by Fawn Bailey
"That was a mistake on your part," I told her coldly. "You're going to regret hurting me, you dumb cunt. Don't you know I need to be pretty for my groom?"
"You're delusional," she screamed, coming at me again. "Fucking crazy bitch! Don't think you'll get away with this!"
I grasped her throat between my fingers and started choking.
She kicked and clawed and screamed until her voice went, and then I laughed in her face.
"Not so great being so tiny now, is it?" I asked sweetly, picking her up and making her feet dangle while her eyes bulged. "Poor little rich girl. No longer Thorn's favorite, are you, Pia?"
"F-Fuck... you," she sputtered, and I let go of her, slapping her face so hard she fell on her ass.
It must've taken the rest of her efforts to pick herself up and come at me again. We fought like warriors, but I knew I'd be the champion in the end. She didn't fucking stand a chance, because she didn't have the same drive I did. The need to eliminate, take out, fucking kill her. All so Thorn would be mine in the end, all so I could be his new Rose, the only one that mattered.
I must have said it out loud because Pia called me a crazy bitch again. Somehow, the whore was gaining up on me and I felt my strength faltering which scared me. I needed to start fucking running.
I pushed past her and ran inside the house, away from the commotion because I knew the second someone saw us, they would come and help her. I needed to lure her deeper into the Mansion, perhaps into the kitchen where I'd never been - but my mind bristled at the possibilities of weapons in there. Knives, pans, all things I could use to hurt her permanently, and make her suffer before I finally took her life.
I ran quicker than ever, down the stairs, down the hallways, and into an enormous, beautiful kitchen equipped with everything I knew it would have.
She must've realized what I was planning the second we stumbled into the room, but I was faster, smarter. I grabbed a butcher's knife off the table and came at her, brandishing it before me, the steel glinting in the light.
"Afraid of me yet?" I asked darkly, and her eyes glazed over, focused on the blade and making sure she stayed out of its path. "You're never getting out of this alive, Pia. I won't fucking let you."
"We'll see about that," she muttered, and I swung.
The first strike missed her, but the second time I stabbed, the blade dug into flesh and bone and she screamed so loudly it sounded like a wounded animal. It made me laugh out loud, pride swelling my chest and putting a large, triumphant smile on my sweat-soaked face. I had a moment of doubt earlier, but now I knew I could get her. And there would be no going back once I'd slashed at her enough times to color the floor crimson. I couldn't fucking wait.
"You think you're special to him," I told her, because I couldn't help myself. "You think he'll come back to you, don't you, Pia?"
She held her side where I'd cut her, her eyes filling with tears as she tried to avoid the next inevitable blow. But by now it was a cat and mouse game, and I knew I'd finish her off, so I might as well take my fucking time with it. I couldn't wait to see her suffer, but more than her pain, I wanted her anguish, the look of pure fucking devastation once it finally dawned on her that I was the next Rose, not her. Not Harlow. Me.
"You don't know anything about us," she said weakly, clutching her side. "You don't know what Thorn and I have been through, you have no fucking idea, you lunatic."
"Still," I said with a saccharine voice. "It wasn't enough, was it? He still chose another girl..."
"You don't know shit!" she snarled, and I dodged her attack easily, laughing in her face.
"I know everything," I told her plainly. "And I know in the end, Thorn will chose me!"
I slashed at her again, but this time I didn't cut into her flesh. I did rip her dress though, and the fabric parted on her stomach, exposing a sliver of skin.
"Let me go," she said, sounding out of breath. "Let me go. I won't tell him what you've done. I won't tell anyone about this..."
I laughed in her face, knowing she'd reached her breaking point. Now she was begging me to let her go, because she knew there was no way out of this.
I wiped her blood off my blade and smiled at her.
"You know," I said thoughtfully. "I always knew you would beg in the end. I just didn't think you'd give in so fucking quickly."
