Ace of Spades; A Dark Romance (18+)

EIGHT

Wren

Ace wordlessly pulls out his phone and hits a few buttons. I listen as the rings are now audible. He places the phone on speaker, and after a few rings, I hear Derrick's voice.

"Who the fuck is it?" He asks, his voice hoarse and angry. I jerk but sit up and grab the phone from Ace's Hands. He doesn't stop me, but I see the hesitation in his eyes.

"Derrick?" I call, my voice shrill and my heart hammering.

There's a long pause. "Wren?" He asks in disbelief. "Oh my god, baby, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No." I smile softly, and tears brim my eyes. I swallow the lump in my throat. "No, I'm not hurt. What is going on? Why are they doing this?"

"Oh baby," He pauses, and I hear a small voice in the background, almost sounding like a woman's. My heart stops, but he talks before I can question it. "I am so sorry. I got tied up with some bad men...Jason... introduced me to some things that I just couldn't keep a handle on, and shit just...shit just got bad. I am so sorry, baby."

I think back to his friend Jason, whom I always felt terrible about. They would disappear some nights and not return until early morning, and Derrick never gave me any details of the night. I noticed at the bar they would leave the bar top or pool table for a long time and come back, having a complete blast with more energy than before, but it would be gone soon, and they'd be angry, and Derrick and I would fight.

How could I have been so blind?

"I don't...I don't understand, Derrick." I say, my voice barely leaving my throat. "Why do you owe these guys a lot of money? Why am I here instead of you?" I begin to feel the anger boiling in my chest, and my heart rate quickens, threatening to beat through my ribcage. I just want to hear him admit it. I want him to admit the words to me and himself. He's a fucking druggy, and that's why I'm here. He spent all of his money on drugs and asked for more so he could keep us afloat without disappointing his parents, who view him as a saint.

And now, I'm being held for ransom; the lives that we built utterly shattered just as quickly as he asked me to marry him, promising me a wonderful life.

"Who is that?" I hear a woman ask in the background, and Derrick shushes her. I look up at Ace with a dumbfounded expression, my mouth open and eyes wide as if someone had slapped me across the face.

"Baby—" I quickly hit the end call button on the screen and pass the phone back to Ace, my heart in my throat and my hand trembling. He grabs it slowly, pocketing it.

"I'm sorry," He says in a soft voice. I don't respond. I just lay back in bed and turn toward the wall, balling myself up so tight I hopefully disappear.

I'm laying in a bed, kidnapped, while my fiancé fucks random women and gets loaded off of drugs.

I'm starting not to care so much whether he pays up because every ounce of hope in my chest has shattered. 

"Wren—"

"Don't," I snap.

Ace sighs and stands, leaving my room and me to my misery.

Two months ago,

I lay in the bath, exhausted, my feet aching and my head pounding. I sipped my wine mindlessly, scrolling through my Kindle for my next read. CEO hardass, who has a soft spot for his new employee? Sure, why not? I clicked the book just as Derrick opened the door, his smile wide. His eyes raked down my body in the bath, and a sick grin pulled at his lips, and I could tell instantly he was drunk. He just got home, and I was hoping he would stay at Jason's so I could have a moment of peace.

"Hey," He said, his words slurred. "How was work?"

"Long," I answered shortly, making a point not to move my attention from my Kindle.

"I'll let you enjoy your bath." He finally said and gave me a wink, closing the door behind him. I sighed and closed my eyes, resting my head against the tub.

I sat in the bath for an hour until the water grew cold and my skin pruned, dreading the moment I had to get out. I already knew how tonight was going to go.

I wrapped my towel around me, clutched my wine glass, and entered the bedroom. Derrick laid on the bed with his dick in hand, pumping it without a care. I scowled and turned, ignoring him as I grab a change of pajamas from my drawer.

"Come here, baby. I want you," He said, trying to make his voice deep and husky but failing miserably. I paused at my drawer and sighed, not wanting to turn.

"I don't want to have sex tonight, Derrick," I said with as much strength as I could muster. "Another night when I don't have to clean up vomit from the bar floor and break up a fight."

"Babe." He shot up in bed, and I heard the sheets shift as he faced me. I could hear him chuckling in disbelief behind me. "It's been two days. It's the least you can do for me after all the shit I provide!"

Two whole days, I thought with a scoff.

"Derrick. I'm tired. Just jerk off and go to bed. Tomorrow, okay?"

"That's what you said last night!" His voice raised an octave, and I flinched. He doesn't care, though.

"I'm going to bed, alright?" I pull on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt and climb into our bed, pulling the covers over me and facing the window.

"You're a bitch sometimes, you know that?" I ignore him and bite back tears that threaten to spill. "I'm going to go back to Jason's. Have fun with that fucking vibrator."

He gets up from the bed and gets dressed, all the while cussing at me and slamming his drawers shut. I flinch at each sound but don't dare say a word. If I do, it'll only get worse.

I cried myself to sleep that night, wondering why I was staying with a man who cusses me out when I say I'm too tired to have sex. I wondered why I couldn't have a man who would apologize for asking, give me a foot rub, and we could wind down and watch a movie.

I wished my mom were still alive so I could call her and vent about how Derrick can be sometimes and how he has changed so much. She would listen and say my dad was no different, and we knew how to pick our men. We would laugh, but I know she would tell me I'm better than this, that I could live with her while I get back on my feet and start a new life.

But no. I was stuck.

And suffering.