Deadly Obsession - Chapter 21 (Patreon)

Romelo

Over my life, I have obtained four scars on my body. Three I obtained over my youth, given to me by my mother. One is a bullet wound. The only time I was careless. I’ve never let a soul get close enough to touch me let alone hurt me to the point of permanent scarring. And Charlie has given me my fifth.

I grit my teeth in pain stumbling into my office. I don’t know where Charlie is in the house, but that’s the last thing on my mind. First, I need to stop the bleeding. Lucky for me, Charlie only pierced my flesh missing any vital organs. I stumble into my office, kicking the door shut just in case she decides to come back and finish what she started.

“Fuck,” I growl stumbling into my desk.

I can feel my vision blurring as I scour my desk for a first aid kit. I suck in a deep breath lifting my shirt to take in the damage. It’s a clean-cut, the bleeding coming out in spurts. I grit my teeth in pain as I begin to slowly stitch myself back up.

For the next hour, I sit in my office trying to build my strength back up while calming myself. I recall what the doctor said about her mental state. She isn’t herself, she’s trying to cope. I feel a bitter chuckle building in my throat as I think of the repercussions of my own actions. But the longer I think, the angrier I get.

I tried. I tried being nice and patient… I tried being what I thought she needed, but she’s fucked it up within hours of being home. Insane or not, she’s pushed me past the point of no return. And now, she’s going to get what she deserves.

This night is going to end badly for one of us. She’s going to have to kill me, or I may very well kill her. I’m not a good man. I never claimed or tried to be. But something in me decided to be what I thought she needed because our circumstances changed.

I let out a laugh as I think of what this night is going to turn into. I’m going to beat her back into existence.

I make my way to the cabinet, pulling out my blade and my gun. I know Charlie like the back of my hand. She may have had a “mental break”, but she still has the same tendencies and fears. I’ve spent years training her to instinctually feel them. And I know just how much she hates the dark. Actually, she fears more what lurks in the dark.

And that’s me.

I open the door to my office, heading towards the electric box.

“Charlie.” I say her name loud enough that she can hear me wherever she’s hiding.

“We’re going to play a game tonight.”

As I speak I can feel the adrenaline begin to flow through my system. I can’t help the smile that forms on my lips in anticipation.

There are rules to the game, Charlie. I’m going to give you… an hour. One hour to survive. If you can survive for that long, your little stunt earlier will be water under the bridge.”

I chuckle aloud just thinking about the absurdity of it.

“But if I catch you… well, let’s just say you better pray that I don’t.”

I reach the box, opening the door until I see the latch that connects the entire house.

“One last thing… We’re going to play in the dark.”

I pull the lever and the house is plunged into darkness. With no electricity, the steel doors that have been lowered are set in place. She can’t escape. And I don’t miss the small squeal of fear that echoes through the house. She’s hiding. She’s been hiding.

It takes a couple of minutes for my eyes to adjust, but I can finally see the dim outline of the house around me.

“I’m going to destroy you.”

* * * * *

Charlie 

My mind is a jumbled mess. Half the time, I don’t know what I’m doing. The world has become too much for me and the only option that I have is to hide away from it.

I vaguely recall what happened to me before my mind drifted away into this constant darkness. I was desperate to escape the pain I knew was coming when Romelo expressed his anger. The last thing I saw was his face and when I came to, I was in the hospital.

I can still see the look of shock on his face when I told him that I hated him. I still mean it. I do hate him. Why wouldn’t I? He doesn’t love me. He loves the control he has over me. If I’m being honest, realizing that Romelo isn’t capable of affections is what broke me more than anything. It felt like I had nothing, and my fragile hold on reality was shattered.

In the past, I never doubted his love for me. I imagined that it existed in its own strange way. Why would Romelo keep me around if he didn’t love me? But over the past months, I’ve seen what he is capable of. The charade he put on for the world may have been acting, but it showed me that he is capable of it. He is capable of treating me like a woman he loves. He chooses not to.

Why wouldn’t you treat the one you love with the utmost affection and care? And now, Romelo stands over me with that look in his eyes. The look that tells me he is no longer a man but a monster. And I can do nothing but beg.

“Please…,” I sob through my pain.

Romelo has beaten me back into existence. My grip on reality is clear. I know who I am. I know who he is. And I’m scared of the consequences of what I have done.

I feel the cool steel of his weapon pressing against my forehead as he tries to contain his rage.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t put a bullet between your eyes,” he says with a smile. My blood runs cold at the tone of his voice. I don’t think a word has been invented for how I feel right now. I open my mouth, immediately shutting it as fear washes over me. If I say the wrong thing, I fear he’ll pull the trigger.

Does anyone truly want to die? Why would they? Why when you have yet to experience life?

“Do I need to keep you locked up until the wedding? Do I need to take your freedom and make you wear your collar again? Do I need to cuff you to every fucking wall and crevice until you understand the way things work? I gave you time to recover. I was nice and tried to give you what you wanted and you had the audacity to stab me?”

With each word he speaks, his grip on my throat tightens.

I open my eyes, straining myself to focus on something, anything to prevent me from disappearing and letting my basic instinct take over. Each time it does, I wake up in a worse situation than the last. I slowly reach up, my hand shaking from fear, pain, and lack of oxygen, and place my fingers on Romelo’s hand.

