Chapter 25

Claire's POV I lay perfectly still under Adrian's weight, rage and humiliation burning through me as he changed completely the moment he answered the phone. His voice transformed from the growling threat he'd used with me to a sweet, gentle tone. "I'm just at a friend's house," he said smoothly, his forearm still pressed against my throat. "Yeah, I'll pick up dinner on the way home. Don't worry about it." I stared up at him, hatred crystallizing in my chest as I watched this performance. How had I ever loved this man? How had I spent three years believing he was something other than the monster pinning me to my childhood bed? He laughed at something she said, the sound so normal, so ordinary, as if he weren't in the middle of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. "I shouldn't be more than an hour. See you soon, baby." After ending the call, he slowly removed his arm from my throat but remained looming over me, his weight still heavy on my legs. I could feel the bruises forming on my wrists and