Prologue
Trigger Warning: This book contains dark elements and is not meant to be harmful in anyway. The chapter talks of potential child abuse and instances that might be uncomfortable for some. Please read with caution and prioritize your mental health first. This is just a work of fiction but your safety and well being are important. Love you guys and thank you for following me on this new journey into Dark Romance.
Triggers for this book:
Dubious Consent
Consensual Non-Consent
Sleep Play/Somnophilia
Mental/Physical Bullying
Stalking
7 Years Old
Lily
Heavy footsteps pounded outside of the door. The noise caused my body to tremble uncontrollably as my heart hammered in my chest, making me feel like it could burst out of me at any moment.
She was back early…she never comes back early unless she’s with him.
That’s when I heard the giggling.
“This is it here.” My mother’s voice was muffled through the door, making me scoot further into the closet until my back hit the wall.
I had almost forgotten that today was Tuesday. Tuesday was the day he always came. I didn’t like Tuesdays. It was the worst day out of all of them.
The sound of the keycard being swiped chirped outside of the door. The small closet space I was hiding in was the only sanctuary I had as I braced myself for the events that were about to unfold.
“Did you get everything I asked you to?” A deep voice rumbled. A voice that would forever be ingrained in my mind. It was a sound that caused my stomach to twist.
Mr. Marshall.
I didn’t always feel like this. In fact, that voice used to bring me happiness whenever I heard it. Mr. Marshall was the only one that brought me gifts. Every time he would visit mommy, he would want to see me too. The others never gave me a second glance. But Mr. Marshall, he noticed me.
“Of course sugar, don’t I always have what you need?” My mom purred just as the light flicked on. I could see the soft yellow pouring through the cracks, lighting up my dark little space as I tried not to make a sound.
I could hear their footsteps coming closer.
His presence looming just outside the door as I felt that fear start to wrap around my throat and tighten.
I didn’t like when he came here. I didn’t like how he made my mom scream or how angry he seemed to get when she didn’t.
But the part I didn’t like the most was when he found me afterwards.
It didn’t take long for them to start. I never knew exactly what they were doing and I was too scared to look. But it sounded like Mommy was in pain and he was the one causing her to feel that way.
I would slap my hands over my ears, curling into myself as much as I could as I tried to block out the noises.
After it was done, then came the silence…too much silence. And I knew what would come next.
The closet door was ripped open, causing me to let out a squeak as I continued to remain curled up in my ball. The only way I knew how to protect myself.
“It’s okay little princess. It’s all over now,” Mr. Marshall whispered, the feel of his hand brushing my curly hair back caused my skin to feel like hundreds of tiny little bugs were crawling all over me.
“Don’t you want to see what I brought you today?” He asked, the gentleness of his voice did nothing to lessen the fear as I shook my head no.
“Oh come on, I know you’re going to love it.”
I laid there for a few more seconds, just letting the silence surround me as I tried to build up my courage. I knew if I didn’t accept his gift, he would get mad…and I didn’t want him to get mad. Would he do to me what he just did to mommy?
My eyes began to flutter open. The dim light in the room was such a stark contrast from the dark I had been hiding in. I slowly glanced up, seeing that shadow of a man hovering above me as a sinister smile pulled across his thin face.
“W-what is it?” I whispered, looking towards the heart shaped box that the man was now holding out towards me.
“Chocolate,” He explained, the way my stomach growled just by hearing the word caused embarrassment to rush through me as Mr. Marshall let out a booming laugh.
“It’s all for you Princess,” He added, handing me the box as I swallowed hard.
“Th-thank you,” I breathed, unsure of what to do or say now as he continued to stare at me.
I felt like my tummy hurt. Like that one time I ate way too much ice cream and ended up throwing it all up hours later.
“There’s my sweet girl. My little princess.” Sliding his hand down my hair, he started to pet me like I was a dog or something, making me feel even more uncomfortable.
“Did I scare you?” He asked curiously, excitement seeming to fill his eyes as I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to answer.
“Once you and your mom come and live with me, it will get easier. You will even have a room of your very own. You want that, don’t you?”
My eyes widened, what he said made my stomach drop as I stared up at him in surprise.
Live with him…why would we live with him?
The man peered back at me, the way he watched my every move had me curling back into myself, wanting to get as far away from him as possible.
“Such a beautiful girl.” His fingertips dragged along my cheek, freezing me in place. “I’m going to take such good care of you.”
His touch began to wander, his hand sliding past my neck before moving my hair out of the way as he just stared down at me intently. His eyes were so dark they almost looked black in nature, making my heart pound against my chest.
“You want me to take care of you, don’t you?” He asked, and I didn’t know what to say. If I said yes, he would think I did, but if I say no, he might get mad at me and I don’t want him to get mad.
Before I could say anything, the sound of groaning filled the room, making the man stiffen.
“What are you doing over there?” Mom asked, her voice horse as I could hear the bed start to creak.
The man looked me in the eyes once more, his hand pulling away from me before he cleared his throat and gave me a wink.
