Page 36 of Corruption
The person barely turned their head, prompting me to cautiously approach with my gun still raised.
“I said move!” I yelled.
Slowly, the figure in front of me, who stood at the same height as myself, turned their head. The sight before me shocked me so profoundly that I instinctively took a big step back and lowered my gun.
“It… can’t be…” I whispered, my head struggling to process the surreal scene before me. It shouldn’t have been possible, yet I was staring at an exact copy of myself.Iwas the one pointing the gun at Alison!
“Jared?” Alison’s voice was soft, but when I glanced at her, she wasn’t facing me. Instead, she was directed toward this other person, this duplicate version of me. He smiled at me, an unsettling darkness in his grin, before returning his focus to Alison, raising the gun slightly, poised to fire.
“No!” But I was too late. The gunshot rang out in the room, and he... I... shot her directly in the heart, stealing away her life.
“No!” I fought against the empty air in front of me, sitting up abruptly and scanning the dark bedroom. My heart raced, adrenaline coursing through me, triggered by the nightmare. Nightmares were not uncommon, but these were different. Why was I dreaming of Alison’s death? My gaze shifted to the couch where I had bound her, but this time, a blanket covered her. She slept peacefully, undisturbed by my outburst. I groaned, leaning forward and burying my face in my hands.
“What’s happening to me?” I whispered.
If Alison appeared in my dreams, it was usually to taunt me. Those dreams typically consisted of memories, looping through my mind like a relentless hunt. But now, my dreams had taken a bizarre turn. My imagination was conjuring surreal scenarios that could never, and should never, happen. Alison was not dead. Those men serving the wolves had not harmed her, and I certainly hadn’t killed her. So why did it feel as though my heart might leap out of my chest with each rapid beat? Why was I drenched in sweat, as if I were experiencing a night terror all over again? The questions swirled in my mind, and I knew I wouldn’t find any answers. Instead of lying in bed, obsessing over these troubling thoughts, I decided to distract myself. I reached for some clothes and retrieved an old pack of cigarettes and a lighter I had hidden away in a drawer.
I made my way to the balcony, slid open the glass door, and stepped onto the small square stone platform. After closing the door partway, I lit the cigarette. It had been years since I’d indulged in this habit, but the stress was taking a toll on me, and that first exhale provided a rush of relief, making me feel a thousand times better.
“I’m losing my damn mind,” I whispered, rubbing my eyes before resting one hand on the balcony railing. Perhaps Vince was right. Maybe my desire for revenge was slowly morphing into an obsession. Maybe Alison was beginning to occupy more space in my thoughts than I had ever expected or wanted. She hadn’t used to haunt my dreams with a pleading look and begging eyes, but almost witnessing her death had stirred something within me. It was frustrating because I didn’t want her to take up any space inside me. I didn’t want her to have a place at all.
“You’re not obsessed. You have it under control,” I assured myself, attempting to quell the rising turmoil. “Besides, if you were truly obsessed, how could you have set her perfect image ablaze, then proceeded to fuck her and enjoy it? It doesn’t make sense!”
But I was grasping at straws because, just as I had tried to convince myself that this was all about destroying Alison and casting her aside, an unwelcome thought crept into my mind. What if it wasn’t merely about ruining her and discarding her like a used toy? What if my ultimate goal was to make her so obsessed with me that, when I inevitably ruined her life, she would become desperate for my help and never want to be without me again? Was I truly heading down that path? Was I losing sight so rapidly of what truly mattered? It was pathetic, and I shook my head in self-disgust. Vince was correct. I needed to redirect my focus elsewhere, at least for a little while. I required something to divert my mind from the dangerous edge of obsession I was teetering on. It was meant to be the other way around—Alison becoming obsessed with me. I couldn’t lose myself in the process.
I flicked the half-smoked cigarette over the railing and returned inside. I still found Alison sleeping on the couch, and at the sight of her, my anger surged anew. How could she inadvertently shift the power dynamic even when I was supposed to be the one dismantling her? It only intensified the hatred I held for her. I took a cautious step toward her, but then I realized the irony of my actions.
“You obsessed idiot, what have you just decided?” I scolded myself. Shaking my head, I retreated back to bed. I climbed in, making an effort to turn away from Alison. I pulled the blanket higher to shield her from my view, but sleep remained elusive, my mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions and troubling thoughts.
Chapter 16
-Jared-
In the early morning, I was jolted awake by an ear-piercing sound, like something scraping relentlessly across the floor. I couldn’t help but groan, yearning to remain in blissful slumber, but the grating noise persisted.
“Cut it out!” I growled, my irritation growing as I sat up. To my surprise, I discovered Alison reclined, attempting to shift the weighty couch she was chained to. She turned her head and met my gaze, her expression softening into a faint smile.
“Ah, you’re up. I really need to use the bathroom,” she informed me.
“It’s still early!” I protested.
“It’s nearly noon,” she retorted, nodding toward the vintage clock on my nightstand. I turned to glance at it, and sure enough, it was almost 12. How had I managed to oversleep by so much?
“I’m also famished,” Alison added.
“I don’t recall granting my slave the authority to issue commands.”
“I’m not. I’m merely expressing needs that must be taken care of, unless his lordship wishes for his slave to either perish or soil herself,” she replied, a sassy smile gracing her lips after the comment.
“Yes, continue with that cheeky mouth of yours, and another secret may just slip out,” I warned. Alison shot me an annoyed glare, but it was evident that her immediate needs were pressing, as she tried to draw herself closer to me while still bound. With a sigh, I climbed out of bed and found the keys to her handcuffs. As soon as I released her, she darted off to the bathroom, while I collapsed onto the couch, still fatigued. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back and listened to Alison emerging from the bathroom. Her footsteps grew louder, indicating her approach.
I sensed her presence before me, and when I opened my eyes, I was met with the sight of her kneeling directly in front of me. She reached for the sweatpants I was still wearing, and I instinctively caught her wrists, confusion clouding my expression.
“What are you doing?” I asked, perplexed.
“You always request this in the morning. I thought we were continuing with our usual routines,” she explained.
It was surprising how quickly this had become a routine, and I couldn’t help but wonder why it pleased me so much. As I watched Alison sit there, patiently awaiting my permission to proceed, a rush of desire coursed through my veins, arousing me almost immediately.
