TWISTED OBSESSION

Chapter 11: The Unveiling

The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a soft, golden glow over the room. I watched her sleep, her chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm. Her bare back faced me, the sheet barely covering her. I had no intention of waking her yet; she looked peaceful. Vulnerable, even.

Last night had been... unexpected.

I hadn't planned for things to go that far. I never do. But with Lily, it was impossible to stick to any plan. She had this way of making me lose control, and for a man who thrives on control, that was dangerous.

She shifted slightly, her hair spilling across the pillow, and I felt that familiar heat building inside me again. I was tempted to reach out, to pull her closer, but for once, I restrained myself. It wasn't time. Not yet.

Instead, I lay back and closed my eyes, replaying everything in my mind. Her soft moans, the way she arched against me, the way she whispered my name in the dark like a secret only we shared. Last night, I had claimed her. Every inch of her belonged to me now, whether she realized it or not.

But there was more to it than that.

Lily wasn't like anyone else. She wasn't just some fleeting obsession. She was becoming something much deeper something that made me question myself. And that was dangerous.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, snapping me out of my thoughts. She stirred, blinking her eyes open. For a brief moment, she looked confused, as if she wasn't sure where she was. Then her eyes landed on me, and I saw the realization hit her like a wave.

"Good morning," I said, smirking as I watched her try to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Morning," she mumbled, her voice still thick with sleep. She sat up slightly, clutching the sheet to her chest, and I could see the mix of emotions playing across her face confusion, embarrassment, maybe even a little regret.
I wasn't having any of that.

Sliding closer, I reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You look beautiful in the morning, you know that?" I murmured, my voice low, teasing.

She bit her lip, clearly flustered, and it took everything in me not to laugh. She was so easy to mess with. So easy to pull in, even when she tried to resist.

"Ethan, about last night..." she started, her voice hesitant.

I leaned back against the headboard, crossing my arms over my chest as I watched her.

"What about it?"
Her eyes darted to mine, then away again. "I didn't expect I mean, we were arguing, and then".....

"And then you followed me to my car," I said, cutting her off. "And you kissed me."

Her eyes snapped back to mine, wide and embarrassed. "That's not"
I leaned in, lowering my voice to a whisper.

"Lily, you don't have to pretend. We both know what happened last night. And you loved every second of it."

Her breath hitched, and I could see the way her body reacted to my words. I was right. She did love it. She loved every second of it, and that made my blood hum with satisfaction.
She opened her mouth to say something, but I wasn't done with her yet. I reached out, cupping her chin in my hand, forcing her to look at me.

"You don't have to be afraid of what you feel, Lily. You don't have to fight it."

Her eyes searched mine, as if trying to figure out what I meant, but there was something deeper there. Something that told me she wasn't just afraid of what happened between us she was afraid of me.
And that's when I knew it was time to tell her. To give her a glimpse into the man behind the façade. The man I had buried long ago.

"Lily," I said, my voice quieter now, more serious. "There's something you need to know."

She frowned, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

I sighed, leaning back and running a hand through my hair. This wasn't going to be easy. It never was. But if I wanted her truly wanted her I had to let her in, even just a little. I had to make her understand why I was the way I was.

"When I was a kid," I began, my voice steady despite the weight of the memories that came flooding back, "I had a... difficult childhood."

Her expression softened, her eyes widening as she listened intently.

"I grew up in a house where emotions were seen as weakness. My father made sure I learned that lesson early on. He was a hard man, and he expected perfection. Anything less was unacceptable."

I could feel her eyes on me, but I didn't look at her. Not yet. I wasn't ready to see the pity, the sympathy. I didn't want that.

"He used to take me into the woods when I was young. Said it was to toughen me up. To make me a man. But it was more than that. It was his way of... controlling me. Breaking me down."

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to keep going. "There were times when I thought I wouldn't come back from those trips. Times when I wondered if he would ever bring me home again."

I glanced at her, and for the first time, I saw something other than fear or confusion in her eyes. It was empathy. Genuine empathy.
"I learned a lot out there," I continued. "About control. About power. About what it takes to survive when the world tries to break you."

Her hand reached out, tentative, resting lightly on my arm. The touch was soft, hesitant, but it anchored me, pulling me back from the edge of the darkness I had started to drift toward.

"I'm not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me," I said, my voice low and firm. "I'm telling you because I want you to understand that what you see now, who I am it's because of him. Because of what I had to do to survive."

She stayed silent, her fingers lightly tracing the outline of my arm. "Ethan," she whispered after a moment, her voice soft, tentative, "I didn't know..."

I shook my head, cutting her off. "There's more you don't know, Lily. Things I can't tell you yet. But what I can tell you is that I'm not the man you think I am. I'm not the man I want to be."

Her eyes searched mine, and for a second, I saw hesitation. Doubt. But then, she surprised me. She leaned forward, her lips brushing lightly against mine. It wasn't a passionate kiss like the ones from last night. It was soft, almost tender. A kiss that said, I see you. I understand.

"I'm not afraid of you, Ethan," she whispered, her forehead resting against mine. "I don't know everything, but I'm not afraid."

I couldn't help but smirk, though there was a part of me that wished she was afraid. She didn't know what she was getting into. She didn't know just how dark I could be.

But I wasn't going to push her away. Not now.
Instead, I leaned in, my lips brushing her ear as I whispered, "You should be."

She shivered at my words, but I could feel her body pressing closer to mine, her need for me undeniable.

We stayed like that for a long moment, wrapped in the aftermath of my confession, her touch soothing the jagged edges of my soul in a way no one ever had.

Lily had opened the door, and once it was open, there was no going back.

No turning away from the man I truly was.