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I follow his command, not daring to defy him for fear of what it may lead to.

“Look at me.”

I raise my eyes to his, shocked to see no anger or desire for vengeance. Behind his dark irises, I witness annoyance and concern.

He takes a step closer, and I take one back. He doesn’t retreat; he just follows with another step until my back is pressed against the wall in his massive bedroom. I close my eyes as his hand comes up, but there is no open-palm slap or fist to my face. Instead, I’m greeted with his gentle touch as he pushes a strand of my hair behind my ear and the soft brush of his fingers along my cheeks. “I am not a patient man, but I’ll learn how to be for you. You have my word, Isla. An unwavering promise. I will not hurt you. I am a violent man, but I’m not an abuser. Those who receive my wrath aren’t victims; they’re villains.”

“I don’t want to be a victim.”

“The reality of being a victim is that eventually, you learn to be a survivor. A caterpillar doesn’t turn into a butterfly overnight. You’ll get your wings. It just takes time.”

I shut my eyes to hold back the tears raging to fall—not because I’m sad. It’s pure frustration. My resentment is directed at Paul but also myself. So many confusing emotions battle for control. Sadness, hurt, anger, humiliation, and the need for vengeance. I don’t know what I feel or how I’ll ever get control of my life.

My eyes open. I’m mesmerized by the intensity in his. “I’m tired.” The truth spills from my lips.

Bryce’s face softens as he smiles, exposing perfect dimples. He points toward the shirt lying on his bed. “Then get some sleep. We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

Sleep. How do I fall into a slumber in the home of someone I don’t know? But then again, is this home any worse than the one I slept in last night?

Bryce tilts his head and smiles as if reading my mind. “I promise you’re safe.”

“Promises have lost their ability to sway me. You can thank your son for that.”

“My son is nothing like me, and I’m nothing like my son. His tainted blood may be my doing, but his actions are something I don’t condone or accept. I’m a man of my word, Isla, and I’m giving you mine. You’re safe here.”

I grab his shirt off the bed and head into the bathroom. Under the harsh glare of the fluorescent light, I examine my technicolor skin. My back is still tender, and the area around my right rib cage is covered in bruises, while the other side that received the most aggression shows no signs of violence. Some men give roses to show their affection. Paul beat me with a burlap sack filled with oranges to show his hate. Sections of my flesh are tinged with purple, red, blue, green, and yellow. A rainbow, but with none of the hope and joy.

ChapterEight

BRYCE

I had no clue my t-shirt would be the sexiest garment known to man when covering Isla’s curves. It shifts as she moves, exposing her thick thighs and caressing her breasts, making my damn mouth water.

I’m a deviant. A sick, twisted pervert. This girl is young enough to be my daughter. She’s the victim of my psychotic son, and here I am, sporting a boner while she sleeps in my bed.

She shifts in her sleep, and my shirt rides up her body. To my shock and utter joy, I’m rewarded with a glimpse of her pretty pink pussy.Holy shit, she’s not wearing panties.

I shift my gaze away, but like metal to a magnet, my eyes are drawn back and linger at the apex of her thighs. It’s a sin to gaze at her like this, but God already knows I’m a sinner, and my afterlife will be an inferno of hellfire.

Her legs shift open, and her pussy glistens under the moonlight. She moans, and panic rises within me. But my unease is soon put to rest as she settles again. My hand roams to my rock-hard cock, and I rub myself, hoping to find some relief. I’ve never been so hard in my damn life, and this girl hasn’t even touched me.

I pull my dick from my gray sweatpants and spit on my palm. Gripping my shaft firmly, I glide my hand up and down. A moan escapes my lips as I take in Isla’s luscious curves. The woman is beyond beautiful. Every inch of her begs to be explored with my hands, mouth, and tongue. I fall to my knees, my eyes locked on her perfect cunt. It calls to me to suck, lick and flick. To make her moan and scream my name in pure ecstasy.

Her legs spread further, and for a moment, I contemplate slipping between her thighs and shoving my dick deep inside her. That’s the darkness in me, the voice that whispers for me to take what I want and never give a moment’s thought to how it will affect another. It’s the same voice that helped me survive. The dark whisper that’s kept me alive.

I reach out but force myself to stop before my fingers brush her pussy lips and tumble into the abyss. I could replace all her pain with earth-shattering pleasure.

A groan escapes my lips as I’m pulled further into bliss, imagining her body covered in sweat and my name a moan on her lips as she writhes beneath me.

I’m a sick fuck.

I realize how fucked up I am as I violate her. My mind is desperate to justify my actions. I’m not touching her. I’m simply enjoying the view she’s placed in front of me. This is my world; gray. Nothing is black and white. No one is good or evil. I’m accustomed to walking in shadows, with one foot braced in heaven and the other in hell. But taking advantage of a woman who’s been broken by my son is the lowest I’ve ever fallen.

I groan and rush into the bathroom. I turn on the shower and leave the temperature on cold. I need the freezing water to shake me out of my feverish need.

Regret is a venomous emotion. It holds on to you within its grasp and twists you until I don’t know what’s up or down. I have many regrets. I regret not getting help for my mother and not standing up to my father. I regret falling under the spell of a predator who manipulated me when she saw my pain and trauma. I regret succumbing to my darkness for that beautiful woman who entranced me. I regret producing a son who’s just like my father.

But as I stand under the cascading water, pumping my dick harder and faster, my biggest regret is that I can’t cage the beast that wants to claim Isla as my own.