Julia
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, a knot forming in my throat from frustration and anger, along with a hint of fear. Especially when I noticed the knife in Nick’s hand. “Why couldn’t you just let us live our lives in peace?”
“Oh, my darling…” Nick placed the knife on the table and kneeled in front of me, cupping my face. “Do you think I like being forced to do this? I hate seeing you like this. You have no idea how much it truly pains me. But after our little interlude at the prison, I realized I couldn’t put it off any longer. I had no choice. You pushed me to the edge, my love. When Imogene was born, I swore I’d do whatever it took to protect our little family. So that’s what I’m doing.” He narrowed his eyes on me, his stare turning malevolent, menacing. “Protecting our family. Taking back what’s mine.”
“We’re not yours, Nick!” I countered, my voice becoming increasingly aggravated and desperate. “We don’t belong to you. We’re divorced. I had your parental rights terminated.”
He abruptly stood, nostrils flaring, jaw twitching. I knew that would irritate him. After all, Nick was obsessed with being in control. The idea he had no power over us, at least in the legal sense, infuriated him to no end.
“And like I told you last week…,” he began through a clenched mouth, grabbing the knife, “I don’t care what the State of Georgia has to say. In my heart, you will always belong to me.” He trailed the blade along my neck, forcing my head up.
When Imogene whimpered, I flicked my eyes her way, trying to assure her it would be okay. But all I could think about was what Nick had done to Christine Griffin.
God, I hoped Imogene hadn’t learned about that.
“After all, you are my eternal beloved.” Nick slowly lowered his lips, my heart thrashing in my chest as I fought against my restraints. “My Hera. My wife.”
He covered my mouth with his, blade piercing my skin, but I refused to open for him, keeping my lips pressed tightly together.
Pulling back, he stared at me, eyes cold, the knife still digging into my neck.
Finally, he stood and increased the distance between us. I pushed out the breath I’d been holding.
“Perhaps we’re going about this wrong,” he said thoughtfully, pacing in front of me as if lecturing one of his college classes. “After all, it has been quite a few years since we’ve been a family. I can’t expect things to just go back to the way they were. We need time to get to know each other again. See who we’ve become over the past seven years.” He stopped pacing, spinning to face me. “Perhaps a nice Sunday dinner as a family could ease the…tension.”
“Sunday dinner?” I asked, feeling like I was in some sort of alternate universe.
Then again, as I prepared for my visit with Nick a few weeks ago, Dr. Fields had reminded me that my version of reality and Nick’s version were vastly different. That to be on an even playing field, it would be advantageous to subscribe to Nick’s version of reality. At least temporarily.
I didn’t take her advice then, and it had ended in disaster.
I couldn’t let that happen today.
Not when my daughter’s life hung in the balance.
“Yes,” Nick stated. “I believe it’s the perfect opportunity to give us a chance to reconnect.”
I paused for a moment, needing to play this right. If I was too eager, he’d become suspicious. And I couldn’t have that.
I snorted. “I’m not sure how you expect us to have Sunday dinner when we’re tied up. Not to mention you have our daughter gagged.”
Nick tapped the knife against his lips, brows furrowed in contemplation. “I suppose that might make things difficult.”
“But I’m happy to cook you dinner,” I offered, giving Imogene a nervous smile. “Cook all of us dinner. Like I used to.”
Nick studied me for a protracted moment, debating. All I could do was pray he’d agree. That he wouldn’t sense the plot currently forming in my mind. My only chance at getting Imogene out of here depended on my ability to convince Nick to undo our restraints. If he refused, I didn’t know what I’d do.
Didn’t know how we’d get out of this with our lives.
Swiftly, he kneeled in front of me again, brandishing the knife. I sucked in a breath, pulse skyrocketing. Then he brought it up to my wrists, slashing through the tape securing me to the chair.
“You’re right, my love. We can’t have Sunday dinner with you both tied up.”
After cutting the tape around my ankles, he made his way to Imogene, slicing through her restraints. Just as he was about to pull the gag from her mouth, he paused, pressing the blade against her throat.
“Nick, no!” I shrieked as more tears slid down Imogene’s cheeks, her entire body trembling.
He turned his threatening gaze to mine. “But if you so much as even think about trying to make a run for it, I will cut her throat and make you watch her draw her last breath. Got it?”