To Love A Monster のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

Nicholas"When the dance was over, Sly led her up to the stage along with the family to announce her engagement to his son. I think she almost passed out up there.""I need to get her." The leg of my chair screeches as I push it back and stand."Wait, Nicholas. There's more," Nigella says.I shake my head. "You can tell me later. I need to go get her. Where is she?" She hesitates. I slam my fist down on the table. "Where the fuck is she?""I don't know, Nicholas. We think they took her somewhere in Boston. Hamish is on his way⁠—""Get him on the phone.""You need to see this first, Nicholas.""Nothing else matters." I say through clenched teeth."I think it does. I think it's important. The box. Where did you get it?""Why?""Just where did you get it?""At her house. I remember her father had hidden something years ago. The house, is it gone?" I ask because I haven't had access to the news.She nods. "Burnt completely down. Arson. The video footage of you, it's there, but there's mor

Valentina"What?""You heard me. I need you to get up, get showered. Wash the stink of him off you because I can't fucking stand it for another minute." He stalks toward me, seeming to grow angry at the thought. "Do you know I took care of you these last few days and all I could see was him fucking you. It's all I could smell, the sex. How could you?" he asks, his lip curled, and I wonder for the first time if all these years he's hated Nicholas more than he's ever cared about me."I told you, Cielo. I'm not in love with you. We broke up⁠—"He snorts, walks away."I'm not marrying you. I don't care what you say."A commotion in the outer room draws both our attention. The door swings open, no knock, and in walks Sly Ricci. His teeth gleam, appearing sharp as he smiles wide, dressed impeccably in a bespoke suit, hair slicked back, diamond cufflinks glinting at his wrists. He looks refreshed but I see through him, finally. I see how different the turquoise of his eyes is from that of Ni

Valentina"Are you lying about my dad, Cielo?" I ask him as the elevator doors slide open. The man still has hold of me."Why would I lie about this?" His gaze moves over my face, my hair. "I fucking hate your hair like this. You know that, right?""My hair? You're worried about my hair?""I don't know why you taunt me."We walk out onto the loading dock of the hotel as a limousine pulls up. Cielo strolls confidently ahead of us as someone in the passenger seat climbs out and opens the back door."In," Cielo says to me.I peer inside, seeing a pair of legs in dark slacks. I look up at Cielo, very aware of the firm grip on my arms, the wall of the man at my back."Who's in there?"He doesn't answer, instead, he gestures to the man who gives me a little nudge. I climb into the car before he can push me in because he will. There, in the seat facing mine, sits a man. He looks to be in his late forties. He watches me, his face impassive, unreadable, but also strangely familiar."Cielo?" I

NicholasThe darkness here is complete. There’s no light pollution this far from Sinistral, an hour away from any town in any direction. That darkness is only broken by headlights in the very far distance. Snow is coming down hard. You’d have to be a fool to drive the winding, narrow road along the cliffs tonight.My gaze shifts from the thick, densely packed white flakes falling beyond the single-paned window to my own face reflected in the glass. I look like hell. I haven’t slept apart from an hour snatched here or there when I can’t keep my eyes open. My usual five o’clock shadow has grown into a beard, and circles ring the skin around my eyes.I turn to look into the room. The fire in the wood stove is burning down. I go to it, open the glass door and set another log on. I remain crouched and watch it as it takes, a flame shooting high, wood crackling as fire engulfs it. I close the door and stand, thinking about her house.Did the flames take as quickly there as they have here? A

ValentinaNicholas cocks his head, taken aback by my response to his touch, I guess. He reaches for me again. “Tina⁠—”“I said don’t!”He puts his hands up, palms facing me, and takes a step backward.“You’re confused. I’m sure. But you’re safe,” he says, and I blink up at him trying to make sense of where I am.I search the room, eye the door.“Just relax,” he says, moving to block my view of the door. Does he think I’ll run for it? I’m not sure I could even crawl. I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck.I recall the events that led me here. I remember the night of the gala, dancing with Nicholas. Nicholas and me up in that room. Nicholas making love to me, holding me… then the moment everything changed. When everything went so wrong.My head throbs and I close my eyes against the pain as it all comes flooding back.Cielo beating me.Waking up in that hotel room, those needles on the nightstand.Sly’s visit. How cold he was. How cruel.The limousine. The man inside it. Chandler Ca