Uncovering You: The Complete Series (Mega Box Set) (41 page)

That would explain a lot. If Rose lives on Stonehart’s property with her husband, it gives Stonehart control over both their lives. She seems happy enough. It’s not the type of control Stonehart exerts over me. But, it could be the factor that ensures neither she nor Charles blabs about me.

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Of course, it could just be hogwash. However, I like imagining that Rose has a man in her life who makes her happy.

At least that makes one of us.

I look in the direction the car went. I’m not sure if walking after it will put me in danger of crossing the newfound boundary of my collar. Neither do I know if continuing north, across the lawn of the house, is such a good idea anymore, either.

Just to be safe, I decide to turn back.

I end up wandering the rest of the property, safely away from the guesthouse, for hours. I have no real purpose.

After another hour or so, I stifle a yawn. I wish I had brought a book with me. It’d be nice to read out here.

I look up at the sky. The sun is still bright overhead. I wonder what day it is. It must be sometime in November now, surely?

Growing up on the East Coast, I’ve never had a November where I could walk around outside in nothing but a light sweater.

I turn back to the house, yawning again. After two nights in a row of bad sleep, fatigue is catching up to me. Maybe I’ll go inside and take a quick nap…

***

I wake up hours later with a start. I look around, confused for a moment, trying to place myself. Then, remember what happened.

I fell asleep on a couch in one of Stonehart’s unused rooms. I just sat down and leaned back, closing my eyes for a breath…

And the next thing I knew, I was fast asleep.

I look out at the dark window. At least, I
try to
. I don’t see anything except my own reflection. Christ! I’ve been asleep for
hours
.

My stomach rumbles, reminding me that I haven’t eaten all day.

Not like it’s the first time
, I think ruefully, then stretch out and wander to the kitchen.

As I walk through the halls, I wonder what it was that awoke me so suddenly. Had I heard some noise? Yes, I think so… maybe a bang or a door shutting?

But the house is dark. The lights are off everywhere. Nobody is here other than me.

I open the fridge and am immediately surprised to see it re-stocked. Had Charles or Rose come in when I was sleeping? That would explain the banging door…

But if it was Rose, why didn’t she wake me?

I reach for a jar of peanut butter. The meals I’ve been making myself in Stonehart’s absence haven’t been exquisite. But, they have been blessedly simple. Sometimes, simple if all your soul wants.

I’d kill for some simplicity right now
, I think as I spread the peanut butter over a piece of toast. I bite into it. Even with nothing to do and nowhere to go, my thoughts are a jumble.

The clock on the wall tells me it’s a quarter to ten. This would usually be the time I go to bed, but that long nap has me wide awake. And—thank God—it came without nightmares.

I end up reading until the early hours of the morning, before dragging myself to bed. At that point, although I’m already tired sleep is still a long time coming.

When it arrives, it is filled with nightmares.

Chapter Eighteen

More useless days pass. The only accomplishment I hold claim to is finishing a few books.

I’ve fallen victim to an uneven schedule. I don’t sleep all night because of my dreams, and then make up for it with prolonged naps during the day. Sometimes, I find myself drifting off as my eyes slide lazily down the page of my book, not taking in a single word of what’s written there.

I wake up hours later surprised at how long I’ve been out.

Rose does not come to see me. It’s disappointing. I would have thought she’d jump on the chance to talk without Stonehart around. It even hurts, a little, to be neglected by her this way, especially now that I know how close she lives.

The only explanation I can come up with is the same one I had before: Stonehart forbade her seeing me.

The day before Stonehart’s arrival, I spend an hour in my closet picking out what to wear. One hour turns to two, then three, and before I know it the whole day has disappeared in some vortex of cloth and fabric.

I lay out the clothes I’ve finally settled on for tomorrow morning. I don’t know what time to expect him. So, I think it’s better to be ready as early as possible.

When I lie down to sleep, my nerves keep me awake. I’ve gotten so used to being without Stonehart that I’m not sure how I’ll react when I see him tomorrow. What’s more, that private gala is in two days, and I still don’t have anywhere near enough TGBs to go.

