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Home / Romance / Beneath His Rules / Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

All Chapters of Beneath His Rules: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

114 Chapters

61

Dominic's pov That afternoon, I was in the living room, messing with my phone, checking the camera feeds like I did every day now. I was still freaked out about the figure I saw outside the other night. I heard the front door open, and Ivy walked in, her head down, jacket slung over her shoulder. I looked up, and my stomach dropped. There was a red mark on her cheek, like someone hit her. I stood up fast, my phone falling on the couch. “Ivy,” I said, walking over. “What happened to your face?” She touched her cheek, looking away. “It’s nothing,” she said, her voice quiet. “Just leave it.” “No way,” I said, my voice loud. “That’s a slap mark. Who did that?” She didn’t answer, just walked past me to the kitchen. I followed her, my heart pounding. I was already mad, thinking about who could’ve done it. Then I saw her mom in the kitchen, pouring coffee, acting like nothing was wrong. It hit me like a punch, she did it. I clenched my fists, trying not to lose it right there. “Hey

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Ivy's pov The next day, I was about to get something from my car when I saw it, a folded piece of paper taped to the gate. My heart started pounding, I knew it wasn’t just trash. I grabbed it, my hands shaking, and opened it. The note said, “I see the way you moan for him.” I felt sick, like I was gonna throw up. It was about Dominic and me, no question. Someone was watching us, and it freaked me out badly. I looked around the yard, but it was empty, just bushes and the fence. Nobody was there, but I felt like someone was staring. I crumpled the note, my chest tight, and ran inside to the kitchen. I didn’t want anyone finding it, especially Dominic. He’d go nuts, probably add more cameras, or call his investigator. I was already scared, and I didn’t need him to make a big deal. I grabbed a lighter from the drawer, the one my mom used for candles, and stood over the sink. I lit the note, watching it burn until it was just ashes. My hands were shaking, but it felt good to see it

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Ivy's pov I was walking down the hall, heading to Dominic’s room. It was late, past nine at night, and I didn’t want to be alone. My room felt too dark, too quiet, after that creepy note I found yesterday. I kept my hand in my pocket, touching the knife I’d started carrying. It made me feel a little safer, but my heart was still racing. I turned the corner by the stairs, and there he was, Theo, leaning against the wall, a glass in his hand. He looked messy, his shirt untucked, his eyes glassy. He was drunk. I could tell by the way he swayed. He saw me and smiled. It was a mean, ugly smile. “Hey, cousin,” he said, his voice slurring, too loud in the quiet hall. I stopped, keeping my distance. “Move,” I said, my voice sharp. He pushed off the wall, taking a step closer. “You’re always in a hurry,” he said. “Always running to Dominic. What’s the big secret?” “It’s not a secret,” I said, glaring. “It’s none of your business. Get out of my way, Theo.” He laughed, a gross, wet soun

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Ivy's pov Dominic didn’t say a word. “Answer me. His car’s blocking mine.” Mom said. “I think he’s gone,” I said, sipping my coffee. “He’s not here.” “Gone where?” she said, frowning. “He didn’t say anything.” “I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “He’s just not here.” She rolled her eyes. “Probably at some girl’s house,” she said. “He’ll be back, owing me money.” I didn’t say anything, just drank my coffee. I didn’t think he was coming back, not after last night. Dominic walked in, wearing a suit, looking calm. “Morning,” he said to me, ignoring my mom. “Where’s Theo?” she asked him, her voice sharp. “He didn’t tell me he was leaving.” Dominic poured coffee, staring at the window. “He moved out,” he said, his voice flat. “What do you mean, moved out?” she said, putting her mug down. “He owes me money!” “He got a job on the south side,” Dominic said. “He needed to be closer. It was sudden.” I looked at him. “A job?” I said. “He didn’t have a job yesterday.” Dominic’s eyes

65

Ivy's pov For a few weeks, my mom was different. She wasn’t mad like when she used to yell and not talk to me. It was a quiet kind of different, like she was thinking about stuff far away when I talked to her. She stopped asking about school, stopped asking what I wanted for dinner. It was like I wasn’t even there sometimes. Yesterday, I walked into the kitchen, and she was standing at the counter, staring at her phone. “Hi, Mom,” I said, grabbing a glass from the cabinet. She looked at me, then back at her phone. “Hi, Ivy,” she said, her voice flat. “What are you doing?” I asked, filling my glass with water. “Working,” she said, not looking up. She wasn’t working. I saw the glow of her phone screen on her face. It was some website, not her work stuff. Dominic walked in, carrying his coffee mug. “Honey, did you see the email from the insurance company?” he said. She didn’t look at him, just closed her phone screen fast. “I saw it,” she said. “Well, are we calling them back ab

