Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale (79 page)

I wished those feelings would have instantly vanished when he took me to that place, that room of horrors. I was scared, and confused, and repulsed, but part of me was also sad for him.
The look on his face last night when he talked about our date, seeing the need on his face for me to believe him, it was like seeing a glimpse of the man I wished he was.

Then I thought about Macy, and our fight. I hated pushing her away. We had been friends for a long time; she had always looked out for me and taken care of me in some way. Being with him, staying with him, I could do this. I had always put others first, this would be no exception. Her life depended on me doing this.

I stepped out of the shower and made sure the towel was securely wrapped around me. Quickly, I dashed across the hall back to the safety of my room. He was sitting on the bed waiting for me.

“I made you some toast with scrambled eggs and bacon.”

“I’m not hungry.”

His jaw clenched.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Let me get dressed first.” I stood, nervously waiting on him to leave the room, but he didn’t.

“Kerrin called while you were in the shower. You
’ll be going to work today.”

I nodded my understanding. 

There was no way my mind would be able to focus on work, but maybe the distraction would help. Turning towards my closet, I decided what to wear, delaying, hoping Seth would leave. He didn’t. I got dressed under his watchful eye.

A pair of slacks and a simple button down shirt with a half sweater.
I stared at my reflection, not recognizing the face looking back at me. Picking up the concealer, I applied a heavy layer under my eyes, effectively erasing the evidence of stress. I was going to stop there, but I felt I needed to hide more, so I added blush, eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick. Macy would have been proud of how well I managed to pull myself together since most days I used mostly tinted lip gloss. I thought about pulling my hair back but decided instead to let it hang loosely around my shoulders but pulled back on one side. At least I looked normal even if I didn’t feel that way.

Once I was finished, we ate the b
reakfast that had turned cold, not that it mattered since it was a chore to force down food regardless. While Seth cleaned, I went to my room to find my keys. Seth was standing by the front door waiting for me.

“Your car is at home, not here. I have to drive you.”

I’d forgotten I had driven over there for his birthday, but I didn’t miss the fact he called his house home again. 

We rode in silence
, and I was thankful he didn’t try to make small talk. I wanted to ask if he was going to stay and watch me or if I would be allowed my first taste of freedom since this all began. When he killed the engine upon our arrival, I got my answer. He held my hand as we walked into the building. The place looked totally different from the last time I’d seen it. Most of the work had been completed.

I stopped to get my messages from Stacy who blushed instantly when Seth smiled and spoke to her. Kerrin was in her office
, talking with Janet, one of our interns.

Kerrin
looked up and smiled when she saw us. “Hey, are you feeling better?” she asked.

“As well as I can be,” I replied
, giving a small shrug. “So what’s up?”

I wiggled my hand free of Seth
’s, wanting to keep the physical contact to a minimum. I felt his grip on my arm as I started to walk away.

“I have a few things to take care of. You will
behave
yourself while I’m gone won’t you?” he whispered as he pulled me back to him. 

I nodded in response, picking up on the subtle warning hidden in his question. Lifting my chin
, he brushed a soft kiss against my lips.

“See you later
, ladies.”

He waved in their direction before turning to leave. I stood still for a moment to compose myself
, not wanting to have a breakdown at work.

“Calida
, you are so lucky,” Janet sighed. “He’s crazy about you; I hope to have that one day.”

I gave her a tight smile
, refraining from telling her how deceiving looks can be.

We worked for
a few hours before I retreated to my office. Being busy was good, but the moment I was alone my head swam with thoughts and memories of the past week. I felt the panic starting. I sat at my desk, hoping more work would help, but my concentration was gone at that point. I couldn’t do this. I needed to do something. Knocking twice, I entered without waiting on Kerrin to answer.

“Hey, can I borrow your car?
Seth dropped me off, and I need to run a quick errand.”

She reached into her bag and tossed me the keys.

“Thanks. Oh and if he calls here...nevermind. I’ll be back shortly.” I exited quickly; my hands were shaking as I slid behind the wheel of her BMW.

My stomach was in knots by the time I pulled into the parking lot of the
Alpharetta Police Station.

“What am I doing?” I whispered to myself.

I watched as officers exited and entered the building, working up the nerve to go inside. I had no clue what I would say. Do I just walk in and say ‘hi my boyfriend is crazy and has a torture chamber in his basement’? I would sound crazy, but what other choice did I have? I took a deep breath and exited the car. It was now or never.

***

I waited in Calida’s office for her to return. Kerrin said she left forty-five minutes ago to run an errand, but she didn’t say what. I watched as she pulled up into the driveway. She walked slowly towards the building, stopping briefly to glance at me through the window. Seconds later, I heard her open the door, and I waited until I heard the soft click indicating it was closed again before I spoke.

“Where
’d you go?”

The fear and guilt was written all over her face when I turned to look at her.

“I, I just had an errand to run.”

“To where?”

She nervously chewed on her bottom lip
, avoiding making eye contact with me.

“Nowhere special.”

I strolled towards her
, closing the distance between us. I tucked her hair behind her ear, letting my finger trace down her jawline to her chin. Slowly, I lifted her face, making her look at me.

