Shattered Obsession: Book 3 of the Obsession Trilogy

by Sinclaire, Roxy

  Finally, after a long while of tossing and turning, his body relaxed as it eased into sleep.

  He fell into a dream, and in his dream, he saw Camila.

  She was exactly as he remembered from their happier times, relaxed, with a smile on her face that made her glow.

  “Samuel.”

  She whispered his name, and he felt his chest ache. He hadn't heard her voice in so long, and even if only in a dream, she sounded lovely.

  “Why do you look so worried?” she murmured. “Just come here and let me help you relax, okay?”

  He noticed, then, the situation they were in. Camila was laying down in a bed that looked like his, only the sheets were white and way too bright. He was standing a few feet from the bed. When he looked down, he realized he had no clothes on. And when he looked up, it was the same for Camila. Her body was bare before his eyes, and he could feel his mouth water as his feet carried him forward.

  Her arms welcomed him, her legs spreading for him, as he lay down on top of her while gathering her into his arms. She felt solid in his arms; warm, soft. He buried his face in her neck and nuzzled her skin, then left tiny kisses all over, moving up her jaw. She let out a pretty little giggle as he made his way up her cheek, squirming at the ticklish sensation from the fuzz on his chin. He shut her up quickly with a kiss.

  Their bodies moved together, arching and rolling on the bed. He had missed this, so much. Just feeling her beneath him, responding to his touches, the noises she made when he did something just right, a kiss here, and a touch there.

  “Beautiful.”

  That was when he opened his eyes, and he swore he heard his heart break. He was back in his room, alone in his large, cold bed. Camila was still missing, in Adrien’s hands. He still hadn't found her.

  With a sigh, he slipped out of bed. It was still dark out, in the middle of the night. Everything was silent, so he was sure everyone else was asleep. He went to his bathroom to grab a drink of water and wash his face a little. He got a look of himself in the mirror, his skin was pale, and bags were growing beneath his eyes. He grimaced at his reflection, wiped his face, and left the bathroom.

  Then, he went back to bed, but he couldn’t find sleep again that night.

  Chapter Nine

  “Camila! Get over here!”

  She rolled her eyes at the loud call for her. She left what she was doing in the kitchen to attend to Adrien, who was draped over the couch. He looked up at her as she entered the living room, but his eyes didn’t look particularly focused.

  “Yes, Adrien?” she said, her voice calm. “What can I do for you?”

  “Hand me that bottle over there.”

  He pointed to the seat opposite his. She arched an eyebrow, staring at the several empty bottles already strewn on the coffee table. It was beer, so she wondered if he really had brought some alcohol for himself when he brought them out here. Neither of them had left the farmhouse since they arrived, so she didn’t think she was wrong.

  She walked over and picked up the beer bottle, then handed it over to him. She hadn't seen him drink this much before, although this alcohol was weaker than the hard liquor he’d found in the basement.

  “Should I open for you?” she offered.

  “Whatever,” he muttered, waving a dismissive hand as he handed it back.

  She opened the beer bottle before putting it back in his hand. Adrien took it and started drinking. She left him alone once more, going back to the kitchen.

  Adrien wasn’t well. Her stomach also complained in the worst moments, too. They’d finished off the last of the meat in the freezer. Now all they had left was canned stuff. It wasn’t great but it was better than nothing. She took her time warming it up on the stove instead of the microwave, so she wouldn’t have to be in the living room with Adrien.

  Besides, the smell from the food cooking distracted her from the smell of Tansy’s rotting corpse.

  Neither of them planned on doing anything about it, she wondered if they even could. With Adrien in his condition, he would only make himself sicker with how susceptible he was to bacteria in his weakened state. As for herself, she couldn’t get too close without retching. Luckily, when she was in her room, she could keep the window open, now that she’d pried the nail out, even if it meant she froze at night with just a thin sheet and blanket as covering. Adrien no longer demanded she wear the red lace nighty and hadn’t since she’d had her bout with ‘flu’, thankfully.

  She was finishing up with the food, and decided to pull out some plates. A part of her felt so guilty for acting so at home in the house of a woman that was murdered, but she couldn’t dwell on that.

  Finding the plates, she set them down and served the food, then added spoons and picked them both up, taking them back to the living room. There was no reason to pretend to be a domesticated couple anymore by eating at the table, as Adrien had wanted in those first few days. It was a little early for dinner, but since they’d skipped breakfast, she was feeling hungry. She couldn’t eat earlier because of the smell making her sick. Adrien had been annoyed with her, but he was already getting drunk himself, so he didn’t eat, either.

  She set the food on the table before putting the strewn bottles aside.

  “It’s time for dinner,” she said with fake cheer. “Would you like some, Adrien? Or do you want to wait for it to cool down?”

  He glanced at her, then the table.

  “Just leave it there,” he muttered, taking another swig of his beer. “I’ll eat it.”

  Camila just hummed and did as he said, leaving his own plate and sitting back with hers to start eating. She kept an eye on Adrien as she did.

  This is so damn annoying, she thought. But he’s definitely letting his guard down.

