Chapter 14: Ruined Surprise!

••~~MADDISON~~••

I woke up wrecked.

I didn’t smell like me, I smelled like him. Everywhere.

God. My thighs were sore. My lips… all of them… felt swollen and well-used. My legs had the consistency of cooked noodles, and my arms refused to cooperate.

I laid there, wrecked. Happy-wrecked.

No one had ever made me feel like that. No one had ever seen me like that.

The mirror flashed behind my eyes. His voice was rough and wicked.

“Harder. Don’t fall.”

I shivered.

Of course I was sore. I begged for it. And now I felt ruined in the best fucking way.

Like he’d redrawn me from scratch, one stroke at a time.

I shifted, and a deep ache bloomed between my legs.

And yet, for the first time in forever… I felt good. Like, whole-body, heart-not-heavy, maybe-I’m-not-broken kind of good.

No ache in my chest. No pit in my stomach. No wondering if Mom was dead in a ditch somewhere.

She’d been gone the longest this time.

Sometimes, these thoughts creep in… the terrifying kind. That maybe she’s really….

No, Maddison.

“She’s fine,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. “Julia’s a cockroach in heels. She always survives.”

I threw off the duvet. My bare feet touched the cold floor. God, my legs were jelly. I was trying to hold myself up.

Clocked it.

A glass of water…. Blue pills.

And a note on the nightstand.

I picked it up. A list.

TAKE THE PILL.

SHOWER.

GO TO THE GARDEN.

With underwear.

– Corian

My lips curled. Bossy, arrogant, handwriting.

I bit my lip with a stupid little smile.

“So commanding.” I muttered.

Of course he was.

I grabbed the glass, the pills and as soon as the they went down my throat.

It dawned on me how fast my life had taken a spin.

A few days ago, I never thought about stuff like pills. Now it’s basically step one of my morning routine.

I stepped into the shower, warm water spilling over my skin, washing off what remained of that lecture, even though the memory was burned into my bones. I ran my hands over my body and flinched when I reached between my thighs. Still tender.

Still his.

I got dressed, definitely not stealing his shirt this time. I learned my lesson, one my body wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

But the truth? Obedience was never my thing. Never had been.

Blame it on growing up with an alcoholic mother. I had to break rules to survive.

I pulled on a thin ribbed white tank top, no bra, because ouch…. and a soft, pale pink underwear. I added a pair of matching shorts, the lightest I could find. Cotton. Breathable. Something that wouldn’t hurt too much.

I was on my way to the garden when my phone buzzed.

Sydney.

PICK UP THE DAMN CALL, MADDS! I HATE YOU!!!

I rolled my eyes, laughing softly. She was spiraling.

I opened the double doors that led to the garden and stepped out…..

And I FROZE.

A canvas. Big and blank, propped on an easel under a patch of soft sunlight filtering through the trees. It looked… inviting. Like it’d been waiting just for me.

Then I saw the supplies.

Brushes. Real ones. Not the cheap student packs I was used to. These were the kind I’d only ever stared at in online carts…. Velvetouch, maybe even a Kolinsky or two.

The paint? Golden Fluid Acrylics. Not all of them, but enough. The essentials. Crimson. Indigo. Antique gold. Obsidian black. The kind of colors that made your heart race just imagining what they’d look like on canvas.

The glass palette had fingerprints on it… like someone had tested it out, just to make sure it was perfect.

I stepped closer. My knees were weak. My chest, tightening.

It was everything I loved. Everything I couldn’t afford.

Tears burned at the back of my eyes.

It had been days since I held a brush and I had no idea how much I had missed it until it was staring at me.

After losing Dad at ten, Mom spiraled. The bottle became her world.

I can’t forget how many times she passed out with a bottle in her hand and I had to tuck her in.

Art…. was home.

And now… it was right here.

The only thing missing was Dad’s lucky paint brush which was still at Chad’s place.

Chad’s place?

It used to be our place.

“Ms. Summers?”

I turned, brushing that one stupid tear off my cheek before it got noticed.

Ausley stood at the edge of the garden.

“You okay?”

“Who… who picked out all these?” My throat was tight.