“So why couldn
’t it wait until I came back for you?”

“I...I didn
’t know when you would be back, and I...” She stumbled over her words, trying to keep from making eye contact with me.

“What did you tell them?” I asked
, cutting off her feeble attempt to lie to me.

“Tell who?” she asked
, her voice cracking.

“The police.
That is where you went isn’t it?”

The sharp intake of breath and the look of shock on her face was enough to confirm my suspicions. I struggled to keep a calm expression, but on the inside
, I was boiling. However, this wasn’t the place to show it.

“I
’m waiting, Calida.”

She opened her mouth
but quickly shut it again.

“I
’ll be in the car.”

She nodded, and I walked around her
, leaving her standing there to collect her thoughts. She didn’t look at me when she got in the car. She didn’t offer any explanations as we drove towards her house. The longer she stayed quiet, the angrier I got. I’d been patient. I’d tried to understand why she was fighting me so much, and this is how she repaid me.

Neither of us made any move to get out of the c
ar when I pulled into her driveway. She kept her head down, wringing her hands together in her lap.

“I didn
’t tell them anything,” she finally whispered, breaking the silence in the car. She swiped at the tear that rolled down her cheek. Her hands were shaking. “I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I got as far as the front doors and turned around.” Her voice remained barely above a whisper, and she wouldn’t look at me when she spoke.

I w
as relieved hearing her words, not because I was concerned about being caught, but it meant she couldn’t betray me. However, I wouldn’t let her see that; she needed to know her actions were unacceptable. She needed to remember the fear she was feeling right now so she wouldn’t be tempted to step out of line again. I got out of the car, walking around to her side, I opened the door and waited on her to exit. She kept her eyes trained on my chest. I placed my hand on her chin, forcing her to look at me.

“The first moment I let you out of my sight
, you go run off to the police,” I said, keeping my tone even. “That’s very troubling for me.”

Reaching into her pocket, I pulled out her house keys and headed towards the door. Calida followed behind me.

“Go wash your face and pull yourself together. We have someone coming over in about fifteen minutes,” I instructed.

Obediently
, she walked towards the bathroom, giving me a quick glance back over her shoulder.

***

There was an older woman sitting on the couch with Seth when I exited the bathroom. They were talking and looking over papers. Not wanting to interrupt whatever business he was doing, I waited for him to acknowledge my presence. Seth glanced over at me and smiled. Both he and the lady stood.

“Barbara
, this is Calida,” he said, introducing me to the woman. She reached out to shake my hand.

“It
’s nice to meet you, Calida.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I responded.

Seth took my hand, pulling me down onto his lap.

“I was telling Seth that this is a prime location, the Cabbagetown area is a very desirable little neighborhood. This little bungalow would make a great starter home. The decor is cute
, but to market to a wider range of buyers, how do you feel about making it more neutral?”

“I, um.
My roommate and I we just, it hasn’t been a year since we did this. It fits us and...” Seth’s arm tightened around me, and I turned to look at him.

“Of course.
We can get a crew in here in a few days,” he answered.

“
Okay, and what about the furniture, will it be staying? Having a staged house helps them sell more quickly.”

“I
’ll have to ask Macy what she wants to do with her bedroom set,” I replied.

“That would be the smaller bedroom?” she asked
, making notes.

“Yes,
” I answered, feeling myself slip into auto pilot mode.

He’d arranged to have my house put on the market. He was expecting me to live with him; demanding that I do so.

“Well
, for that one, it might actually work better to set it up as a nursery or child’s room. To give perspective buyers help visualizing the space. Would you show me the kitchen and bath area?”

She stood
, and I got up to walk her into the kitchen. She made a few notes then I showed her the bath and laundry areas.

“How soon were you looking to list?”

“We can sign the paperwork now and get crews in here to make changes this week,” Seth answered for me.

She and Seth discussed the best pricing, and I signed the paperwork she put in front of me. He was selling my house, or more accurately, making me
sell my house. I was numb.

Seth showed Barbara out. I sat at the table accepting the fact that I wasted the one chance I had. I don
’t know how he knew where I went, but in the end, I’m not sure it mattered. Things were spiraling deeper and deeper out of my control.

“Would you like to stay here tonight?” he asked
, keeping his back to me.

“Y…yes please.” It would be the last night in my house.

“I’ll fix something for dinner. You need to let Macy know you’re selling the house.”

Seth didn
’t look at me. The pleasant man that was present while the realtor was here left the moment she did. I needed him to yell, to let me know how angry he was about what I’d done. This waiting for him to react made me nauseated. With a heavy heart, I pushed away from the table, grabbed my phone, and headed to my room to call Macy.

It rang and rang
, and I wasn’t sure she was going to answer.

“What?” s
he answered on the sixth ring, sounding annoyed.

“Macy,” I croaked, trying to choke down the emotions threatening to overtake me.

“Oh god, Lee, what’s wrong?” she asked, her demeanor changing instantly.

I felt momentarily relieved that even after our fight, she
’d still care.

“I
’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to be so rude to you. I…I’ve just been dealing with a lot, and I’m stressed, so I lashed out, and I’m sorry.” Everything came out in a rush.