  “Would you like me to check on your wound once I’m done?” she offered. She could see him shift, only to wince when it jostled his shoulder. “You’re not looking too good.”

  He huffed. “Well, I’m not feeling it, either. Sure, you can look if you want.”

  She shot him an insincere smile, then went on eating.

  Being honest with herself, Camila was severely tired of playing house and pretend-nurse for Adrien. At least, he was letting her out of his sight more often, and she had the chance to do what she’d wanted in the beginning.

  After eating, she left Adrien to go and look around. She’d been slowly learning the lay of the house away from him. Also, she’d been looking around for anything that could be helpful for her, but it seemed like Adrien had hidden things too well. And unless he was out, she didn’t dare to be away for too long. He wouldn’t get up to follow her, but he would call for her.

  She was only willing to push the risks so far.

  This time, she looked all over the room he slept in. It wasn’t the first time she’d checked, but every time, she hoped he had moved things and forgotten, so it was easier for her to find them.

  She had realized, already, how carefully Adrien had hidden every potential weapon and communication device. Even the damn remote to her collar, she couldn’t find it. Besides a bunch of spoons and a couple of forks and butter knives, there wasn’t anything sharp in the kitchen or anywhere else in the house.

  Even as sick as he was, he was still keeping a cool head. It was why she didn’t dare try anything too rash.

  After she felt like she had taken more time than she needed to, she found the medical supplies and headed back to the living room with them.

  “I’m back,” she called out, moving to set it down. “Are you done eating yet? I can give you your medicine after your done eating.”

  He nodded, still slowly finishing off what was on his plate. She went to the kitchen to get him some water to down the pills. Painkillers and all the alcohol might not be the best combination… but hopefully, he wouldn’t be paying too much attention to that. Clearly, all the drink wasn’t keeping away the pain.

  She prepared everything, then took out the pills and left them on the table, along with the w
ater.

  “Can you take your shirt off for me, first?”

  Adrien grunted and moved to take it off. His mouth was set in a grimace, it was obviously painful for him, but he persisted until he had it off. Then, he picked up the water and the pills, and she smiled to herself, watching him take them. He probably wanted to have it first while she dealt with his wound.

  “Are you ready now?” she asked.

  She got another grunt.

  Camila went about removing the bandage. Her nose was wrinkled before she had it completely removed. The wound looked terrible, definitely infected. She was too afraid to have her hands too close to it, so she was glad the medical wipes weren’t gone yet, though the pack had gotten really thin since she first used it.

  “How does it look?” he asked.

  She sighed, hesitating. “It…honestly, Adrien, it doesn’t look good. Are you sure you won’t go to a hospital? I don’t actually know a thing about healing wounds, you know? I figured it would have at least started closing already, but it’s not yet.”

  Her voice was filled with fake concern. With the way he was feeling, she couldn’t keep pretending his wound was just fine, so she wasn’t. But she also knew that he wouldn’t agree to go to a hospital or to see someone. His rationality in some parts had gone way down. He honestly believed, that if he kept ignoring it, it would be fine on its own.

  Once she had the bandages fully off, she could see just how badly the wound had deteriorated. It looked disgusting, and the smell coming off it was about as bad as the rotting corpse in the basement.

  “I don’t need to see anyone,” Adrien said, like she expected. “Just use the alcohol in it again. It’ll hurt, but there’s no helping it.”

  “This really looks bad though…”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” he said dismissively.

  “Okay, if you say so.” Camila took him at his word. I hope it fucking hurts like a bitch! The bottle of alcohol that was in the bag was still there and untouched. She was sure it was actual alcohol, not anything medicinal, but whatever. As he wanted, she poured some alcohol into the wound.

  “Mother fucker!” he growled, his body shaking, but quieted himself down quickly.

  She took the wipes and started wiping away the excess fluid. Some of the pus had been washed out from the wound, but she still didn’t think it would be much help.

  Once she was done wiping the wound down, she pretended to wipe her own hands on a towel, then got some more bandages. She prepared it with her germ laden fingers and wrapped them around his shoulder, making it slightly tight. He let out a few more growls as she pressed a bit harder on the wound, but he didn’t complain.

  She was glad he wasn’t taking his pain out on her, but she was secretly pleased with how infectious the wound was looking.

  “If you’re not going to see someone, then at least lay down. Move more on your side so you don’t injure your shoulder, all right? I’m dependent on you, after all.”

  Adrien was panting, and when she saw his face, she wondered if he was still there with her. His face was exhausted, his eyes staring off into space.

  “Yeah,” he breathed out in between pants for breath. “You…need me so… I should get better.”

  “Of course,” she murmured.

  She watched as he slowly moved until he was lying on the arm of the couch, on his uninjured side. Almost instantly, he fell asleep.

  Good.

  These days, he was spending more and more time sleeping off his binges and his pain. Even then, she couldn’t be sure how aware he was of his surroundings, so she was still careful.

  This time, though, she was sure he would be out for the count. Not just a lot of drinks, he’d even taken some painkillers. He would be lucky to wake up from that for a few hours.

  I should keep looking, she thought to herself.

