Page 112 of Tangled Lies

“It doesn’t matter what you think, Carrow. You aren’t a god. You’re just some rich fuck who thinks money is everything.”

I managed to at least fall to the couch away from the women, managing to stay out of whatever dress they were trying to put me into.

“They weren’t just doing this for money. And even if they were, they treated me well. Do you know you could have fooled me for a long time had I never seen you cheating?”

I kicked at one of the ladies who was trying to put the dress around my ankles.

“No, you know what, Carrow? You weren’t going to get the chance to fool me. I was going to run away from you even if they hadn’t found me. But they did. They found me, and they wanted me. You are so dumb.”

My whole body was still struggling to kick whatever drug they had given me, but it didn’t stop me from trying to fight off the women. The issue was I could feel the exhaustion flowing through me. I was going to lose this battle.

“Just get out.” Carrow’s voice was loud and angry.

The two women didn’t seem to question him any more than they questioned the fact I didn’t want to get married.

I didn’t like how he stormed closer and closer, and my body was far too tired to fight him.

“Dumb?”

He moved quicker than I’d expected. The sting in my cheek was a stark reminder of why I’d planned to run away.

“Thanks, Carrow.”

He stood there just watching me.

“Thank you for what?”

I couldn’t decide if it was a smug look or if he just literally couldn’t look like anything but a constipated prick.

“For reminding me why literally anything is better than marrying you.”

I held my breath as he moved. His arms braced on either side of my head against the couch.

“All my family needs from you is a single heir, and then you are useless to me. Right now, you’ve embarrassed my family. Your uncle had to fucking retrieve you like some dog. Whyaren’t you like every other society princess? Happy to have a big wedding and the honor to raise the children?”

I hated how close he was.

“I was never meant to be yours, so what does it matter? There’re probably a million other girls in the city that would marry you. It just won’t be me.”

The alarm bells inside me were starting to go off one by one. I’d spent so much time focusing on my uncle and his plans and I’d miscalculated that maybe Carrow wasn’t just an abusive prick.

The way he looked at me made my skin crawl.

“Margaux, Margaux. Do you not get it? You come with some perks my family wants.” He stopped talking, but when he leaned in closer, I took all my strength and tried to push him away.

“Did you know I like the chase? Your little escape act has made you all the more tempting. I would never settle for less.”

His hand slid down the side of the corseted bra I’d worn for my original dress. I suddenly hated that it was a see-through fabric. I hated lacy panties and garter more. I’d dressed for my men, not for some asshole who stole me.

I hated the way his hand traced down my body. I pushed at it, and he pinched my skin along my hip.

“I’m not a virgin anymore, Mr. Thorne. Wasn’t that part of my appeal? Didn’t my uncle promise that?”

He snickered against my throat.

“It will be so much more fun to punish you for letting someone else touch you. Your body is worth the minor inconvenience,” Carrow said.

The more I rested, the more awake I was starting to feel. If I just waited a few more minutes, I could probably knee the asshole. But there was that little girl in me who hated feeling helpless. Hated feeling someone else’s hands on her.