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T H I R T Y F I V E (⚠️)
(TW: This chapter contains violence that might trigger some readers.)
"So what do you think?" Ian asked. A weird smile slowly grew on his face making my stomach turn as images of him on top of me the day of the attack flooded my head.
Now that my daughter was no longer in danger, I finally took a good look at him.
Aside from the noticeable physical changes like his long unkept beard and slimmer figure, I couldn't help but notice how sick and mentally unstable he actually looked. It was as if the Ian I once knew no longer existed. Something about that sent cold shivers up and down my spine.
"Think about what?"
Ian opened his arms wide and walked around the mostly empty space of what could potentially be a living room. The area was all large windows and hardwood floors. "I know it's empty and needs a bit of work here and there and definitely a lot of color because it is a bit bland, but it's the house you always talked about."
Once upon a time, when I was still under Ian's love-sick spell, I imagined living in a big open space house with the traditional white fence and a vast field where our kids could run and play with our two dogs as much as their hearts desired.
I always saw myself sitting on a porch swing rubbing my pregnant stomach, watching Ian playing with our firstborn in the yard, their laughs bringing a big smile to my face.
Now the mere thought made me want to throw up. Those dreams were long gone and forgotten in a corner of my mind to never be seen again.
"I think you are getting the wrong idea here, Ian. I came for my daughter, not to rekindle what I thought you and I once had." I said, carefully watching my words, waiting for an explosive response from him, but instead, he shook his head and grabbed my forearm.
"Come."
Either he ignored what I said, or he was delusional. He continued showing me the rest of the house like he hadn't been rejected seconds before.
It seemed pretty bizarre how this man showed me each room enthusiastically as if nothing horrible had happened between us.
As if he didn't lie or use me for years, all while he already had all of the things he keeps going on about with another woman. As if he didn't try to kill me with his bare hands while I desperately begged him to stop almost a year ago.
Even after all this time, there were still moments when I abruptly woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, desperately gasping for air. No matter how much Evan tried to calm me down and reassure me that I was safe, I could still feel Ian's hands wrapped around my neck, tightening the more I tried to tell him to please let me go.
