During that month, I couldn't eat. Sometimes just thinking about what was in those videos made me so sick I wanted to throw up.
My hair was falling out in handfuls. In the kitchen, staring at the cleaver, I actually thought about ending it right there.
That month locked inside, Alex would come by occasionally. Every time, I hoped a bottle of sleeping pills would mean I'd never have to see him again.
Days bled into nights. I couldn't tell them apart anymore.
When he found me lying on the bed, barely conscious, Alex slapped me awake.
"You'd better stay alive. Anything happens to you, your dad's next."
My father was critically ill. The treatment costs were astronomical. I'd just graduated—not a penny to my name. Alex had paid for everything. The best doctors. The best care.
He flung the medical bills in my face.
"Without me, could your dad afford any of this?"
That slap woke me up in more ways than one.
I hadn't wronged anyone. Why was I the one suffering?
If Alex could have countless lovers, why couldn't I?
He demanded I be his. He never demanded I be his alone.
Once I understood that, I accepted his terms gladly.
That was when Alex Gilbert entered my life.