40. Echoes of Betrayal
I crept back, searching for things to put in front of the door just in case he managed to break it down. I ran to Ace’s dresser and attempted to push it only to find that it was too heavy.
So, I did the only other thing I could think of: I crawled underneath Ace’s bed. I covered my ears and rolled into a ball on my side, my pulse pounding, my heart in my throat.
The banging continued for a while. And even after it ceased, Mr. Stoll sounded livid in the hall, screaming my name, swearing, snarling. It sounded like he was punching walls and throwing furniture.
I stayed hidden the entire time, not daring to move an inch, even when I heard his rampage move down the hall and back downstairs. Glass was shattered and wood splintered.
Dear god, he’s destroying the house.
I was desperate for Ace to come save me, but he had no idea where I was, and I had no way to call for help since he had yet to replace my phone after dropping it in the sink.
But he’ll definitely notice when I’m not there after dance practice!
In fact, he was probably already very aware that I was missing.
A surge of adrenaline filled me with hope until I realized he had no way of knowing where I was.
A door slammed somewhere in the house, then there was silence. It sounded like Mr. Stoll might have finally left. The dread in my stomach dissipated the slightest bit, allowing me to breathe again.
I still wouldn’t move from my spot. I had to be sure he wasn’t going to jump out of the shadows the moment I left Ace’s room. No, I would wait him out if I had to. I would wait until Ace found me.
Footsteps…
Right outside Ace’s door… My breathing stalled.
Whoever it was knew the code; they got it right on the first try and stepped into the room.
I shut my eyes and prayed. It had to be Ace. Who else had the code? Ace had told me I was the only person to know besides him.
The person rushed around the room, opening drawers and closet doors.
“A-Ace?” My voice was weak and hesitant.
The footsteps stopped.
“Lu… Dorothy?” a feminine voice asked.
And then the person I least expected to see crouched down and met my eyes from under the bed.
“Clara?”
“Oh my god! What are you doing under there?” Clara exclaimed, crouching down next to the bed.
“We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Ace has been losing his mind!”
I made no move to crawl out from my spot. My body was still shaking. “Is Ace’s dad still here? Did you see him downstairs?”
Clara frowned. “Ace’s dad? What are you talking about?”
“I came here to surprise Ace, and his dad basically attacked me. I had to hide in here to get away from him.”
“Is that where the mess downstairs came from? I thought a tornado had flown through the house.”
I shook my head. “No, it was Mr. Stoll. He was m-mad. Really mad.”
Clara swore under her breath. “So, you’ve been under here this entire time?”
I nodded.
“Crap,” Clara murmured. “Ace is going to flip his shit.” She let out a long sigh and then offered me her hand. “Come on. Mr. Stoll is gone, I promise. Ace is on his way.
He’ll be here soon.”
My heart jumped at the mention of my boyfriend coming to comfort me. All I wanted to do was jump
page move down into his arms and never leave.
“What are you doing here?” I asked once I had crawled out from under the bed.
As much as I tried to stop it, resentment for Clara was building in my chest. She was in my boyfriend’s house, in his room. She even had the code to his room, for god’s sake.
Clara seemed taken aback by my question. “Oh, um, I was with Ace when he realized you were missing. He asked me to come here and grab something for him.”
She was with Ace? I thought Ace had said he was going to Madoc’s house after he left me at dance practice.
I looked at her hands. She wasn’t holding anything. Ace’s dresser drawers were open and so was his
closet.
“What did he ask to grab?”
Clara hesitated, which only infuriated me more. Just as she opened her mouth to answer, a door slammed downstairs.
“Doe!” Ace’s desperate voice rang through the house.
The dread in my stomach immediately dissipated. I could finally breathe again.
I didn’t even get the chance to respond—to tell him where I was—before he came charging into the room.
I stumbled back. I wasn’t expecting the way he was looking at me. His eyes were spitting pure fire, and his jaw looked like it was about to shatter from clenching so hard.
There was a dark trace of violence beneath each low snarl that was released with every puff of his heaving chest.
In a flash, he had me pressed up against the wall, fury painted across his face.
Pain sliced through my shoulder. Ace’s hold on me wasn’t harsh, but my injury hurt like a motherfucker.
“What did I say about running away from me, Doe?” Ace shouted in my face. “Huh?
What did I say?”
My shock and fear quickly morphed into an all-consuming fury.
He’s mad because he ~thinks I ran away? This motherfucker.~ How dare he talk to me this way when he knows nothing about the situation? How dare he touch me this way when I need his comfort and understanding? How dare he touch me this way at all?
“I wasn’t running away, you asshole!” I screamed back as tears of rage gathered in my eyes. I shoved
against him despite knowing he wasn’t going to budge. “Let go of me!”
His grip on me tightened, and my shoulder screamed in agony.
“Doe—”
“No!” I cut him off, refusing to listen to him yell at me. “You’re hurting me! Let go! n offered me herLet me go!”
I could see the moment he realized something was wrong. He instantly released me, and I flew across the room, as far away from him as I could get.
I grasped my shoulder, feeling it throb. Fuck. Mr. Stoll has really done a number on me.
A look of genuine horror crossed Ace’s face as his eyes fell from my tear-stained face to the way I held myself in pain.
“Doe,” he said, his voice much softer than it had been only moments before, “I didn’t mean to…” Hen my boyfriend’s
took a step toward me.
I flinched.
“Did I—?”