Is it off the table? Could he just take me anyway? I don’t know.

After tossing and turning for hours without getting a minute of sleep, I give up and get out of bed. I pour myself a coffee in the kitchen and settle down in a second-floor room situated in front of a spectacular view of the sea.

I watch the sunlight creep over the lawn, minute by minute, lessening the shadow cast by the enormous house. When it’s bright enough for birds to start singing, I go to the bathroom, shower, and begin my wait.

I’m restless and sleepy at the same time. I can’t sit still. My thoughts are running rampant at a hundred miles per hour. Nor can I sleep. I can’t risk missing Stonehart.

A few hours go by. I spend then pacing the entrance hall. Every sound makes me whip back to the door. None of them predicates Stonehart’s arrival.

I need to relax. I know I’ll get a warning when I hear the limo pull up on the gravel outside. But the caffeine has me wired and anxious.

I decide to make another coffee. I’m too far gone to rest. Maybe pumping more stimulants in my system will get rid of the fatigue lurking at the corners of my eyes.

I drink one cup. Then another. Then one more. I’m all jittery now, but better that than half-asleep.

The hours drag by. Have I miscounted the days? Maybe he’s arriving tomorrow.

But, no. I kept track of each day on a piece of paper. Stonehart said he’d be gone for fifteen days. Today is his return.

Three p.m. comes and goes. Then four. Then five, and then six. Still, there’s no sign of Stonehart. I know that every hour that goes by brings me closer and closer to his imminent arrival.

I’m now trying my best not to yawn every five minutes. The caffeine’s long since worn off. The exhaustion of multiple nights of bad sleep is kicking in. I feel stretched out and weary. I know I need to be in top form when Stonehart returns.

Well, at least on the outside.

I glance at my reflection in the window. My makeup is still right as I applied it. And if the red dress that I’m wearing is a little rumpled, well, that’s what happens when you wear one for an entire day.

I debate going to my closet and putting on a fresher outfit. It seems like a good idea. At least, it’ll give me something to do to take my mind off this nerve wracking waiting.

I walk to my part of the house and change into my second-choice outfit. It’s already past seven, and dark outside.

What’s taking Stonehart so long?
I pout. Maybe he’s been delayed. Maybe originally, he’d planned to leave for fifteen days. Could something have happened to keep him there longer?

Wherever ‘there’ is. I have no clue where he went.

Would he let me know if that were the case? I doubt it. He has no way of communicating with me, except through Rose, and she’s been disappointingly absent the entire time.

It’s not like I’m going anywhere. I’d still be waiting for Stonehart like a faithful puppy no matter what happens.

I spot an open book near my bed. I cram my fist in my mouth to stifle a huge yawn. Reading might kill some time and take my mind off things.

I pick the book up and curl up in the armchair.

Have the cushions always been so comfortable?
I wonder as I settle down. I pull a thin blanket over my lap, prop the book up, and try to focus on the words.

Chapter Nineteen

My head jerks up and my eyes pop open.
Shit!
I’d drowsed off. For how long?

I try to get my bearings. But, the room is dark. I wave my arms around to trigger the sensors.

The overhead lamps all flood on at once. I blink through the sudden brightness.

What the hell?
They haven’t done that since—

My thoughts come to a dead end as my eyes fall on a lone figure standing in the room.

Stonehart.

He looks furious.

I open my mouth to speak, but his sharp words cut me off.

“Fifteen days, Lilly,” he spits. “You knew I would be gone for fifteen days. You knew to expect me today. You knew—” his jaw grits down and he emphasizes each word, “To. Always. Be. Prepared.”

“Jeremy—”

“
SHUT UP!
” he screams. His eyes burn like black orbs in his skull. I shy back.

He takes a deep breath to compose himself, tugging on the lapels of his jacket. I see an angry vein pulse in his neck.

When he continues to speak, his voice is soft, cold, and deadly.

“You know what is expected of you based on the clauses in our contract,” he says. “Failure to live up to expectation is a cause for
punishment
, Lilly. And today, you have failed magnificently.”

