Petals Fall Once, Never Twice | ONC24

10. 1/5.

Tara stood over Ethan's unconscious form, her breath shallow and uneven. Silently, she grabbed his legs and dragged him to the corridor where she dumped his heavy body before proceeding to explore the house.

As she stepped into the only sparsely furnished room, she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. Swallowing down the bile rising in her throat, she remained frozen by the entrance. It contained only one large bed pushed against the wall in the middle. A rope hung off one of its corners, and the sheets looked eerily familiar.

Balling her shaking fists and clenching her jaw, Tara forced herself to return to Ethan. The mattress whined when she hauled him onto the bed. Swiftly, she undressed him, retrieved the ropes she had brought along, and tied each limb securely to a corner. She wanted him to drown in the humiliation of being exposed this way.

Then, she sat on a chair beside him and waited for him to wake up, her gaze unwavering and filled with a simmering intensity.

A forever passed before Ethan opened his eyes. Disoriented, he blinked fast, trying to clear his hazy brain. The ties tightened around his joints when he moved, fully restricting him.

"Took you long enough, sleeping beauty."

At the sound of her voice, Ethan whipped her way. Slowly, the previous events dawned on him and his face contorted into an ugly sneer. "I'll fucking kill you," he croaked.

Tara's giggles echoed through the room, a chilling contrast to the tense atmosphere. She leaned forward, amusement dancing in her eyes as Ethan struggled against the ropes, his attempts to attack her growing more desperate with each futile tug.

His screams filled the air, a cacophony of anger and frustration as he demanded to be released. But she only laughed harder.

Eventually, exhausted and defeated, he slumped against the bed, his cheeks flushed and his skin glistening with sweat. With a defiant glare, he could only watch helplessly as Tara remained unmoved.

"Are you done?"

Ethan lifted his head and spat at her, but it only resulted in a pathetic splatter near his head, eliciting a grin from Tara.

"Aw, I'll take that as a yes," she taunted, her gaze shifting to his lower half. "Now, my cute little fiancé, tell me everything you know about your friends."

He didn't react to her jab, for his initial bravado had faltered, replaced by desperate pleas as crocodile tears welled up in his eyes. He began to beg, his voice cracking, lips quivering, and snot dripping.

Tara clicked her tongue, her head shaking in disapproval. Then, their eyes locked. Something in hers made him freeze. "I won't harm you. I'll let you go too. If you want to stay alive, all you have to do is do as I say."

Ethan's throat tightened as the memory flooded back. He remembered those words all too well, the same ones he had uttered to her in a moment of cruel dominance. Now, faced with the reversal of power, he felt a cold chill run down his spine. He nodded slowly.

"Good," she said. "I need names and addresses."

With her phone placed between them, Tara sat back, crossing her legs as she waited for Ethan to spill the beans. And spill them he did, divulging every detail she demanded from him without hesitation.

When he finished, she stopped recording and shot him a wicked smile. "Let's go over that one more time."

Ethan's eyes widened, not anticipating this turn of events. Unluckily for him, Tara's obsession with crime movies and psychological thrillers gave her a strategic edge. He stammered, trying to get away from this situation.