Page 43 of Vow of Hate

“But… you have bruises. He hurt you.”

“Some other man did. But I’m fine. I promise. All that matters is that we’re back together again.” And I can put Dante behind me. Forget the pleasure he’s shown me. Feel normal again. Grounded.

“How did you escape? Is Dante…”

“I just left the house. There’s a chance he could come back for me. We have to leave. Can we still make it to America?”

“We can try but… Sienna, I’m hurt. I can’t go on the run. But I can help you escape. You can go to America without me and I can meet you later when I’m healed.”

“But Dante could hurt you in the meantime. We have to leave now.”

“I would willingly sacrifice myself to save you. You know that. I don’t care what happens to me. All that matters is that you’re safe. I’ll call Gabriel and tell him you’re here. He’ll help protect you. He won’t make you marry Dante now. Not after what Dante did.”

“Are you sure?” I ask. “Will we truly be safe here?”

“We have to try. I’m calling Gabriel.” The moment she picks up the phone is the same moment the front door bursts open.

And in strolls Dante, looking like he doesn’t have any care in the world. His eyes land right on mine.

“Did you really think you could leave me?” he asks.

“No,” I say. “But I had to try.”

“Always surprising me, Sienna. Why did you leave? You seemed like you were enjoying yourself. Immensely.”

My mom frowns. “What does he mean by that?”

“Did your daughter not tell you? She has become a sex maniac. She is fully mine now. And I am taking her back.”

Chapter Eleven

Sienna

Asex maniac. I never considered myself to be one but Dante has turned me into this. And he’s telling my mother everything.

“What do you mean by that?” Mom asks, her eyes wide and her skin pale. “Don’t talk about my daughter like that.”

“Why not? I caught her fucking herself with one of my dildos. What else is she but a sex maniac?”

“No,” I whisper as shame fills me. It had felt so good to find a release. To fill a fullness deep inside my body. But now that Dante is revealing it all to my mom, it feels embarrassing. It’s our secret. A secret my mother never needed to find out.

Dante tilts his head to the side. “No? Am I lying? Tell her. Am I lying?”

“Enough,” Mom says. “I will not listen to you disparage my daughter. Leave.”

“What can you do to me? You’re hurt. I can easily shoot you again. I am taking Sienna back with me.”

“Why do this to her? Why hurt her?”

Dante’s face contorts into fury. “Because Gabriel wanted to use her against me and I will never allow anyone to use anyone against me. I have no weaknesses.”

“But my daughter is innocent.”

“Innocent?” he scoffs. “Tell her, Sienna. Tell her that I’m not lying. That you have willingly fucked yourself with a dildo. That you liked it when I used a vibrator on you. Is that innocent?”

My eyes find my mom’s. “I…”

Her own widen even more. “Sienna, I don’t need to know. Anything that has happened to you, I do not judge. You’ve just done what you needed to do to survive.”