“Don’t you dare come near me,” I seethed. I tried to wipe away my never-ending tears to no avail. “I skipped dance to come here and decorate your room for your birthday tomorrow.
“You’re always so good on my birthday and…and I just…” I paused, taking in a shaky breath. “Your father was here.”
Ace’s face darkened significantly. It was honestly horrifying. His body was tight, and his muscles flexed like a rubber band about to snap.
“He got m-mad. I don’t know why. I didn’t do anything. I…I think he might’ve been drunk.
“He kept calling me things that made no sense like ‘little girl’ and…and…”
I tried to recall the other thing he called me—the word that started with an O. It felt important, whatever it was, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to remember it.
I shook my head. “Well, I don’t remember exactly what else he called me, but he said some really creepy things and pushed me up against a wall and touched my neck and…”ing pure fire, and I looked down at where Mr. Stoll had grabbed my arm. His handprint was already visible—red and irritated.
Ace’s gaze followed mine, storm clouds darkening his brow.
“I ran up here because you told me that if I was ever in trouble, and you couldn’t be with me, this was the safest place to be. I would have called you, but you broke my phone yesterday so-so…”
He took several steps closer, but I pushed myself further into the wall behind me, shaking my head.
I had never been scared of Ace before, but this wasn’t just fear I was feeling. This was anger—for the way he handled the situation, for his lack of trust in me. For how confused I was all the time.
And knowing, even now, even after everything that had happened today, that I still wasn’t going to get any answers.
I told him I wouldn’t run away from him again, but he still came trampling in here with the intention of making me feel bad for something that I did not do. I had every right to be pissed at him.
“You’re hurt,” Ace said. “My father hurt you. And I wasn’t there to protect you.”
“Maybe we should take Doe to urgent care to get her shoulder checked out,” Madoc suggested from his spot in the doorway.
I hadn’t even noticed him. He must have come with Ace. At least I knew now that he hadn’t been lying about hanging out with him today.
“My shoulder is fine. I just want to go home,” I said, my voice breaking.
“I’ll take you—” Ace started.
“No,” I cut him off. “I want to go home alone. I don’t want to be around you right now.”
Ace made an anguished sound, causing my heart to crack in two. to the way I heldI looked around, searching for someone else who could give me a ride. I met the eyes of Clara who was
still standing silently in the corner, looking at me with so much sympathy and care. No judgment.
I hated that I couldn’t stop myself from resenting her. I was the stereotype: the controlling girlfriend, jealous of another woman who did nothing other than hang out with my boyfriend.
“Do you have your car here?” I asked Madoc. “And would you be willing to drive me to my house?”
Madoc hesitated, looking at Ace for permission. Ace clenched his jaw. Then, with enough stiffness to make anyone want to shrivel up like a raisin, he nodded.
“All right,” Madoc agreed, awkwardly shifting his feet. “Do you want to go now?”
I nodded.
“Hold on,” Ace intervened. “Doe, can we please just talk?” He took several steps forward. “I’m sorry.
So sorry. I didn’t know—”
“No, you didn’t know,” I interrupted. “You made assumptions and acted out of anger.
“And then you did the one thing I never thought you were capable of doing. You hurt me.” I held my shoulder tighter. “I need some space. I mean it this time. Leave me alone.”
Ace’s face was pure misery. He was shaking too. For a moment, I hated myself. I hated myself for doing this to him.
But then I remembered none of this was my fault.
Ace did this, not me.
With my head held high and my heart bleeding in my chest, I marched toward the door.
I looked back at him right before exiting. “Oh, and Ace?”
His tortured eyes were already on me.
“Fuck you.”
h the intention of
“Maybe we should take Doe to urgent care to get her shoulder checked out,” Madoc suggested from his spot in the doorway.
I hadn’t even noticed him. He must have come with Ace. At least I knew now that he hadn’t been lying about hanging out with him today.
“My shoulder is fine. I just want to go home,” I said, my voice breaking.
“I’ll take you—” Ace started.
“No,” I cut him off. “I want to go home alone. I don’t want to be around you right now.”
Ace made an anguished sound, causing my heart to crack in two.
I looked around, searching for someone else who could give me a ride. I met the eyes of Clara who was still standing silently in the corner, looking at me with so much sympathy and care. No judgment.
I hated that I couldn’t stop myself from resenting her. I was the stereotype: the controlling girlfriend, jealous of another woman who did nothing other than hang out with my boyfriend.
“Do you have your car here?” I asked Madoc. “And would you be willing to drive me to my house?”
Madoc hesitated, looking at Ace for permission. Ace clenched his jaw. Then, with enough stiffness to make anyone want to shrivel up like a raisin, he nodded.
“All right,” Madoc agreed, awkwardly shifting his feet. “Do you want to go now?”
I nodded.
“Hold on,” Ace intervened. “Doe, can we please just talk?” He took several steps forward. “I’m sorry.
So sorry. I didn’t know—”
“No, you didn’t know,” I interrupted. “You made assumptions and acted out of anger.
“And then you did the one thing I never thought you were capable of doing. You hurt me.” I held my shoulder tighter. “I need some space. I mean it this time. Leave me alone.”
Ace’s face was pure misery. He was shaking too. For a moment, I hated myself. I hated myself for doing this to him.
But then I remembered none of this was my fault.
Ace did this, not me.
With my head held high and my heart bleeding in my chest, I marched toward the door.
I looked back at him right before exiting. “Oh, and Ace?”
His tortured eyes were already on me.
“Fuck you.”