“Mr Van Halen. Something to keep you busy.”

My lips parted, utterly stunned.

“What…. how could he know?” All my favorite things.

Ausley shrugged. “I told you he’s not the devil.”

My fingers hovered over the brush, trembling. That shower didn’t do shit…. he was still all over me. Between my legs. On my skin. In my head. I could still feel his grip. Still hear that voice in my ear.

He was brutal.

That moment I thought he’d actually leave me aching like that.

I went into a full blown panic.

But he didn’t leave.

He stayed.

Would he ever leave me like that?

“What would you like for dinner, Ms. Summers?” Ausley’s voice brought me back to base.

“Dinner?” I blinked. “How long was I…?”

Ausley raised a brow. “You and Mr. Van Halen were out for quite a while.”

My cheeks went hot.

Of course he knew exactly what we’d been doing all those hours.

And I must’ve slept forever, because it was already dinner time.

I wanted to ask where Corian was. I wanted to see him. I wanted to wake up to him.

If I recall, he looks like a sexy bunny when he’s asleep.

Like when a Lion finally goes to sleep.

Shit. Maddison. Get a grip! Stop romanticizing this man.

You are not his girl.

You are just the girl who signed a contract. The girl he wants to teach lessons to.

Not the one he keeps.

I just wish we could spend sometime outside of his mirror room.

“Where is he?” I tried to sound casual.

“He asked not to be disturbed.”

Oh.

Just like that, a little crack opened in my chest.

“Ms. Summers. dinner?”

“Dinner?” I blinked at him, then laughed under my breath. “Ausley… are you kidding?” I swept my hand toward the canvas in front of me. “This is dinner.”

He looked confused, but I meant every word.

Some nights I went to bed starving, but art fed me. When the fridge held nothing but mold and cheap booze, it was paint I craved. Lines and color? That was home.

So yeah… this right here? Dinner.

He smiled. “Still, I’ll have something ordered. Music?”

“Yes, please.”

He spoke into the air. “Siri, music.”

A soft acoustic beat filled the garden. I couldn’t find the speakers. Another sign this house was wired with tech I’d never understand.

Ausley slipped away and I turned back to the canvas, that familiar thrill sparking in my chest.

I dipped my brush in crimson.

One stroke and I was gone.

Red melted into gold. Black crashed over blue.

My hurt. My joy. My mess. All of it spilling out like I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

And then… click.

The music cut.

I spun around. “Aus—”

My words froze in my mouth. My body followed.

A woman.

Tall. Slender. Black. Legs for days.

She wore a high-waisted black skirt that barely covered her ass and a white crop top that clung to her perfect curves. Her belly button peeked out, glinting with a tiny gold piercing.

Her eyes scanned me from head to toe.

“Who are you?” I asked, too stunned to fake polite.

She tilted her head, smirking like I was cute and clueless. “Who am I?” She laughed, full of attitude. “Better question…. who are you?”

And then….

“Shawny,” Corian’s voice dropped from above, rough and deep.

We both looked up.

He stood at the top of the stairs… black shirt hanging loose, grey joggers slung low.

Fresh out the shower. Hair messy.

God. He looked like a bottle of temptation.

I froze, biting my lip as I took him in.

“Darling,” she purred.

My stomach did a backflip.

“You’re late,” he said, walking down like this was all normal.

“Carjacking,” she said with a shrug. “Sorry, babe.”

Babe?

Darling?

What the fuck is going on?

They met halfway.

She ran her fingers through his beard like she had rights.

And he let her.

“Oh babe, you look like you missed me,” she whispered, leaning in close.

“Let’s get out of here. I know exactly what you need.”

Her hand slid down his chest.

I wanted to scream. Or throw something. Or disappear.

“Ausley,” Corian said calmly.

He appeared like magic.

“I’ll be out,” Corian said, eyes nowhere near me.

“Give Ms. Summers whatever she wants. No questions asked.”

He didn’t even look at me when he said my name.

“Yes, Mr Van Halen.”

I stood there. Frozen.

Did he seriously not see me?

She dragged him out like it was her job, hand on his back, body glued to his like she had the receipts to prove he was hers.

Hello? I’m literally standing right here…