I walked up to her, grabbing a handful of her lush hair and pulling her up. My blade went to her neck and I held it there, waiting before I dealt the final blow. She tried to break free but I wouldn't let her, and as she resisted, my knife cut into her throat, leaving behind a small trickle of blood that dripped down her neck.
"Any last words?" I asked sweetly, twirling the knife into a point on the hollow of her throat.
"Yes," she croaked. "Fuck you, bitch."
With all her might, she pushed me back, and I stumbled. In seconds she was upon me, bleeding and angry as fuck, an avenging fucking angel. She stepped on my knife-wielding hand, and my bones crunched under her heels. I screamed and saw stars when she broke my wrist. Hate flared before my eyes, making me see blood red before me. I would kill the stupid bitch for this.
But she was attacking me the next second, and all my thoughts of killing her vanished into thin air. There was only one thought left in my mind, only one instinct shouting a single word at me, demanding I obeyed.
Survive! Survive! Survive!
I fought her. I really fucking did. But she was vicious with the knife. One strike became two turned into three. I had wounds all over. I stopped counting at five. Stopped screaming at seven. Stopped resisting at twelve.
She stood back with a triumphant smile on her face, and we stared at one another, a silent understanding passing between us.
"You never got it," she said gently. "I love Thorn. I always will. But I never wanted him for myself."
With those words, she plunged the knife inside my body for the very last time.
My last thought was standing in the spotlight. Dancing for an audience. My final bow was not to Harlow or Thorn, but to Pia instead.
I died with a single tear slipping down my cheek. And then, merciful, beautiful darkness took over.
Eighteen
Rose
I came to in my bedroom, with Thorn's arms around me.
I tried to sit up and groaned at the pain flowing through my body. He held me closer and sat up himself, his eyes thunderous as they zeroed in on mine.
It took me a moment to remember exactly what had happened, but when I did, I groaned at the memory, trying to cover my eyes.
"You're okay," Thorn told me. "Everything's alright now, my Rose. I've got you... No one can hurt you now."
My bottom lip trembled, and he held me close until the shakes went away, and it was just us, me in his arms, vulnerable but protected from every corner.
"Carina," I whispered, moving back so I could look into his eyes. "What happened? Why did she do that?"
"Jealousy," Thorn said darkly. "She wanted your place. I should have known all along. I never should have brought her along. Please Rose, forgive me. This is all my fault."
"No," I said desperately, holding his handsome face in my hands. "It's nobody's fault but hers. You didn't decide you wanted to get rid of me... You didn't set fire to the garden."
My own words made me remember the debris of his beautiful rose garden, and I gasped at the thought. All those memories, the beautiful shrines he'd built for every woman in his life - all gone, erased, nothing but a pile of smoking ash and glowing embers.
"The garden," I said softly.
He hung his head and I knew it was gone without asking a question. I held him close. I knew how much it had meant to him since he was a little boy, and I ached just like he did, knowing it had been eradicated from this world. It was all gone.
"What about Carina?" I asked hesitantly, my voice conveying the mix of emotions I felt when I spoke about her. "She's okay?"
He looked into my eyes, as if trying to gather the words
to explain what had happened.
"She had... a stand-off with Pia," he finally managed to get out.
"And?" I asked desperately, my heart hammering in my chest.
"Pia killed her," Thorn said flatly. "In self-defense. She's gone, Harlow."
The fact that he'd used my real name told me he wasn't making all of this up. She truly was gone... One of my best friends, the girl I'd trusted for all of a few months before she'd betrayed me. Gone, erased just like the garden was. A victim of her own plan... I should've been the one to die, but instead, it had been Carina.
"She was sick," Thorn told me plainly. "She had a sick, twisted mind. It's better this way. I would've had to lock her away if this hadn't happened."
"You wouldn't have killed her?" I asked on impulse, blushing once the words left my mouth.