I start to stir, wanting to stand up and defend myself, to face him head on, but he jabs a finger at me and spits, “Sit, Lilly. Don’t you dare move. You won’t be going anywhere for a long time.”

My breath catches. When he said that… his eyes darted to the collar.

Could he mean…?

Of course he could.

“Oh yes,” he says, a cold smirk twitching his lips up. “You know exactly why.”

I touch the black plastic ring with a trembling hand. He nods.

“Two hours I’ve been home, Lilly,” he says to me, voice soft. “Two hours I waited for you. Two. Fucking.
Hours
.”

I wince with every word.

“You thought that because I was away, our rules have softened, didn’t you? You thought that, since I was gone, you needn’t worry about your responsibilities. Isn’t that right?”

“Jeremy, I’m sorry,” I start in a rush, “I—”

“
Silence
.” His voice is sharp enough to slice a rock in two.

He turns away. “I think we need to go back to where we began, Lilly-flower. I think the separation made you forget exactly who you are. I think—” he twists back, and his eyes shine at me, “—that you need to be left in the dark again.”

Right on cue, all the lights turn off. My heart starts thumping double time in my chest. Cascades of fear ripple down my spine.

I hear Stonehart’s fading footsteps on the floor.

“This time, make no mistake, Lilly. All your earned freedoms are revoked. The collar is back on. I wouldn’t move a foot away from that chair, if I were you. Oh. And one more thing.”

He laughs.

“You should expect a visit from me every night.”

Epilogue

(November 2013. Present day)

Everything is lost. I am plunged back into darkness.

Except this time, Jeremy comes to visit me each night.

The End

Uncovering You 4

Uncovering You 5:

Confessions

by Scarlett Edwards

EDWARDS PUBLISHING

Book Description:

I am mentally exhausted. I am at my wit's end. I am in the dark, again, with no end in sight.

But just when all hope seems lost, a light appears at the end of the tunnel. A confession... that breaks me from the stranglehold of hopelessness and despair. An admission... that brings new dimensions to the man who is shrouded in secrecy.

Stonehart’s revelation can never change what he’s done to me. But can it be enough to make a difference in how I see him? As old questions are answered, new ones arise:

Is it possible for a man to change?

Is it possible for him to repent for all his sins?

And, perhaps most important of all:

Is it possible for me to forgive?

Reader Warning:

Uncovering You 5: Confessions
contains scenes of intense emotional and physical abuse. Readers with sensitivity to such subjects are advised to proceed with caution.

Important Note from Scarlett About the Uncovering You Plot Timeline:

Please keep in mind that the prologue from Uncovering You 1 took place in December 2014. Scenes in this book take place in December 2013.

Note the one-year difference.

Chapter One

Cold. Always, so cold.

I huddle into myself and try to stop my teeth from chattering.

It’s no use. What little heat my body produces is powerless against the AC blasting into the room.

I can’t see anything. All my familiar comforts are gone. All I know is the shape of the armchair.

I don’t even have a blanket. Or a cloth I can use as one.

I thought my captivity by the pillar was bad. Hah! This is worse. I’m trapped on this tiny island. I can’t move. I can’t walk around. I can’t do anything. I am barely alive.

All at once, the lights above me sputter on. I wince and shy back, covering my eyes with my forearm. My heartbeat doubles in raw anticipation.

Once a day, the lights come on. They stay on for exactly fifteen minutes, Jeremy told me. That’s all the time I have to run to the bathroom, empty my chamber pot, quickly shower, and change into something fresh for his arrival.

There’s no fighting it. I can’t refuse. I push myself up, my whole body trembling, and grab the disgusting, lidded, clay container. I hear the contents slop around inside as I hurry toward the bathroom.

I dump the chamber pot into the toilet. The first time I did it, the smell was enough to make me vomit. I almost—almost—made the mistake of trying to clean up, before remembering that time is short. Once the clock is up, my collar is reactivated. This means that, if I’m not in my chair in time…