Chapter 75

MILA

I spin aroundand Ward pushes me toward the couch.

"We need to talk, Mila," he says.

I quickly turn.

My hands are made into fists and I'm ready to fight.

"This is not how to handle things," I say.

"Yes, it is," he says.

Ward has a bottle in his left hand.

He starts to drink. He chugs.

He makes a sour face and shakes his head.

He looks at the baby blue bottle.

"Why do chicks love vanilla vodka? What the fuck? This tastes awful."

"Ward, you're screwing everything up."

"You did that," he says, pointing to me. "You did it. I'm in rehab, thinking about you… and you're fucking someone else? You have that hockey player in your bed, right? You're probably sucking his dick all hours of the night. How are your classes going, huh?"

Ward slams the bottle down on the coffee table and grabs a textbook.

He starts to tear out pages. He throws them up into the air.

"You're not going to make it to med school," he says. "You'll end up chasing that hockey player around. Fucking him for his money."

"You don't get to say stuff like that to me, Ward. Not anymore. You've been an asshole for a long time. Don't take your shit out on me."

He throws the ripped-up textbook into the air.

I make my move.

I jump at him and shove him out of the way.

I'm at the door a second later.

Ward manages to get a handful of my hair.

He pulls and the stinging pain fills my eyes with water.

I stumble back and fall to the floor.

He's still pulling my hair, trying to drag me.

I twist and grab at his wrist and claw as hard as I can.

Ward lets out a scream and lets me go.

"I'm fucking bleeding! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Before I can get back to my feet, Ward grabs the vodka bottle and goes to guard the door.

"You're not leaving this room, Mila."

"Okay. So what's the plan? I'm going to be held captive?"

"Yeah. I want answers."

"Fuck you."

"Okay," he says. "It's been a minute since I last had some pussy. Let's go for it."

He grabs the front of his jeans and laughs.

I grab another textbook off the table and fling it at him like a thick, heavy frisbee.

It tumbles to the floor long before even attempting to reach Ward.

He laughs again.

He drinks some more.

I can see the way his eyes change. How they turn so dark and so evil.

"You lied to me, Mila," he says.

"I helped you. I would have said anything to get you to rehab."

"Fuck. Even if I asked you to marry me?"

"Probably."

"So you'd be engaged to me, fucking someone else? You're okay with that? You like being a whore? I can treat you like a whore. Here, let's have some fun. Take your clothes off."

"Eat shit, Ward," I say.

He drinks more vodka and then slams the bottle against the door, breaking it.

The sound makes me jump.

Now Ward is holding the jagged neck of the vodka bottle.

"I said it's time for you to get naked," he says. "So we can have some fun. I've waited for you, Mila. I escaped rehab for this. Whatever happens, at least I can get laid, right?"

"You won't even be able to get hard," I say. "Remember, Ward? You drink too much and your dick is like a moldy cucumber."

He charges toward me. "Bitch!"

I turn and climb over my couch.

I have a super narrow window to get to the door.

As I run around the couch, Ward steps up onto the couch.

My legs move as fast as they ever have in my life.

I slam against the door. I turn the knob.

It's not locked.

I open the door and see freedom.

Ward's hand hits the door and he shuts it.

I open my mouth, ready to scream as loud as I can…

Ward shows me the broken glass, meant for my neck.