“Okay,” I whisper.

Derek helps me out of my hospital gown before dressing me. He is careful about where his hands go, and he doesn’t linger. Once I am dressed, he lays me on the bed. My anxiety spikes when he pulls my shirt up, but I relax when he starts changing my bandage. When he is done, he gently rolls me to my side to do the same to the one on my back.

“Okay,” he says once he has me standing. “Follow my lead.”

I nod, and he possessively grabs my wrist before leading me out of the room. “What are you doing?” Vlad asks coolly.

“Taking my wife,” Derek says. “Stop letting random men fuck what’s mine."

“I own her,” Vlad says.

“No, youtookher.Iown her,” Derek says. “You’ll still have access. Chill out. Call me if anything comes up with Adrian. I can move her to the private island if I need to.”

“Probably plan to soon. He’s on a warpath,” Vlad laughs. “Why don’t you let your bride come suck me off before she leaves?”

“She literally just had surgery,” Derek laughs. “She’s no use this woozy. I’ll bring her to the office when the anesthesia is out of her system tomorrow.”

“Alright. Be careful,” Vlad says, turning back to the television.

Is that it? Is this a trap?

Derek takes me outside and puts me in the front seat of a car before casually walking around and getting into the driver’s seat. I put my head down and say nothing for a while. After a second, Derek taps around on his phone before ringing comes through the speakers.

“Hello?” Adrian barks. I tear up and cover my mouth when I hear his voice.

“Hello, Adrian,” Derek says. “I believe I have something that belongs to you.”

“You have her? I will fucking kill you if you…”

“She’s okay, Adrian,” Derek reassures gently. “She’s a little out of it. I’m positive she is in pain, considering my piece of shit fatherlet his men rape her. I don’t know how much of it she was awake for, though.”

“Fuck. Okay. Meet me at the house. We will go that way,” Adrian says. “Can she hear me?”

“Yeah,” I say quietly.

“I love you so much, baby. I’m so sorry,” Adrian says through tears.

“It’s not your fault,” I sigh. “The freak made me call him Daddy.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Adrian starts to say.

“Daddy has a small dick, so it’s not as bad as it could be,” I say, and Derek laughs. “I’m just tired, my side hurts, I’m angry, and creeped out.”

“I know, Little Dove. We just got to the house. You can trust Derek. Okay?”