CHAPTER 8: The walls have ears

CHAPTER 8: The walls have ears

The grip was iron, dragging me into a side room, and slamming the door shut behind us. The scent hit me first. The same citrus and cedar I used to recognise in a heartbeat—Vance’s cologne.

I jabbed my elbow in his gut and he immediately loosened his grip on me. The sound of his groaning confirmed my suspicion. Vance. 

I quickly flipped a switch on the wall, and light flooded the room.

He straightened up and tried to reach for me again and grabbed me by the arm. 

“Let go of me,” I hissed, shoving at his chest.

He didn’t. “What are you doing here, Madelyn?”

I looked at him calmly and coldly. “You're not in a position to ask me anything,”I replied. “I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be beside your wife's casket at her funeral? What are you doing here?”

His jaw clenched. “You think this is a game? Or maybe you're back to get back at me? Is that it?”

I blinked, but did not reply. 

“What are you doing parading around with Zachary Blackwood like you're his—”

“Like I'm what?” I cut in, voice sharp. “A trophy? A bet? Another notch on his belt? A little conquest?”

There was a brief flash of an unreadable emotion in his eyes. But it was gone as soon as it came.

“Isn't that how you used to see me?”

“Listen, Maddie—”

“Don't you dare call me that. You don't have that right anymore. It's Mrs Blackwood to you now. I belong with Zachary now. His. Because that is what I am, Vance. His wife,” I said. “Now let me go,” I added, shoving at his chest again.

He still didn't budge. “You know you're not a saint either, Maddie.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You weren't exactly and entirely honest with me. You never told me that Zachary Blackwood was your guardian,” he accused.

I was not in communication with Zachary at that time, and I resented him—still do. I wanted to forget everything about him.

“Whatever my reasons were for not telling you about him, had nothing to do with you. I never planned to deceive you nor lie to you. But you? You deliberately deceived me and made a fool out of me just to achieve your disgusting goals. Now let me out of here,” I added, pushing at his chest.

He chuckled darkly. “Don't act so saintly, and all high and mighty. Tell me, who's the hypocrite between us now?” He sneered.

“What on earth are you going on about, Vance? Let me go!”

“Who's the one marrying and fucking their old guardian now? Who's the sugar baby? Looks like mom was always right about you. You really are a gold digging little minx—”

My palm made contact with his cheeks before he could finish his sentence, snapping his head to the side. I got a sense of deja vu. Anger burned like a flame inside me.

“How dare you?!”

He grabbed my arms, his eyes blazing. I struggled to free myself, but I was no match for him. 

Then I perceived it. Alcohol. He had been drinking at his wife's funeral.

Panic surged through me. I had brief flashes of that night, but I managed to shut them out. It didn't help that the look in Vance's eyes made fear curl in the pit of my stomach, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he affected me. 

“No. How dare you, Maddie? How dare you show up here and act all high and mighty? Parading your marriage with that husband of yours. Who do you think you are to try and mess with my head this way?” He gritted into my face.

“I don't know what you’re talking about, so let me go!”

A strange light suddenly crept into his eyes and his glare turned into a creepy grin. “Actually, we were married, right? Since we never got to consummate the union, I could think of a few things you could do to convince me to let you go,” he drawled in a voice that made my skin crawl.

“Well, you can do that all by yourself,” I smirked. “But I doubt you can do that now with this,” I replied with a faint smirk.

His brow furrowed. “What are you—”

I jabbed my knee into his groin, and he groaned in pain, doubling over to grab his balls in pain. I stumbled back a bit, standing a few feet away from him for safety, while he groaned on the floor.

“Seems, like we keep getting a repetition of events today,” I smirked. “Now if you don't want to lose your dick, stay the fuck away from me. Don't you ever lay your filthy hands on me again!”

“You don't belong with him.”

I stepped closer, chin lifted. “You don't get to tell me where I belong.”

He laughed. “You think he cares about you? He's Zachary Blackwood. He's way out of your league, Maddie.”

I blinked. His words struck a nerve. I knew that I was no match for Zachary, and that he did not care about me. It was all duty and responsibility for him.

“You’re just a tool to him. You're nothing in his world. But I guess you should know that by now.”

I smiled. “Funny. Your mother used to say the same thing to me in favor of Nicole. Loom where she ended up.”

That hit him like a slap, wiping the smirk off his face. His expression twisted, and there was something there that I could not place.

I stepped closer, and leaned in, lowering my voice. “You should be more careful, Vance. The walls in your house have ears and mouths. And some of them have teeth too. Nothing is really a secret.”

He didn’t respond.

But as soon as I turned and headed for the door, he got up from the floor—hot on my trail. He called me to stop, but I ignored him and continued heading for the door.

I pulled the door open and halted in surprise. I came face to face with Patricia who had a triumphant smirk on her face, and Julia's judging eyes. But I didn’t really care about them because my gaze was on Zachary's blank face. 

Anyone would have missed it, but I knew him well enough to see the subtle signs of anger. Vance chose that moment to appear behind me holding his groin.

“What is going on here? Patricia gasped.