I had no illusions about Thorn. I knew he'd killed before, and I knew he'd kill again. He never talked about it to me, but I could feel the weight of his victims weighing on him. I never asked. We hadn't reached the right time just yet.
"No," he finally said. "I couldn't have. I felt something for her."
"What?" I asked right away, jealousy coursing through me and taking any rational thoughts away in a sea of envy that washed me over. "You cared about her? You wanted her?"
"No," he said sadly, finally meeting my eyes. "Pity, Rose. I felt pity for her."
My heart swelled with emotion, a mix of sadness and acceptance for what he'd said. I felt broken, more than I ever had when we were in the playroom. Carina's fate had cut me deep.
"What about Pia?" I asked softly. "Is she alright?"
"She will be," he said, smoothing my hair. "She did it for you. For us. She could have left her alive, Rose. But she took her life because she knew Carina would never stop."
I wasn't sure what to say to that. Since he'd made them watch him fucking me, I was convinced Pia and Carina were two of a kind. They both wanted what I had - Thorn - what we had together.
"Is she staying here?" I asked softly, and he looked into my eyes, pondering the answer.
"We'll talk about that soon," he said. "But now, you have more important things to focus on."
"What?" I asked shakily.
"Your dance," he said, his voice strangely gentle as he touched his fingertips to my cheeks. "Your last dance, Rose. Don't think I've forgotten..."
It all came rushing back to me. The promise I'd made him, what I said I would let him do. Submitting so completely there would be no going back. Once my performance was done, I'd never be able to dance again. I'd promised him that. I couldn't back down now.
I didn't even want to.
"Have you organized it?" I asked him, and he nodded.
"You will dance in a theater in the city," he told me. "I've invited some personal friends to watch. But you will dance for me. Only for me. I want your eyes on me the whole time. Do you understand, Rose?"
"Yes," I whispered. "I understand. Only for you."
He left a fleeting kiss against my lips and I moaned into his mouth. We made love on our bed, forgetting everything around us for a few hours. I lay in his arms afterwards and he toyed with my hair, gently twirling blonde strands of it around his fingers. I felt wanted and beautiful with him, but the pressure of my last dance was building. It would happen soon, he'd told me. I only had two weeks left to prepare.
He let me rest that day. When I walked to the balcony that evening, I finally saw the aftermath of the rose garden.
It was burnt to a crisp, all the beautiful rose bushes gone. Even the trees were ruined, the cherry and apple trees nothing but stumps smoking ash. It broke my heart to see the garden that way, and I wondered what the sight of it had done to Thorn. I wasn't sure whether he'd be able to stay in the Mansion now that this had happened. But I didn't question him. I stayed by his side, knowing that I would continue to do so until the end of time.
The next day I had my first training session alone with Madame.
At first, I was worried. I had convinced myself Carina's presence made me a better dancer because it brought out the competitive side in both of us. But now, with just Madame and myself, dancing felt natural, and I soaked up her advice like a sponge. I spun and twirled and jumped, executing every part of my routine with beautiful precision and earning compliment after compliment from my teacher.
Hours later, I was exhausted. Madame could tell, and she got some lemonade delivered and led me out on the terrace. Thankfully, the studio terrace didn't face the rose gardens but the ocean instead. We stared out at the water, neither of us saying a word for a long time, just listening to our thoughts as we sipped the cool lemonade from frosted glasses.
"I always wanted to be a ballerina," Madame finally spoke up, and my eyes went to her curiously.
She looked beautiful that day, with her hair pinned up in a way that wasn't as strict as she usually wore it. She was a beautiful woman, I realized. Not just when she was younger but even now, still stunning, still as elegant and graceful as she must've been as a young girl. But there was an air about her now, an air of hurt and pain I'd never managed to penetrate.
Looking at her profile, I realized I'd never bothered to find out more about her, to discover her story. Yes, she was a mystery to not just me but every dancer at our old London studio. But I had no doubt her story was the most interesting one of all.
