Shattered Hearts: A Journey Through Darkness and Redemption

[23] Love or Torment

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Ishitha's POV

The fear of getting caught was killing me all along, 

But now—

He was here, right in front of me,

My husband,

My predator.

For the first time, the fear that had been gnawing at me all along gave way to something even more devastating: 

Helplessness. 

All these days of desperation, of craving freedom, felt futile.

Today, I wasn't just afraid or desperate.

I was trapped.

Before I even knew what was happening, 

He closed the distance between us, his arms wrapping around me, pulling me against him. I could feel his hot breath against my skin, thick with something raw and primal—

His eyes bore into mine, piercing through every shield I had left. His gaze drifted down to my leg, lingering on the blood dripping from my cut, then to the scrapes across my palms.

There was a flicker of something—

Anger? 

Concern? 

I couldn't tell. But he quickly masked it, his jaw tightening, his grip on me growing even stronger.

"You dared to betray me, love?" His voice was low and thick, slurred like he was barely holding himself together. 

It was almost desperate, but the edge to it was not to be taken lightly.

He wasn't just drunk—he was totally drunk. 

And this wasn't helping at all. 

If anything, his intoxicated state made everything worse.

I tried to pull back, but his fingers dug into my arms, holding me in place, his eyes locked on mine.

My heart pounded, echoing in my ears.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find you?" His words were almost a whisper, but they carried a weight that made my stomach turn. His gaze never wavered, narrowing as he watched me.

"Please, le..et go," I managed to choke out, but my voice sounded so small and weak.

"Mmmm," he nodded, his lips twisting into a devilish smile—

A smile that could charm anyone, but there was no warmth in it. 

"I don't think so." I swallowed, my throat painfully dry.

He leaned in close, his breath hot and heavy against my lips, and in a tone so calm and chilling, he murmured, "You know how much I missed you?"

"You were gone exactly for 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 17 seconds."

The numbers rolled off his tongue like a twisted lullaby, each second echoing in my mind. 

I could feel his grip tightening, his fingers pressing bruises into my waist.

"I was scared... and imagined every possibility of what could've happened to you." He trailed his lips slowly along my cheek, leaving a wet, suffocating trail of kisses that made my stomach turn. 

"Every second, I pictured and wondered if you were safe or not." 

"If someone kidnapped you."

A chill ran down my spine as he pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his dark ones meeting my frightened ones with an intensity of madness.