Tie My Heartstring's ❦

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Katie

A day later like just as Hudson had promised we drove back to the city. I stared out the window at the city's landscape, my head spinning from how fast everything had moved.

I couldn't believe Hudson, was the one who suggested we would leave the cabin. I wasn't complaining.

It's all I had prayed for, never thinking it would happen for a long time. Considering the stakes he went to, to get me all to himself I just never expected this. I was feeling ten times better having seeing Alice. I was even more excited to be back in school and see her again and again. Then there was Joseph.

In my mind, I had two ideas. I know leaving him so soon, running back to my dad's wouldn't work. My dad would act like Hudson, maybe even worse. Then on top of that, Hudson would stalk me, maybe even hurt my dad. I also didn't want to involve police, or find out what could happen if I tried, and failed. It was too much, too scary. I needed a smarter escape plan. One that wouldn't hurt anybody. One that got me away, and out of the picture.

I turn to Hudson as soon as we arrive at the apartment building. "Are you happy?" He asks. A dimple appears on his cheek, and he stares at me as if he already knew my answer. Nodding toward his house, he murmurs, "Come, baby." I take a single step out the car door.

My feet seem to be glued to the ground and unable to move. When he catches sight of my inability to function, the dimple on his other cheek appears. "What's funny?" I mutter, my gaze pinned to the apartment building.

"Why are you so nervous to enter our home? Shouldn't it be me?" He asks.

"No," I mumble. I'm still very much stuck in what happened the last time he brought me here. And what's even more unsettling about this situation is that I am still pretending to be his. I think I hit my head too hard in the basement and lost my mind.

He stops before the penthouse's front door, turning to me fully, his eyes glimmering with something I can't put a finger on. "What?" I snap. A grin slides onto his face, He is honestly annoying. "You forgive me right?" he asks.

I force a smile that feels too tight. "Yes." He takes a step toward me, kisses my mouth, and jerks me into him, effectively arresting the oxygen in my lungs. "I forgive you, Hudson." He guides us inside. "Now let's go take a hot shower and have some dinner." I fake a smile.

Hudson's laughter resonates through the steamy bathroom, wrapping around me. His fingers dig into my scalp, massaging the shampoo through my hair with a skillful touch that feels almost sacred. After days in that old, cramped cabin shower, I have to admit this is nice. I let out a contented sigh, feeling the tension melt away with every stroke of his fingers. He leans closer, his breath warm against my ear. "I missed this," he murmurs, his voice a soothing rumble.

I close my eyes, savoring the moment, and a soft smile tugs at my lips. "I've missed this too," I lie, my voice barely more than a whisper. His hands slide from my scalp to my shoulders, his touch both tender and possessive. "Good," he says, his voice laden with an intensity that makes my heart flutter.

This was the perfect chance. I've got him, back wrapped around my little finger.  This was a dangerous game I was playing, but I was too blinded to care at the moment. The way he effortlessly made me feel seen, made it easy for me to forget the truth. But I couldn't. Did he think after everything, I would be fully be happy and normal, so quickly? I was nearly done playing the part of his girlfriend, and the end was in sight.

Each moment felt like a countdown, a ticking clock reminding me of my impending freedom. Just a little longer, I told myself. I needed the perfect opportunity to slip away, to reclaim my life. The more I played along, the more I could gather the details I needed to make my exit.