66

Ivy's pov It was morning, and I wasn’t hungry, but I figured I should eat something. The house was quiet, just the sound of cereal hitting the bowl. Then the door slammed open, footsteps coming fast. My mom stormed in, her face red, holding her phone up high. She was mad, madder than I’d seen her in a while, i knew why. She stopped by the counter and slammed her hand down, phone still in it. “Look at this,” she yelled, her voice too loud for morning. “Look at what you’ve done, Ivy!” I didn’t jump or spill the cereal. I put the milk carton down and looked at her. “What is it?” I said, keeping my voice flat. I didn’t want her to know I cared, because I didn’t. She shoved her phone in my face. The screen was bright, showing a picture of me and Dominic in his bedroom. It was clear that it was taken by someone watching us. “This is what it is,” she said. “You’re disgusting, sleeping with your stepfather in my house. How could you do this?” I took a breath and looked at the picture, t

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Dominic's pov I walked into the house. It was late, past nine, and I was worn out from work. My wife was in the living room, standing in the middle, shaking, holding her phone. Her face was red, eyes wild with anger and fear. Ivy was just behind me, coming in from being out. I put my bag on the table, sensing trouble. “Dom,” my wife said, her voice high, almost a squeak. “What’s wrong?” I said, stopping in my tracks. She rushed at me, shoving her phone in my face. “Look at this,” she yelled. “Look at what your stepdaughter’s doing! Look at what you’re doing!” I took the phone and looked at the screen. It was a picture of me and Ivy, in my bedroom, on my bed. The image was clear, taken by someone close, spying. My stomach tightened, not for me, but for Ivy. This was dangerous, a threat to her. I glanced at Ivy, who stood frozen, her face blank but eyes wide. “Where did you get this?” I said, keeping my voice low and steady. “She showed it to me,” my wife said, pointing at Ivy.

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Ivy's Pov I woke up feeling really wrong. I felt sick, but not like a cold. It was a deep, heavy kind of sick, like my stomach was all twisted up tight. I rolled over slowly in bed. My chest hurt; it was not a sharp pain but a deep, sore kind of hurt. I touched my boobs with my hand and they felt swollen, bigger than normal. I pulled the sheet up fast, grabbing it to cover them all the way. I stood up to go to the bathroom but I stood too fast. The room went blurry and everything turned gray for a second. The floor felt like it was tilting under my feet. I grabbed the wall fast, palm flat against the plaster, and closed my eyes tight until the blurry feeling stopped. I walked to the sink and splashed cold water on my face. I looked in the mirror. I was pale, tired, and I looked wrong, completely wrong. I thought about last time. I sat down on the closed toilet lid, needing to figure out dates. I tried doing the simple math in my head. It should have already come, it should have b

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Ivy's Pov I finally moved because I couldn’t stand there anymore. I felt too dizzy and sick all over, I just had to get it over with. I walked to the bathroom and took the stick out of the packaging. It felt cold and light in my hand, i followed the instructions and put the stick down on the counter quickly. Then I turned on the sink water as hard as I could. The noise was loud, and I wanted to hear it instead of the silence in the room. I looked at the bathroom window and watched the water run down the glass. I didn’t look at the stick. I just counted the seconds in my head, one thousand one, one thousand two. I counted all the way to one hundred eighty, which was three minutes. Those three minutes felt like the longest in my life. The water kept running, and I didn’t turn it off because the noise helped. Slowly, I turned around and looked at the counter. The stick was still there, looking the same, but the little window was not empty anymore. I walked closer, put my hand

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Dominic's Pov I had finished my work for the night after spending hours in the study. It was late, and now everything was clean. I went upstairs to my room and changed out of my work shirt into a dark shirt and some sweatpants. Then, I walked across the hall to Ivy’s door. I did not knock, i never knocked, just opening the door slowly. The room was almost black. The covers were pulled up, and she was facing the wall, as if hiding. "Ivy," I said softly, my voice low because I did not want to yell. She did not move her body, but I heard her voice, small and quiet. "I am awake." I stepped inside the room and closed the door firmly behind me. I walked over to her bed and sat on the edge, feeling the mattress sink under my weight. "You have been quiet all day," I said. "You didn’t come down to the kitchen. You skipped dinner. Are you okay? What is wrong?" She turned her head slowly and looked at me over her shoulder. Her face was pale, her eyes tired and dark. She looked small th

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