“Y..you’ve.. done.. worse,” I finally get out. If Romelo was angry before, he’s furious now. He grabs ahold of the front of my shirt, and pulls me off the wall only to smash me back into it.

“I fucking own you!” he screams at me. In all of my years, Romelo has never screamed at me in such a tone. He’s always been so calm and collected. I can’t see a thing in the dark. I have no idea what he’s thinking; feeling. He knows I hate the dark. I hate it because I can’t see him coming. I can’t defend myself.

The room is silent. And I have no idea why. I can still feel Romelo’s grip, and it slowly releases my shirt. I fall to the floor, keeping as silent as I can. The whole house is on lockdown. A feature that Romelo installed himself. So I can’t even see using the moonlight due to the steel that’s covering the windows.

Out of nowhere, I hear the heart stopping sound of Romelo pulling back the hammer on his gun. And it’s right above my head. I begin to shake, my silence breaking as my uncontrollable breathing becomes frantic.

I feel the cool steel against my forehead, and I can’t move. I can feel Romelo’s smile in the darkness. The warmth from his body is growing as he moves closer to me.

“I own you. Charlie. Did you forget?” His voice is as cold as ice. I’m paralyzed in fear.

“Answer me,” he says after my silence. I open my mouth.

“I...i-i-...i” I can’t form a coherent thought let alone a sentence. And he loves it. He laughs.

“That’s it. Come back to me.” There’s pressure against my skull, and he pushes me down so that I’m laying flat on my back on the floor.

“This is who you are, Charlie. Not that crazed thing that took over.” He finally removes the gun, and I let out a loud gasp and begin coughing from the fear and relief that engulf me. I truly believe Romelo feeds off my fear as if it were his own food.

He places a soft kiss along my jaw, and his hand roams up my shirt, hovering over my heart. He holds it there.

“I missed this…, he murmurs. His kisses move to my throat.

“That frantic heartbeat of yours. So fast,” he mumbles against my throat. He runs his tongue in a light trail, and catches my skin between his teeth, lightly sucking on my flesh. He’s aroused from my fear. I hate it when he’s like this. I really do.

“I should have realized how fragile you were. Putting you out into the world like that with false promises, it’s too much for someone like you. This is who you are. Fragile. Soft. Weak.” His fingers thread through my hair, and he roughly pulls my head to the side.

“You’re weak, Charlie. You will never beat me. Never. Do you understand that? You can have as many fucking breakdowns as you want, but I will never change. You are stuck with me, until death. And I am going to make damn sure that doesn’t happen,” he growls in my ear. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to muffle my sobs, and nod my head.

“Let me hear you say it. Tell me you’re weak,” he murmurs. My mind is running a mile a minute. And I know that I have nothing left to lose. I open my mouth.

“I....lo-” I trail off unable to finish my sentence.

“What?” he growls. I pry his fingers away from my throat, loosening his grip, and take in a breath.

“I loved you…,” I whisper. The room is quiet.

“What?” he asks as if he hadn’t heard me. I feel his heat moving away from me, and I sit up in the dark, bringing my knees to my chest. I stare into the darkness, letting my tears fall, and my emotions run free.

“I loved you…,” I choke on a sob.

“I gave you everything... I.. I loved you through it all, Romelo. I loved you through the abuse, and hatred, and sorrow, and pain.” I cry in the darkness, letting out the thoughts I’ve kept hidden all theses years.

“I stayed. I never fought… Even when you threw this marriage on me, Romelo I loved you through it! Me! No one else, only me. I’ve seen every side of you, and I’ve forgiven you, I loved you unconditionally!” I wish that I could see his face right now. He’s so silent.

“I was so excited about the dress I picked out. I was so excited about our wedding even though you’ve brought me nothing but pain and torture my whole life.” I bury my head in my knees.

“I just wanted to see you look at me in appreciation, and maybe even... love,” I admit.

“So yes. I am weak. But is that really a bad thing when it’s for the man you love? I would do anything you asked of me, Romelo. You know that,” I say. I reach out and feel his chest. I slowly place my hands flat against it, and rise up on my knees, bringing his body into mine. I lay my cheek atop his head.

“Since that day you saved me from starving, I loved you. From the moment you protected me I loved you. And even when you found out and took me away from that hell, I loved you even more Romelo. I’ve never felt anything but love for you.” My tears are hot and heavy, and fall in his hair as I cry over him, and he lets me.

“Even now... Even though I know it’s wrong... I still love you.” I squeeze him harder.

“I just… I don’t understand why you still hate me after all these years,” I whisper. I cry as hard as I’ve cried before. My mental capacity is all but shattered. Romelo is so still, If it weren’t for his heartbeat I’d think he was a statue under me.

After a long time, I feel his hand close around my wrist. I tense in anticipation, but he doesn’t yank or pull. He doesn’t push me away or snap my bones. His touch is gentle. I gasp when I feel his hand reaching up to my back. But it’s shaky.

Unsure.

He shuffles under me, rising up, and I slowly let go of him, waiting for my punishment. I feel his hand slowly come up around my collarbone, and trail up past my throat and to my jaw. He gently cups my jaw and pulls my face forward. My eyes widen when I feel his lips against my forehead. It’s a long, soft, gentle kiss. And then he pulls me into him, squeezing me to his body.