Labyrinth: A Jeremiah Valeska Story *COMPLETED*

Chapter 47: The Hurt

Jeremiah watched the horrified expression on my face before he closed the door. "Now I hope that kills your curiosity, because I assure you that you will not like what happens if you attempt to escape." He said and I could see darkness playing behind his eyes. But what could he do to me? He said he would never hurt me, and he would never. Right? I wasn't sure where the boundaries were with this new version of Jeremiah and therefore his words chilled me to the bone. "Why do you want to trap me? Why can't you trust that I will stay?" I asked, knowing full well that if given the chance I would be as far away from him as possible. He flashed me a smug smile. "Because I know you Lilly... You run from fear rather than embracing it, learning from it. That's why I've ensured your security." He said, phrasing my kidnapping in a humorously creative way. He had carefully thought through every piece of his plan moving forward, having anticipated my reaction to his transformation. I'd think I would be used to his secrecy and lies by now but for some reason I always found myself dumbly bewildered that he had once again hidden something from me. Well it was my turn to hide something from him, and I would play his game of conversion. He wished for me to see things his way, to love him as I did. Unconditionally. I decided in that moment, staring at a stranger who embodied my husband, that I was going to outsmart him and escape. I was aware that this would be difficult but I was desperate for freedom, I had become so hungry for it all this time that by this point enslavement was not an option. I had been sleeping on the couch for as long as I had been there, not wanting to touch his bed quite yet. However, I knew I had to push myself if I were to ever get my freedom. I agreed with him that there was no point in me leaving before I went upstairs to get ready for bed. I threw on one of my favorite shirts of Jeremiah's on that I typically wore around our old house. I purposefully did not wear shorts because I had a plan. I sat on the couch, a blanket wrapped around my legs as I pretended to be invested in one of the books I had found in the room amongst the decor. It was of course a book on the theory of architecture and despite how much it bored me, I flipped through the pages until Jeremiah finally came up for bed. His back was faced to my own as he undressed down to his boxers. I took special note of where he placed the blazer that had the key to the front door in it. I had made sure I was sound asleep by the time he came up the previous nights I was here. It was a precautionary measure to prevent myself from feeling something I wasn't ready for while he got ready for bed. I suddenly appreciated my precaution as watching the muscular but now pale and nearly naked man in the same room as me served to confuse my feelings. Jeremiah must have felt my eyes on him or maybe I gasped or something but he turned his head just enough to catch me staring. He seemed surprised, most likely not having anticipated the attraction in my eyes. But attraction never disappears, it lingers under the surface of denial. I had convinced myself that I could not listen to the feminine instincts inside me that had a thing for his new striking look, because Jeremiah was a monster after all. We both were statues, staring at one another from across the room and daring the other to make the first move. I knew that my plan had to work so I took a deep breath, putting on an innocent face. "I get cold on the couch... Would you mind... If I sleep with you?" I asked, subtly batting my doe eyes. He was even further confused at my sudden willingness to be close to him, but he seemed to cling to any hope of salvaging our relationship. "Of course, come." He smiled, gesturing to the bed. I got up from the couch, dropping the blanket and revealing my very bare legs, his oversized tee hitting just below my buttocks. He froze when he saw me. Of course he had seen me in this state before, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. In a parallel universe perhaps. "Lilly..." he said both as a question and warning. I knew from experience that he was close to breaking when he did that. I couldn't deny that as I walked closer to him I felt my breath quicken and my lower belly tighten. "Jeremiah." I responded, now standing right in front of him. His heated gaze trailed from my body up to my face. Those eyes were just so damn intimidating. I was scared, but somehow I felt more electrified by the danger of being near him. One of his hands found my waist, pulling me closer to him. I let out a yelp as I was pressed into him, his face only inches from my own. "Do you want this?" He asked seriously and I didn't give myself time to actually think about his question. I stepped up on my tiptoes and crashed my lips to his. I closed my eyes, picturing my red headed and safety crazy yet sensitive Jeremiah. I could pretend that everything was okay, that he was still who I remembered him to be. His lips were very aggressive, biting and forcing his way to a French kiss. I would be lying if I said I didn't match his vigor, as it had been too long since I was properly kissed by my husband. But Jeremiah never kissed like this. This kiss was brushing, demanding even. Nonetheless, I still found myself wrapping my arms around him and completely wrecked in his kiss. I couldn't control the small noises that left my mouth and somehow we found ourselves on the bed. He moved to work on my neck, kissing and biting and I was in heaven. If I kept my eyes shut he could still be my Jeremiah, the love of my life. But the more I tried not to think about my changing husband, the more the topic seemed to push its way into the front of my mind. I willed myself to open my eyes and see who I was really kissing, having an internal war of mind and heart. Eventually my mind won and my eyes shot open, seeing the dark haired and pale skinned man above me. He was not my Jeremiah. I suddenly felt dirty, shame filling me that I had allowed this to happen. It was as if I had cheated on him with this new version of himself. Or perhaps it was that I had betrayed myself after working so hard to distance myself from the lover I was now afraid of. I gently placed my hands on his chest, pushing up softly. "Jeremiah... Jeremiah please stop." I whispered so softly at first but as I kept repeating it I grew louder, becoming more audible and more upset. Once he heard me, Jeremiah pulled up immediately, looking down at me with puzzled and desire filled eyes. I felt tears slip down my cheeks as I looked up at him in this position, remembering all of the amazing moments we had spent together in bed just like this. But again, it was a different time then. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" He asked, concerned as his eyes looked at me as if I would break if he came any closer. Again, a question he had asked me once before and I had to cover my face, allowing myself to sob in for a moment in the confines of my own hands.
He placed his hand on my shoulder, sitting up so he could properly assess the situation. After I gathered myself for a moment, knowing he needed an explanation to make sense of my sudden jumping on him then rejecting him. "I thought I was ready... But I'm not... I'm sorry.." I finished before I began crying again. A look of understanding washed over Jeremiah's face and he knelt on the side of the bed. He was silent before he finally spoke up. "What can I do to make it better?" He asked and I was such a mess all I wanted was him and yet anyone but him. I finally voiced the only thing that made sense, the only thing I had wanted since all of this happened. "Hold me? Like you used to..." I said and I could feel my heart breaking at my own words. Used to was becoming a common pretense. I could see the hurt in my heart reflected in his eyes and he nodded before getting into bed with me. Once he was next to me I buried my face in his chest, surprised to find that he still smelled the same which served to both upset and comfort me. He wrapped his strong arms around me as I cried in his chest, hating how impossible this situation seemed. I wanted nothing more than to go back in time but this was my new reality. And he was my new husband. All of this was apart of my life now as I entered this new chapter. I was faced with the choice of adapting or recreating myself to get away from this madness. All I knew as that I needed space to think, I needed to get away from Jeremiah. And that was only possible if I somehow escaped.

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A bit of a vulnerable moment between Jeremiah and Lilly... Stay tuned for part 2 of Lilly's escape plan! I have been writing these chapters super long so that you guys have more to read in between chapters! Hope you enjoy!❤️