Chapter 164 - Twenty Nine Years Ago 4
Claire's body went stiff. "So it was you," she whispered. "You scared them off."
Mathew swallowed hard. "They weren't right for you, Claire. But I am."
"No." Her voice broke. "This isn't love, Mathew. It's obsession."
Her words hit him like a slap. His mind spun, searching for a way to fix this.
She doesn't mean that. She's just confused. I need to make her stay. I need more time to show her.
"You're wrong," he said desperately. "I love you, Claire. More than anyone ever could."
Claire's eyes filled with tears. "Mathew, if you ever cared about me, at all, you'll let me go."
She turned, but Mathew's hand shot out, gripping her arm with bruising force once again.
"Claire, wait—"
"Let me go!" she shouted, panic rising like a tidal wave.
Mathew's grip tightened. "You don't understand—"
"If you don't leave me this moment, everyone is going to hear about this——"
Claire was saying but couldn't complete her sentence when the world went dark as pain exploded behind her eyes.
Mathew had knocked her out.
Claire's head throbbed as consciousness returned after what seemed to be like hours.
She blinked slowly, trying to adjust to the dim light around her. The rough feeling of rope biting into her wrists and ankles sent a jolt of terror through her.
Her hands were tied behind her back, her legs bound tightly together. Panic blossomed in her chest as her surroundings came into focus.
The walls were covered with photos of her and if she were to count them, she was sure it was over hundreds of them.
Pictures taken from every stage of her life, from her first year of high school up until now. Some were of her walking to school, others at the park, at family gatherings, even during moments when she had thought she was alone.
How long has this been happening? She wondered, her heart hammering. How did I not know? How could she not have noticed?
Her gaze darted around the room, looking for any sign of escape, but there was nothing.
The only sound was her own ragged breathing, muffled by the gag tied tightly around her mouth. She wanted to scream, but it came out as a strained whimper.
From the shadows, Mathew emerged and her heart skipped several beats.
The sight of him made her stomach twist. He moved slowly, his eyes fixed on her with a disturbing intensity.
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"Claire," he said softly, almost reverently, as he stepped closer. "You're awake. I'm so glad. How do you feel? I hope I didn't hit you too hard?"
Her body tensed as he knelt beside her, his fingers trailing over her shoulders. The touch was cold and invasive, sending shivers down her spine. Tears streamed down her face. She tried to plead through the gag, but the words were incoherent.
Mathew tilted his head, watching her as though she were a puzzle he couldn't quite solve. "Don't cry," he whispered. "This is for the best. You'll understand soon enough."
He straightened and gestured to the room. "This is where we'll live now. Just you and me. No one else will ever get close to you again. I'm tired of watching you laugh and smile for other people when it should be for me. You belong to me, Claire."
His words cut through her like a knife. How did I not see this coming? Why didn't she just stay behind? She thought. All those times I felt someone watching me...it was him.
Mathew's eyes darkened with a twisted sort of longing. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long. To hold you. To feel your skin against mine," he said, flickering his tongue against his lips as he reached out again, trying to touch Claire but she thrashed against the ropes, letting out a muffled scream.
He paused, his hand hovering in the air. "You're still so beautiful," he murmured. "I'll take the gag off if you promise to be a good girl. I know you have something to say to the love of your life."
Claire nodded frantically, pleading desperately with her eyes to let him free her.
The moment the gag was loosened and pulled away, she let out a piercing scream.
Mathew's expression hardened in an instant. His hand flew across her face, the slap sharp and stinging. "Don't," he warned darkly. "Don't make me hurt you, Claire. I don't like it when you cry. I breaks my heart."
Her cheek burned, but she didn't stop glaring at him. He crouched down again, his gaze shifting into something distant and faraway. "I hated seeing you cry when Abel left. I wanted to hold you then. Tell you it was okay, that I was the one who cared about you." His eyes refocused on her, filled with a dangerous tenderness. "But now, I'm here. And I love you," he said, holding her in his arms forcefully.
Claire's heart felt like it would break through her ribcage and she thrashed against him and after a while, he let her be abd raised his hands in surrender.
"You can scream all you want," Mathew added, his voice low and menacing. "No one will hear you. It's just us now," he said, his lips curling into a dangerous smirk.
This was his hide out. The place he had always come to whenever he needed to clear his head from Nicole's nagging.
He knew this place well. No one would come to them because it had been deserted for too long.
Desperation clawed at her. Her tears flowed freely as her mind raced. Where's my father? My siblings? Are they okay? Did anyone notice I'm gone? She thought of Margaret and Alex, of how they'd fought alongside her all her life. And her father—what if he came home and found her gone? Or worse...
Her breath hitched as despair closed in. She needed a way out. She couldn't let this be the end. She thought but then again, she knew there wasn't a way she could leave there, with Mathew watching and hovering over her like a hawk.