Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
When they were alone, Marcus waited for Anneke to scream, to slap his face. He waited for her to do all the goddamn things she deserved to do to someone like him.
But she didn’t.
“Marcus.”
Dio.
Why, Jesus, why would she say his name like it was still something good?
Sweet, innocent Anneke—-
Why are you so damn easy to destroy?
Didn’t she know...didn’t she fucking understand that he could never be with her when she was this sweet?
In her eyes, he saw that she only had one question she wanted to ask.
Why? Why? Why?
And Marcus almost wanted to laugh.
His Anneke was so goddamn sweet that even now she was waiting for him to give her an explanation—-
An excuse—-
Anything that would allow her to close her eyes to the pain and continue clinging to a dream—-
As the seconds trickled past, he could see her pain spreading inside of her like a cancerous infection, and he could feel his face hardening in response, knowing that it was him—-
He was the fucking infection that could and would eventually taint her for good.
I’m sorry, Anneke, he thought dully, but you’re too damn easy to destroy.
Her eyes started to tear up, and her gaze told him that she was beginning to look at him like he was a stranger—-
Ah, Anneke.
He wanted to jerk her into his arms, wanted his fingers to bite into her skin, as he whispered the fucking truth into her ears.
No, Anneke.
This is the real me.
And it was almost as if she heard him when Anneke suddenly choked out, “I don’t understand.”
His lips twisted. “You were never meant to.” And God help her, but he hoped she never did.
Walking past her, he saw Anneke fall to her knees, but he didn’t let it stop him.
She might think he had destroyed her, but she was wrong. She didn’t know how it was to be destroyed the way he did, and that was how it should be.
I’m sorry, Anneke.
Her pain was his strength.
I’m so goddamn sorry.
Marcus could feel her staring at him, still goddamn waiting, and it threatened his control.
For one moment, he wanted to say to hell with everything—-
To hell with what was right—-
For one goddamn moment, he wanted to risk it all—-
He heard her say again, “I don’t understand.”
Ah, God.
His eyes closed.
That’s how it should be, sweet Anneke. Because if you did understand, then you might choose to stay with me...and I can never have that.
And so Marcus kept walking away.
Prologue II
How much time had passed?
Her mind, made hazy by pain, was unable to yield an answer, and Anneke’s limbs refused to stop shaking as she forced herself to move. Relief filled her as she stumbled out of the basement and saw no sign of Marcus. She knew she was being pathetic, but she was desperately grateful that Marcus knew enough to spare her from the sight of him. She didn’t think she could live another second if she saw him again.
Making it only as far as the first guestroom she reached, Anneke locked herself inside of it and fumbled for the cordless phone. Her fingers shook as she dialed her brother’s number, and oh, when she heard Jaak’s voice—-
“De Konigh here.”
Anneke’s entire body shuddered.
Oh God, she needed, how much she needed to be with her family now.
Her lips started to move, but no words came out.
The pain was just too much.
“Hallo?” Jaak’s had become impatient.
Panic strangled her at the thought of her brother hanging up and she managed to gasp out, “Please.”
On the other side of the world, Jaak whitened at the unmistakable sound of his sister’s voice.
Her fingers tightened around the phone. “Please come get me.”
Jaak didn’t even think of asking why. “Where?” He only knew that his sister needed him, and he would goddamn be there for her, no matter where she was.
The phone slipped out of her hold when the call ended, and Anneke slowly slid down to the carpeted floor. Curling herself into a ball, she closed her eyes, thinking she could never sleep again—-
But she did.
When she woke up, it was to hear someone knocking on the door, and she stirred. Darkness hummed outside the window, and her sense of disorientation grew. How long had she been asleep?
Another knock drew her attention to the door.
“Miss Anneke, I have your meal prepared.”
She forced herself up on wobbly legs and opened the door a fraction.
The maid smiled at her hesitantly.
Anneke’s gaze darted behind the other girl, but she could see no one else, and her heart shriveled.
You’re thinking too much of yourself, Anneke thought painfully. Did you expect he’d come back groveling? And even if he did, was she so weak that she would forgive him just like that?
Taking the tray, she thanked the maid, locked the door again, and forced herself to eat. After, she closed her eyes, hoping she could once again seek refuge in sleep, but this time fate wasn’t as kind.