  She got up slowly, still being wary of him, but he made no movement. She played it safe for a while, cleaning the place up, putting things away. Nothing. She snuck off to her room, but stayed quiet.

  Once again, she looked all over the places she thought he might hide things, only to find nothing still. She retreated to her room in frustration, keeping the door open so she could hear any sounds incoming.

  “Where could he have left it,” she growled.

  Then, something occurred to her.

  Wait… Why am I trying to find the fucking remote? I haven’t seen it anywhere, but if I take off the collar, then I don’t have to!

  She cursed at herself in her head for not even thinking of this before. The collar was the problem, so if the remote couldn’t be found, she could try to pull the collar off. The idea came with its own fears. Like, what would she do if taking it off shocked her? But if she could pull it off and toss it quickly, then it would still be better.

  She reached up to the collar, trying to get a real feel for how it was put together. It chaffed around her neck, but she paid that little attention as she focused on the thick piece of metal that locked the collar in place. She frowned, concentrating on the sensation beneath her fingertips. She felt all the way around, not sure what she even expected. It took a minute, but she figured out what it was, and cursed once more.

  “Dammit!”

  The thing at the back of her head was definitely a padlock. She hadn’t been able to see it in the large wall mirror in the bathroom, not that she had even thought to look. Her shoulders sagged. What the hell was she supposed to do now? She couldn’t find the remote, she couldn’t remove the collar, so maybe she could find a key? It would be a small one. The lock wasn’t very big.

  She punched the bed, feeling hopeless again, but refusing to give up.

  Someway, somehow, I am getting away from here!

  Chapter Ten

  Camila woke up slowly, curled up under the thin, folded sheet and blanket. She stretched her body out, ignoring the early morning chill. First, she slipped out of bed and went to the window. She took in a deep breath of fresh air. Then, she left the room.

  The door was left open. For the past few nights, Adrien hadn't been locking her in. At first, she didn’t know if he was trying to trick her, or if it had slipped his mind, so she hadn't thought to do anything about it.

  He hadn't come to wake her for a while, either, so she could be up and moving whenever she wanted.

  Still, she was cautious as she walked to the living room, where she found him. He had disappeared to his room early last night, so it was a bit of a surprise to find him in the living room, lying back on the couch. After yesterday, she figured he’d stay in his room, but if he still had energy to be moving around, then she needed to be cautious.

  “Would you like some breakfast?” she asked.

  Adrien stirred, and just barely managed to turn his head to give her a narrow-eyed stare. She froze, because that gaze was so unsettling, but after a minute, he let his eyes close, and his body relaxed. Slowly, she let go of the tension that had built up, then walked toward the kitchen.

  She was trying her best to take shallow breaths through her mouth, because if she breathed through her nose, the painful retching would start. The smell wasn’t going away, if anything, it was getting worse, and she was slowly getting used to it. She knew that was a bad thing. Living with a rotting corpse wasn’t healthy with all the stuff that could carry in the air. Even if they left the basement door closed, she didn’t like this kind of risk to herself.

  After all, she didn’t know when she’d be able to get out of this, and she didn’t want to be really sick once she was home.

  How long is that going to be, she wondered, wistful.

  It was getting easier and easier to put up with Adrien as he grew weaker. Now, he barely even spoke to her, so there was nothing for her to fear. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. When he looked at her sometimes, she couldn’t help but go weak in the knees with fright, because she had no idea what went through his head, and felt like she’d rather not know.

  She got into the kitchen to look for
something to eat. With Adrien’s strength going down, she had to keep hers up. She couldn’t say yet that she would win if they got into a fight if it came down to it. Also, she knew Adrien had weapons, she just didn’t know where he’d kept them, so she had to be extremely careful now that he was at his weakest.

  Adrien had proven that he wasn’t an idiot. Even with the infection taking him over, he was clearly trying to keep up appearances, and his mind wasn’t totally gone yet.

  Can I handle food?

  She looked around for what they had and grimaced. She was already sick of all the canned food, no matter how she cooked it. It was enough so she didn’t get hungry, but she had a feeling, once she got back to her life, there were certain foods she wouldn’t mind going without seeing for the rest of her life, with beans being right at the top.

  Camila pressed a hand to her stomach, and decided her stomach was settled enough that she could keep something down. She just had to be close to a window so the smell from the basement wouldn’t bother her. Adrien didn’t look like he was drinking anything today, so the alcohol smell wouldn’t be a problem, either.

  Maybe I’ll be able to keep down two meals today.

  She readied the food, and went to the living room to leave Adrien’s plate on the table. He didn’t move, but she didn’t wait to see if he did, going back to the kitchen to eat there.

  After eating, she went back to the living room, to find Adrien hadn't moved from his spot, his food untouched. She didn’t dare get closer, but she looked a little more intently.

  Adrien was starting to look noticeably sick, and all the booze and drugs only helped. Before, he could at least pretend and she would think he was actually okay, but now…

  His skin looked so pale, his cheeks appeared hollowed in. Underneath his eyes were dark bags. If she didn’t know better, she would say he was completely lifeless. She decided not to do anything immediately, to wait and see. So, she left him alone.