“Just saying hi to my favorite girl,” Mr. Marshall added smoothly, turning to look at my mom.
Glancing towards the bed, I could see that she was kneeling, her body still naked as she looked towards Mr. Marshall with a pout. “I thought I was your favorite girl.” She sulked, making the man laugh deeply before walking towards her.
“You are my favorite." He declared, his hand coming around her throat as he gripped her tightly. “My favorite whore,”
I didn't know what that word meant at the time but it made me look towards my mom curiously as she just stared up at Mr. Marshall with the biggest smile.
I didn’t like the way she looked at him. It was different…it had so much warmth behind it and maybe a part of me was jealous. She never looked at me like that. She rarely looked at me at all.
After the man left, mom began getting her pills together. The ones she took before bed and not long after, she was asleep.
I couldn’t sleep, not after what Mr. Marshall said. Once before he had asked me if I wanted him to be my daddy. I didn’t really know what that meant. I never had a dad, but the idea of it made me happy.
My real dad, well, he didn’t want me. At least that’s what mom said. She always told me that I was the reason my dad left. So to think that someone might want to be my dad…it was exciting at first.
Now I’m not sure I want that anymore. At least not with Mr. Marshall. He scares me.
Over the next week, mom seemed somewhat happier. She took me shopping with her, and I got to watch her try on dozens of pretty dresses. And at the end of the day, she told me she had a surprise for me.
“What kind of surprise?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t anything bad.
“Your dad reached out. He wants to meet you.”
“M-my dad? But I thought…”
“You are going to have to play this right Lily. This might be the break we've been waiting for. I mean, to think he was a millionaire all of this time,” Mom scoffed, seeming to be talking more to herself now than me.
“Come here,” She snapped, making me step towards her nervously as she started to mess with my hair.
“God, you look so much like me,” She mumbled, not seeming happy about that fact as she pulled my hair back tightly, making me wince. “You would think you would’ve inherited his hair or eyes at the very least.”
“But even so…he can’t deny it once we get the test done. Turns out you might be pretty useful after all.” Her words felt like a punch to the gut. Knowing she didn’t really like me was something I had grown used to, but it still hurt when she said stuff like this out loud.
“Let’s see how much your daddy is willing to pay to keep his precious little family together.”
After that, I went to the doctors and had my blood drawn. The little pink band aid the nurse put on my arm was still there when we went on the plane. And the next thing I knew, I was standing in a room full of strangers as they all looked at me like I was from a different planet or something.
I could see why. I was nothing like them. The house they lived in was like a museum. Everything seemed so old and expensive. And here I was covered in dirt with a mess of curls piled on my head. I looked so out of place and felt it even more.
Not long after, my mom disappeared into a room. There was shouting and screaming and before long, she came right back out. The smile on her face made my brow furrow as she went to walk towards the front door. I went to step towards her but was stopped.
The warm hand on my shoulder caused my head to turn as I was now staring at the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
“Lily, my name is Claire,” She began as I felt my heart start to pound. Where was mom going? Why was she leaving without me? “Everything's going to be okay. I promise.”
That’s when a boy appeared beside me next.
“Mom, I can show her the house,” He offered happily, making me even more confused as the sound of footsteps began to approach.
Then I saw him, the man who my mother claimed to be my father.
“I just got off the phone with Frank. The physician will be here soon,” He stated coldly, his gaze not even looking my way once. Was he embarrassed of me?
The beautiful woman walked over to my father. Her hand reached for his before she gripped it tightly.
“It’s okay. We will get through this together as a family,” She whispered and my stomach dropped.
Family. This was my father's family.
“I’ve always wanted a sister,” The boy beside me declared, making my eyes widen as I began to fidget with the hem of my shirt anxiously.
He has? Is that what I am? His…sister?
“I’m Cody by the way.” His smile made something in my chest tighten as I tried to wrap my head around what just happened.
Did my mom really just leave me here? She didn’t even say goodbye…
“Come on Lily, let’s show you where your new room will be,” Claire piped in, her warm hand rubbing my back gently as she started to lead me towards the stairs with Cody following beside us happily.
I glanced back, looking towards the man who was supposedly my father as I finally met his gaze…but what I saw wasn’t that warmth and love I always dreamed of seeing…no, instead I was met with a cold glare that made a shiver tremble down my spine. He wasn’t happy that I was here…
Little did I know that look wouldn’t change. It would remain the same for the next twelve years. And I don’t think it ever will.
Author Note:
Thank you all so much for following me over here on inkitt! This story is going to be a little different from my others. It is a tad darker and has a lot more red flags that we usually would run away from in real life. I no way condone these things in real life, but in my fiction world, I seem to like red a lot more lately. Think Beckett Storm's bigger much naughtier older brother. There will be two books with this couple but six total with future side characters. The first half...our main lead is going to be a complete damsel in distress. (I know it might be frustrating) And the second book...well, let's just say our male lead is going to be doing a lot of groveling. I am so excited for you guys to read this book and thank you again for coming along for the ride!
