I Saw Her Goodness Too Late

Seth's hand snapped up before he could stop himself, and it came down hard. A bright red mark spread across Rita's cheek.

Then, like she was punishing herself, she grabbed his hand and slapped her own face again and again.

Seth tried to pull away, a vein jumping at his temple as he rasped, "Rita, you're out of your mind!"

But she just stared at him, completely still, her eyes flat and hollow. "Victor saved Tara's life. The Searles pulled the Joneses back from the edge. Seth, do you really need me dead to feel satisfied?"

Rita's eyes were shadowed by three years of hurt she'd carried. But before Seth could answer, the world tilted in front of her. Her knees gave out, and she hit the ground hard.

Right before everything went dark, she thought she saw Seth's face twist in panic.

What was he so scared of?

She turned the question over and over until the answer felt brutally clear.

If she died too soon, where else was he supposed to find a slave he could torment at will?

…

Nightmares closed in on Rita, wrapping tight and leaving her no way out. It felt like being back with Seth, like something sharp was wedged in her throat, turning every breath into slow torture.

Images flashed through her mind—Tara hooked up to tubes and monitors, her family's black-and-white memorial photos, and Seth's ice-cold face.

The same man who'd once promised her a future now pulled out a dagger and drove it straight into her chest.

Rita jolted awake and shot upright in bed, her eyes wide with terror and her face drained of color.

Seth had been sitting beside her. The second he heard her move, he tossed the cotton swab he'd been using to wet her lips straight into the trash.

When he realized she was awake, the worry in his eyes vanished, replaced by that familiar stay-away-from-me look.

"Looks like you're still alive."

Rita shut her eyes at the sarcasm in his voice. After a long hesitation, she said, "Seth, let's get a divorce."

Her voice was raw and broken, but every word landed heavy. "The Joneses don't need someone as cruel as me in their family."

Seth's bloodshot eyes went even redder, almost feral. He let out a humorless laugh, anger tightening his face. "You're doing just fine. Rita, divorce or not, that's my call."

He yanked down Rita's collar and ran his fingers over the tattoo on her chest, his eyes burning with a hungry kind of desire. "Victor ruined Tara's life. So, if I take it out on you, that's just karma evening things out."

Seeing how devastated she looked, he forced out one last line through clenched teeth. "If you bring up divorce again, I'll break your legs."

Rita didn't answer. Her silence was its own rebellion, and the faint shimmer of tears in her eyes was the only thing guarding what was left of her pride.

Irritation flickered across his face. He pulled her into his arms, his hands roaming as he started to reach under her dress.

Rita didn't miss the faint hickey on his throat. Her expression stayed calm. She even unbuttoned her clothes herself.

"We're enemies, remember? Doesn't that kill the mood?"

Seth's breath hitched for a split second. Whether it was anger or embarrassment, he hid it by snapping, "I feel gross every time I have to look at you or touch you!"

In the end, he didn't go any further.

Before he left, he called in his private doctor. Under Seth's orders, the doctor ignored Rita's protests and forced two injections into her arm.

"One's nutrients to keep your sorry life going. The other's birth control, so stop dreaming about having a baby."

Once he'd said his piece, Seth turned and walked out.

Rita stared at his back, the bluish vein at the base of her thumb twitching under her skin. Something twisted hard in her chest, a tangle of feelings she couldn't even name.

Did Seth love her? Or did he hate her?

She looked around the room. It was their master bedroom, the one they'd decorated together. Every corner still held traces of the nights they'd tangled up in each other like their lives depended on it.

And now, all that tangled love and hate between them had torn them apart.