Page 146 of Loving the Tormentor

His free hand takes hold of the collar, and he pulls until my oxygen is completely cut off. "Then suffer we will."

His movements accelerate, everything depriving me of any useful thought. The dark is disorienting, the intense pleasure annihilating my sanity. And that mask…it twists my insides with fear and excitement.

"We could’ve had everything." His body tightens, his thrusts painful. "But now we're stuck in this nightmare. And you, you're stuck with a monster you'll never escape."

I feel him exploding. It's angry, without an ounce of pleasure. I'm close to coming, but he pulls out, leaving me panting and aching on the floor.

I stay there, face down, tears streaming down my face as he pulls himself together and finds the door.

"You robbed us of our happy ending." His voice wavers, and my heart breaks all over again.

"I'm sorry," I croak. "Please, talk to me. Let me explain."

"No, baby. You're a Hera now. You listen, you submit, and you obey. That's all there is to your life from now on."

The door closes quietly, and I realize I was desperate for him to slam it. To show that he cares enough to show more emotion. Instead, I feel the betrayal so deep in my soul it splits it in two.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Achilles

Power– Isak Danielson

Iroll the Silent Circle's signet ring around my finger as I sit on my couch. I haven't moved from this house for the last forty-eight hours. After I brought Nyx here and locked her in the music room, I decided I was going to enjoy her until I felt sick of her. I fuck her and discard her. I don't let her come. I terrify her and relish her cries.

And yetstill,I'm not sick of her. If anything, having her at my mercy makes me want her more.

"Where is she?"

Wren's voice takes me out of my depressive daydreaming, and my eyes snap to his.

"She's here," I answer simply.

He's not happy to be in my company, clearly still mad at me. I'm unapologetic, which I'm sure isn't helping the situation. But he's learned about my daughter through the Circle—they all know now—and that I've initiated by force. So, he came over. I'm not sure where it's going to lead, just that it's good to have him here.

"Is she alright? Is she hurt?"

I smile, cocking my head to the side. "Does it matter how I treat my Hera? She's mine, isn't she?"

"It matters when you're the kind of guy who has a penchant for torture, and that the person you love betrayed you."

His cold tone doesn’t affect me. It's almost like he thinks I deserve what Nyx did after betraying him. Maybe I did. Maybe after years of being the number one asshole, after betraying my friends, after making Nyx suffer, what I deserved was to get a taste of heaven and have it ripped from my grip.

"Peach and the girls have been asking about Nyx too. They’re worried."

"Yeah, her friend Lena messaged me when Nyx missed work and couldn’t get through to her, but I told her she was sick."

Wren stays silent for a while, and so do I. He needs time processing what he learned, and I'm not in a mood to talk anyway. It must take him a lot to finally ask me his question.

"Why didn't you tell us you have a daughter?"

Just like every time I think about Sophie, my stomach shrinks in on itself. Usually, she's the one who keeps me alive. Not because of any zest for life. Because of longing. She's kept me on this earth for four years but more as a ghost desperate to keep her safe before I cross onto the other side than anything else. Knowing a part of you is somewhere so far away and that you can never see her or you risk her life is simply torture.

"Because it was too big of a secret," I explain. Every time I blink, I see my daughter's gray eyes. The same as mine. "It wasn't a risk I could take."

"Do you not trust us? Me… Do you not trust me?"

"When it comes to Sophie, I trust no one. " I can see myself two days ago, telling the truth to Nyx—like a film of the biggest regret of my life—and a spike slices through my heart. "I toldNyx," I croak. "And it was the most stupid mistake I’ve ever made."