I don’t know how long we drive for, but we end up in the middle of nowhere. All I can see are trees and a little cabin that has no electricity or heat. By the looks of things, Liam has been living here for a while. Clothes are everywhere and takeout food bags are sitting on top of a dining table. He’s normally so neat and tidy, so it’s surprising to see him living like this. But then again, he is a wanted man. I guess having a shiny house from top to bottom is the last thing on his mind.

“You haven’t said a word since we left.”

My gaze moves from the room back to Liam. “What do you expect?” I snarl. “A celebration party?”

“I see some things never change. You were always a sassy girl.”

He says that last sentence with humour in his voice. If he’s trying to get me to smile then he’ll be waiting a very long time.

“Why am I here?” I finally ask. “I didn’t want to be with you then and I certainly don’t want to be with you now.”

“You were always meant to be with me.”

“Bullshit!” I scream, my temper rising. “You took me against my will and kept me prisoner. What sane person does that?”

He steps forward, so I step back. This somehow surprises him. “You wanted to be with me. We were in a relationship about to have a baby. I had plans for you and I. Plans that involved us being together, married with a family.”

The man’s completely deranged. How can he think I really wanted that? I never did.

“Liam, I had just turned seventeen. I didn’t want to have a baby so young.”

His eyes darken at that. “Did you get rid of it?”

At first my mind goes blank, but I quickly recover. “You think I killed our baby? No matter what I would never have done that. Despite not wanting a baby, I wouldn’t have had an abortion. But the thing is you never gave me a choice. I told you we needed condoms. I told you I wanted on the pill, but you ignored me. Now I know it was all purposeful. You wanted me pregnant. You wanted to have that extra hold on me.”

Liam steps forward, pointing at me. “You were always meant to be mine.”

Closing my eyes, I shake my head. “No, Liam. You took me, you held me against my will, and eventually made me believe that my own mother was dead. How could you?” The more I talk, the more I can feel my anger rising.

“You would never have stayed with me if I hadn’t said that. Believe me, I didn’t enjoy telling you that lie, but I would have done anything.”

Not being able to take it anymore, I rush towards him. With clenched fists, I start to pummel his chest over and over again. “I hate you! I fucking hate you!” All of the months and years of pent up anger and frustration caused by this man come pouring out of me like a raging faucet. I’m so angry that I don’t even recognise myself. Hot, angry tears cascade down my face as I hit Liam over and over again, letting out every feeling about him I have. “You made me think she was dead! You made me think she was dead!”

At first he takes it, but when my anger reaches up a notch, Liam intervenes, wrapping his arms around me. “Shh,” he utters, taking me into his arms. I’m exhausted from my outburst, totally drained not only physically, but mentally too. “I got you, Ray. I’m so sorry.”

I collapse in his arms, a sob escaping me on the way down. At first I let him comfort me. At first I revert back to a time when all I knew was him. But as he’s soothing me, running his hands over my hair and telling me how sorry he is, it all comes back. I start to struggle. I push and I push and at first Liam holds me tightly in his arms.

“Let me go, you monster!” I seethe, finally breaking free of him. We stand, six feet apart staring at each other. I wipe my hot angry tears away from my face and glare at him. “You don't get to soothe me. You don’t have me,” I growl back at him. “You’ve never had me.”

Liam initially looks hurt by my outburst, but soon recovers. “Maybe not now, but I will over time. We were good once. We can be good again. The only reason why I lost you was because of that fucking pervert head teacher of yours.”

I feel my fists clenching at my sides from the mention of Easton. “After what you did, you have the audacity to call Easton a pervert! Fuck you!”

Liam’s eyes widen. He’s not used to hearing me swear. I don’t like to unless I really feel the need—and this is definitely where it’s needed. I feel like a warrior ready to fight anyone or anything that stands in the way of my true love. I will not have him speak about Easton as if he were a monster. “You’re the monster!” I shout, getting it out. “Not him. You weren’t there all those times he held me like I wanted to be held, gave me space when I needed it, and comforted me when I was down. You’re the one who’s a pervert, abducting a fifteen-year-old child, and for what? To eventually get your rocks off! You robbed me of my innocence!”

