Page 43 of Obsession (Dark Revenge)
“Yes,” I confirmed.
“Is that a normal punishment?” he inquired, his voice laced with hesitation.
“Among others.”
“Others?” he whispered.
“What? Your father never disciplined you?” I asked, adopting a lighter tone to downplay the impact it had on me.
“We’re not talking about parents,” Jared stated, turning away and refusing to meet my gaze. However, I recognized that look, that slight twitch on his face, because I had done the same every time someone praised my mother for raising such a wonderful daughter.
“Jared?” I called out, but he ignored me, focusing on the game. He expertly sank striped balls into the corners, circling the table for another shot and then another.
It was evident that the game would be over soon, but maybe then he couldn’t ignore me any longer. As I waited for the game to conclude, with Jared completely dominating me, my impatience grew. He went for one of the last balls, sending it toward the corner where I stood. Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed the ball. He stood up, looking irritated.
“That’s cheating,” he accused.
I shook my head. “I’ll put it in.”
“Why not just let it roll in?” he asked.
“Because I can’t wait.”
“Wait for what?”
“Just tell me something.”
“What?” he inquired.
“I know what I did to you. I know where your scars come from because I inflicted them. I marked my territory.”
“Marked your territory?” he echoed, a bit bewildered. “You mean tortured me.”
I shook my head, but I didn’t elaborate. “But I know I wasn’t the only one from whom you took hits.”
“I thought we agreed that some things aren’t suitable for a first date,” he retorted.
“Yeah, well, when you’re married, it’s about sharing the painful aspects too. Do you want my strategies for making it work with Warren?”
“It’s not about revealing all your secrets,” Jared insisted.
“You’re right. It’s not. That’s why we’re not working. That’s why we’ll never work because even though I know he sleeps around, he doesn’t tell me. Everything in my world is kept behind closed doors. That’s why you’re winning right now, Jared, because I followed the same path. I kept secrets, secrets you can now use against me. My methods for surviving my marriage won’t help you because they won’t provide you with anything but a constant reminder that you’ll never truly be happy. I put on a smile, you know this. So, if you want to survive your marriage, if you want it to work better than mine, then don’t be like me. Share your secrets. Share something. Be vulnerable, because it will prove that she has your trust. Take a chance with her, and you might actually succeed. You might discover a true partnership with her. But it requires sacrifices, something my husband will never give me,” I confessed. Jared blinked rapidly at my revelation, and my words even surprised me, but I wanted a confession from him as well.
Jared remained as silent as a grave, our gazes locked in an unspoken conversation that stretched for what felt like an eternity. The room was filled with nothing but the sound of our deep breaths.
"Is there something you haven't told me?" I whispered, my voice hushed and tinged with concern. "Is there a different reason you look so haunted when we bring up parents?"
A brief pause hung in the air after my question, and then Jared angrily threw the cue onto the table, storming away from me.
"Are you seriously running right now?" I called after him, and he froze with his back to me. "I made your life hell in high school, and you didn't even flinch from some of the things I did to you. I can even bite you now with all my power, and you won't even scream in pain. But this makes you run? Talking about your dad? Why won’t you just answer?"
Jared slowly turned his head, his eyes flashing with the most intense fury I had ever witnessed, causing me to take a step back.
“Because would you have listened, Alison?” he whispered with seething intensity. “You have no idea what that man was capable of. But do you think anyone cared? Would the pretty princess of our school have cared? Would you have stopped? Would you have come to save me?”
“I...”
“No, you wouldn’t have, because deep down, no one cares. No one cared that your mother made you kneel on rice or had a say in everything you did. No one cared she had a drinking problem, just like no one cared mine did too. No one fucking cares, so tell me, why the hell should I even talk about it? What would it change?”
