Chapter 120: Never leave again

NANCY’S POV

Those dark predatory eyes, those insanely curved lips, and that tongue that never failed to stick out the side of his mouth.

I didn't realise how long it had been since I saw Mr Hudson until I did see him.

All the memories and feelings I thought I escaped when I left New Jersey came rushing back.

Instinctively, I backed up on the bed until my back hit the headboard.

Now, I wish I'd tried to at least force that door open.

Another part of me. wished I hadn't climbed onto the bed when I did.

"My pretty little thing..." he drawled out in that tone that always made a chill run down my spine.

"Oh, how I've missed seeing that pretty little face of yours," He said, stepping further into the room.

"Don't..." My voice raised subconsciously. "Don't come near me."

I hated the sick smell of his perfume. Coupled with the fact that I hadn't had a proper meal in days, bile rose in my throat.

Surprisingly, he stopped, standing just a few feet away from the edge of the bed.

"You look better than I expected. I was worried the sedative might be too much for you."

My fingers curled into the sheets beneath me, but he wasn't done speaking.

"Don't worry, it was just something mild to make you docile and compliant, not enough to harm you."

"Or just enough for you to kidnap me," I hissed.

"I didn't kidnap you," he answered simply, then grabbed his chin in contemplation. "That's too strong a word to use when you already belong to me.

His hand dropped, and his lips curved higher. "Think of it as a return."

"I'm not some good that needs to be returned, and I don't belong to you!" I snapped.

He laughed. "I didn't expect you to still remain so foolish. I imagined some time away had done you some good, but I guess not."

"I'm not foolish," I countered, anger flickering beneath the numbness.

He leaned forward, and I hastily leaned back, plastering my back against the headboard.

"Oh, but you are, darling."

"You were foolish to think you could run away from me and even more stupid to think that man could protect you."

My brows snagged up.

That man?

Did he mean Mr Landon?

Of course, he meant Mr Landon. Who else could he be talking about?

"He did try," He gesticulated. "I mean, he did his best to keep you away from me, but then...here you are, right back in my room where you belong."

"I don't belong here," I spat out.

It hit me in the same timeframe that I didn't belong anywhere either.

I thought I had found a home in Florida, but that had turned out to be a lie.

"What? Don't like how the truth sounds?" Mr Hudson's voice pierced into my thoughts tauntingly, bringing my attention back to the fact that I was all but trapped in a room with him and that I was vulnerable before him.

Not like I would ever let him touch me.

I would die before that happened.

"You know, I heard about your little...escapades in Florida, and you should know..."

His gaze darkened all of a sudden, and his eyes pierced into me in a way I didn't think they could.

"I don't like when others touch and play with my toys."

The chill of his voice made me stiffen for a second, but then anger warmed me up.

"I'm not your toy!"

"I don't belong to you, I'll never be yours, and I'll rather die than be tied to you in any way!"

A glint flashed across his eyes, but his expression didn't change.

"We'll see."

A chill ran through me.

"What does that mean?"

"It means," He said, adjusting his sleeves slightly, "you're going to stay here for a while, until you learn how to behave."

My stomach dropped even though I didn't understand the implication behind that statement. I just knew it couldn't be anything good.

"You will stay here until you understand that running isn't an option anymore, and when you do, you'll learn how to please me."

He smiled again, and a wave of nausea hit me. His words, coupled with his look, were just as irritating as ever.

"I'll see you soon, pretty one."

"Until then, think about what you should and shouldn't do."

He chuckled after that, then turned around and walked out.

The door opened, then closed behind him, and just like that, I was alone again.

I sat there for a few seconds, staring at the door, then slowly, my shoulders dropped.

My breathing was shaky as hell, and it took breathing in and out a couple of times before I could calm my racing heart.

I’d always imagined how it would feel seeing him again after I left New Jersey and how our first interaction would go.

It went a little better than I imagined since I’d assumed it would be a kind of situation where I’d have to fight and struggle to keep myself safe, and in fact, if he tried to touch me, I also knew I couldn’t let my guard down.

Like he said, he would be back, and when that happened…

My mind brought up all the worst possible things I could imagine.

“No, I can’t let that happen.” I shook my head vehemently and sat upright.

My mind began to race. “You can’t let that happen to you, Nancy.”

I would rather die before I let a lascivious man who only thinks with his duck take advantage of me.

“Thank God he didn’t try to touch me, but I can’t sit here until he does. I have to do something.”

“…Okay,” I whispered to myself. “Okay. Think.”

I turned, scanning the room again. My gaze swept to the windows, then the doors and the furniture in a bid to find something that could help me break out of here.

There had to be something.

Anything.

Because one thing was certain now…

I wasn’t just brought back, I was being kept. And if I didn’t figure something out soon, I would never leave this place again.