“You wanted it!” he screams back. “You were the one who begged me!” He slams his chest with his hand making my heart rate pick up.

“Only because you moulded me! You manipulated me and brainwashed me into believing all the filthy lies that came out of your disgusting mouth!”

That’s when I feel it. My breath catches, my vision blurs. Panic sets in as I try to hold onto something. I can feel it coming, but I will it down. I refuse to let this man see what he has reduced me to. I refuse.

“Ray, are you—”

“Get away from me!” I scream, stepping back as far as I can from him. I’m so fucking angry with him.

How dare he?!

I haven’t had a panic attack in a long time and all it’s taken to get back to square one again is a few hours alone with this man.

At first he lets me be. I stand, clutching to one of the dining room chairs, trying to control my breathing. I’m almost there when he speaks again.

“I love you, Ray. I have always loved you.”

I close my eyes and shake my head. “This,” I say waving my hands around the tiny cabin, “isn’t love. It’s possession. You took the colourful light that love is and painted it black. Love is supposed to be shared, embraced, and above all else, not forced. You forced it from me, Liam. How can you say that what we have is love?”

“I don’t know what I would do if I lost you. I don’t think I could take it. There would be no point to any of us living.”

All the colour drains from my face. I know what he’s doing and despite his manipulation I somehow believe every word he says. He would kill me, then himself.

I close my eyes before I can think of an answer. How does one answer something like that? I had lived with this man for so long you would think that I knew him by now, but there is one thing I can certainly say for Liam. He always surprises me.

When I open my eyes back up, that’s when I know what to say. “Okay, Liam. Get it over and done with. Make it quick because I’m not a fan of pain.” It’s all a bluff and at first he takes the bait. His mouth hangs open not knowing what to do or say in response to that. I’ve given in and I think he can see it in my eyes.

At first he opens his mouth, but then quickly stops. I can see he’s trying to think of what to say. His mind is working overtime to come up with a response. I see the moment it hits him, and that’s when I see it. That evil smirk. The same evil smirk that makes my blood run cold.

“Okay, I will do as you say, but first I will need to get one thing out of the way.” As he starts to walk towards me my posture picks up, my back dead straight and my breath held. When he’s a couple of feet apart from me, he gently moves a strand of hair away from my face with a smile. “Someone took something very dear and precious from me and now he must pay.”

Easton.

He smiles lightly like he’s just won the lottery. He knows this will be my one and only weakness. I don’t much care what he does to me, but once he involves someone dear to me, that’s it. All bets are off.

At first, I watch as he turns and starts to wander off. Panic sets in the more I think of what he may be capable of. Could he kill Easton and then us? I can’t say for sure, but I’m certainly not willing to risk it.

“Okay,” I say lightly, my head ducked down in defeat.

“Okay, what?” I hear him ask.

I raise my head up to see him standing in the middle of the room awaiting my answer. “You win.”

He shakes his head in confusion. “I need you to elaborate, baby.”

I grit my teeth. Only one person can call me baby and now he’s just tainted that. I want to rip his head off, shout and scream to the rooftops that he can’t have me.

“I’m yours, but only on one condition.” He smirks again, making my skin crawl, but stays silent. “You will leave everyone in my life out of this effective immediately. My mum, Easton, my friends—everyone. Then and only then will I agree to stay with you.”

I feel hot tears brim my eyes and I close them trying to will the waterworks down. I know he’s won. Liam knows he’s won.

I’ve just handed myself a life sentence.

When I am finally able to look back up, Liam is staring at me. He’s smiling. I can see it in his eyes; this is the moment when he’s realising that he’s just won this fight. A heavy sigh leaves his lips, and then he stalks towards me, placing a hand against my cheek. I have this urge to pull away, but I make my feet and my body as still as a statue. He leans forward and kisses my lips. I smell mint on his breath before he pulls away, smiling at me still. And then he opens his mouth.

“Deal.”