"Madame," I said softly, and she turned her eyes to face mine. "Are you happy? Here, I mean. Are you happy here?"
She pondered her answer for a second before replying, "I am content, Rose. I am happy for my brother and you. I am more fulfilled being by your side here than I was in London. But I'm afraid I haven't been happy for a very long time."
"Why?" I asked softly, not really expecting an answer but desperate to hear it nonetheless. "Please, tell me."
She gave me a little smile and a wink.
"Why?" she repeated. "The answer is simple, my dear... Just as it always is - a man."
I listened as she started telling me a story. A story more twisted and dark than my own, a story that painted her in a completely different light and told me things about her that I'd never known. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and sad, and I hurt for her, feeling the pain of her own heartbreak as a tear slipped down her cheek while she was talking. I couldn't imagine the pain of going through what she'd been through. I couldn't imagine losing the man I loved... The mere thought made me anxious, and on an impulse, I reached out for her, my hand wrapping around hers, my eyes asking for forgiveness for every time I treated her badly, for when I was being a brat. I hadn't known, I tried to convey. I hadn't know what she'd gone through. If I had, I would've offered her nothing but love...
"Don't feel sorry for me, Rose," she said with a simple smile. "I am lucky that I got to experience love at all. Some people never know the pleasure we've had, you know that?"
I instantly thought of Carina, of Amber, of Pia. All victims of my own love story. I would spend a lifetime hating myself for what had happened to them, but in the end, I was a selfish woman. I cared about Thorn, and only Thorn. I realized as time passed I was made to serve him. It completed me.
Sitting on the sunlit terrace with Madame, I finally found the truth in her own words.
Our purpose was to love and be loved.
There were other things we were good at, things we loved... But just like Madame, I would give it all up for the man I loved so dearly. I would give it up again and again if it meant a lifetime of happiness with Thorn. I didn't care about anyone else caught up in the equation that was me and him, together. All that mattered was that we ended up together.
"He's been feeling guilty," Madame told me. "Because he took you away. Because he took your life and made it his."
"How do you know?" I asked softly.
"I know him," she chuckled. "He's my brother. Even though we hadn't seen each other for years, I know him better than anyone else, bar you."
"You think he loves me?" I asked her, and my heart pounded at
the question, needing her to answer the way I wanted her to.
"Do you need to ask?" she said with her eyebrows raised. "My brother would do anything for you, Harlow. You're not leaving his side now, whether you like it or not."
I didn't want to. I never wanted to be separated from Thorn again. By his side, I realized what it meant to love somebody as well as to let go completely. I wanted him to have all my control. I wanted him to decide everything, from the way we fucked to how I dressed, what I ate. I was desperate to give myself to him. Nothing mattered as much as he did. And in losing myself to a man I loved, I found the piece that had been missing all along. The piece that made me complete. With trust and love, I placed it at his feet, knowing he would treat it better than I ever could.
"Thank you," I told Madame, and we exchanged warm smiles. "Thank you for helping me through this."
"It will never be easy," she said simply. "Thorn isn't a simple man, and he doesn't make loving him easy at all. But I see a lifetime of happiness in your future."
My eyes filled with tears as I leaned in to embrace her. My heart and my head hurt knowing she wouldn't be getting the same thing, even though she deserved it, more than we did.
"It's okay," she whispered in my ear, as if she'd read my mind. "Some of us aren't meant to have what you have, Rose. Some of us are just observers of your beautiful love story."
Nineteen
Thorn
It was the most important day, the one that would change things forever.
That evening, my Rose would dance for an audience for the very last time. Preparations had been put in place, and right after her final dance, her tendons would be cut just like we had discussed.
Truth be told, I was fucking nervous. I loved pain and I loved hurting her, but the mere thought of harming her so permanently filled me with dread. Of course, it wasn't about her submitting to me by letting me break her body. Since the very beginning, I'd been playing mind games with her, and I wanted to break her at the very core - in her soul, where it mattered.