Chapter Six

Sadie

I'm on cloud nine as I drive home from work, my mind swirling with thoughts of Nathan— Daddy .

He's everything I never knew I needed, and I can't help the giddy smile that's been glued to my face ever since I gave myself over to him a few days ago. It's like I've been floating weightlessly through my days and nothing can bring me down. Not the mundane tasks at work, not the annoying honking of cars as I sit in traffic—nothing. Every thought of Nathan makes me feel like I've got the world in my hands, and I'm not letting go.

We've been practically inseparable for the days since he took my virginity and I've loved every second I've spent with him. I'm falling for him. I may have already fallen and yet, I feel no fear about any of it. Something in me just knows my heart is safe with that man. It makes it hard to keep myself in check. To remind myself it hasn't even hit two weeks since we met. To remind myself that normal people don't fall in love in a few days.

When I finally pull into the driveway of our townhouses, the evening sun is casting long shadows across the pavement, but it does nothing to dim my mood. I barely notice it because my heart is doing this stupid little dance in my chest, thinking about the way Nathan looks at me, touches me, talks to me. The way his deep brown eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles. God, that smile.

I get out of the car, humming some random tune, my keys jingling as I approach the front door. That's when I notice it's cracked open. My first thought is Nathan, and my heart skips a beat. Did he come over to surprise me? Usually, he works until five and then we choose either his place or mine to be in for the night. It's only three something so he's early today and I can't wait to see what he has waiting for me. I picture him inside, maybe cooking something in the kitchen or waiting for me on the couch with that smirk of his, the one that makes me weak in the knees.

"Nathan?" I call out as I step through the door.

The second I'm inside my heart, which was dancing just moments ago, stutters in my chest. The living room is a mess, things tossed around like a tornado swept through. My books are scattered across the floor, the couch cushions are thrown, and the lamp is knocked over. A chill creeps up my spine, the giddiness evaporating as a cold, hard dread takes its place.

This isn't Nathan.

Before I can even process what's happening, I hear heavy footsteps, and then he's there—my father. The air in the room seems to get sucked out, and I'm frozen in place as his eyes lock onto mine. The sight of him is like a punch to the gut, and all the air whooshes out of my lungs.

"There you are," he says, his voice low and menacing. "Thought you could run away from me, huh?"

The blood drains from my face as everything inside me turns to ice. My mouth opens, but no words come out. How did he find me? I was so careful. I did everything right—at least, I thought I did. Before I can move, he grabs my arm, his grip like iron. Pain shoots through my shoulder as he yanks me toward him. I try to pull back, but he's so much stronger than me, and fear paralyzes me. I've had nightmares about this moment, but this is so much worse.

This is real.

"You thought you could just leave?" he growls, his face twisted in anger. "Run off to this Nathan ?"

"I didn't–I don't…how did you get here?" The tears are already welling in my eyes, my vision blurring.

"Did you really think I wouldn't come for you?" he grinds out, his hot breath fanning over my face. "You left your email logged into the home computer. It was only a matter of time before I figured out where you ran to."

"Please, don't—"

He slaps me across the face, the impact sending me stumbling. Pain explodes in my cheek and I can taste blood in my mouth. The tears finally spill over, hot and fast.

"Shut up and pack your things," he snaps, his voice cold as ice. "We're leaving."

I'm trembling all over, my heart racing so fast it feels like it might burst. I want to scream, to fight back, but I know better. This is the man who controlled every part of my life for years, who made sure I knew exactly what would happen if I ever disobeyed. And here I am, facing the consequences of daring to escape.

"Please, I don't want to go," I whisper, my voice barely audible. But he hears me.

"I don't care what you want," he spits, shoving me toward my bedroom. "You're coming home, and you're going to forget about whatever foolishness you've been up to."

I stumble up the stairs and into my room, the place that was supposed to be my sanctuary, now feeling like death row. My vision swims with tears as I start throwing clothes into a suitcase, my hands shaking so badly I can barely hold onto anything. I can hear him breathing behind me, heavy and angry, and the sound of it makes me sick.

How did this happen? How did everything go so wrong so fast? Just this morning, I was safe and happy, wrapped in Nathan's arms. Now, it's all falling apart.

"You think you're an adult now, huh? Living on your own, doing whatever you please?" His voice drips with sarcasm. "You're just a child, Sadie. You don't know anything about the real world. You need me to keep you in line."

I choke back a sob as I shove more clothes into the bag. The idea of going back to that house, back to the suffocating control and constant fear, is unbearable. But what can I do? I'm alone. Nathan doesn't even know what's happening. My stomach twists at the thought of him, the one person who made me feel safe, being completely unaware of the nightmare I'm living right now. God, he'll probably think I just left him.

"Faster," he barks, and I flinch, hurrying to zip up the suitcase even though it's barely half full.

My mind races, searching for a way out, a way to delay this. But all I see are dead ends. He's not going to let me go. He's never going to let me go. He's kept my mother under him for twenty years, why did I think I'd be any different?

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" My head snaps up at the voice that makes my heart pick up again. My father's grip tightens on my arm, and I can see the fury flare in his eyes as he whirls around to face whoever dared to interrupt him.

And that's when I see Nathan, his face hard as stone, eyes blazing with a fire I've never seen before. He's here. He's here and he looks like an avenging angel.