Sociopath's Obsession(31)

Mary was our housekeeper for a long time. A rumor said she had previously worked for a family as a nanny where a homicide happened and two boys were kidnapped, but I never questioned her about it. She never showed me anything but consideration. Although Mary was part of the family, we were never close. I generally preferred solitude in my life.

She gasped, noticing my cheek, and I flinched, hoping she wouldn't make any more noise. I had no desire to see my parents again.

“What happened to you, Sapphire?”

I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter, Mary. Don’t worry about it.” Her eyes noticed my clothes and suddenly something clicked in them.

“You know,” she whispered as shock filled me. She closed her eyes, and then she grabbed my hand hard. “Get out of the house and don’t come back. Never,” she said ruthlessly, and then took something from inside her bra. “That’s the card of a man who will help you. Use it only if your life is in danger. Promise me.” My mind was still trying to register what the hell was going on, but I nodded. She placed her hands on either side of my face, and deep love shined from her eyes.

“Be safe, honey.” And with that, she was gone.

Just what the hell was going on in this house?





My soaked coat left wet spots on the floor as I made my way toward Steve’s apartment. He lived in a good neighborhood, although nothing fancy like the penthouses in Manhattan.

I rang the bell and, a minute later, the door opened swiftly and Sophie greeted me, wearing black lingerie. Her eyes widened at the sight of me as she grabbed my coat and pulled me inside.

“Sapphire! What happened to you? You’re all cold.” She removed my jacket and cursed at the sight of only my white bra on my chest. I didn’t have any shirt that they hadn't bought. She kneeled down to untie the laces on my sneakers and called loudly, “Steve, wake the hell up and help me!” With a groan, he mumbled something back, but then he appeared in the doorway.

“Oh fuck, babe. Her face.” Sophie frowned, and then her fist clenched at the sight of my cheek.

“Who did this? I’ll kill him. Come on, Steve. She needs to get under a hot shower or she’ll get sick.” They dragged me toward the bathroom, and Sophie closed the door. She pulled off the rest of my clothes, turned on the hot water, and pushed me inside the stall. Her hands applied shampoo to my hair and washed it. Done with the task, she pinned my hair up, but still kept me under the water. My body hurt from it; hot water on cold skin made me want to crawl from there, but Sophie held me in place. After a few moments, the warmth started to seep in and the trembling stopped. Sophie’s thumbs gently touched my bruises.

“Who did this, Sapphire?”

I shook my head, but at the same time, fear creeped in. What if he hurt her too? As long as she was with me, no one would touch us. Was there any reason not to tell her? She shut off the water, brought me out, and dried me with the towel. After that, she made me wear her bathrobe and took me inside Steve’s guest room as he placed steaming tea on the nightstand. He exchanged glances with Sophie, and with a final look, he left the room, leaving us alone.

Sophie lay down next to me on the bed as her hands squeezed mine. “Tell me, Sapphire.”

Without having any other choice, she learned the truth.

And both our worlds were never the same afterward.





People passed me by without so much as a surprised glance at my face as my eyes searched for the one man who’d touched something within me. Sophie begged me to stay home and rest, but I couldn’t. I promised him I’d be here; he told me it wasn't over.

The man of my dreams. He wouldn't care about my cheek. He could protect me. He could save me. I couldn't have been wrong about him.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

He hadn't come.



Sapphire

Funny how a sociopathic killer could kill my enjoyment of the beautiful view of New York from Dominic's apartment. My head moved in the direction of the door as the sound of a key opening the lock snapped me out of my thoughts about my dreadful future. In a second, Dominic entered the apartment, exhaling an exhausted breath. His shirt was pushed open, his jacket hung on his arm, and dark circles under his eyes indicated his day was less than thrilling.

He hadn't called me the whole day, and as much as I tried not to overreact, it did make me worried.

I spent the day calling my jobs and giving notice, packing some of my stuff into boxes and keeping them in the storage room. I didn't trust Sophie to look after the apartment. Huge chance I wouldn't need all my stuff, since he could just kill me and be done with it, but I needed to hope I could make it back, just to keep my sanity intact.