Page 49 of Shared Obsession

“Yeah, I’m coming,” he answers, his footsteps echoing down the hall.

When he walks into the room, I fix him with a look, tension tight in my chest. “I have an idea. It sounds wild, but hear me out—I want you to text Ayla’s phone. Ask them how much it would take for them to leave her alone. Maybe we can finally get some answers, see where their heads are at. I can’t stand this fucking silence anymore, Alex. It’s fucking suffocating.”

He hesitates, mulling it over for half a second, then nods, determination settling on his face. “Yeah, alright.” He pulls out his phone, not even blinking, and fires off a message:

Name a price for you to disappear

We both watch the screen intently as the message goes from sent to delivered to read, within seconds. The little chat bubbles pop up almost instantly, as if they were waiting, dread twisting in my gut. I grip the edge of the table, holding my breath as we wait for the response.

When it comes through, I feel my heart lurch, my eyes dropping to the screen. I gasp out loud, shock and disbelief tightening my throat as I read the words:

You leave us alone, we leave her alone, and this all goes away quietly. This benefits us all.

I stare at Alex, anger simmering just under the surface. “We’re not actually considering this, right? No fucking way we just let them walk away from this.” My voice is sharp, hard—every word pulsing with resolve. “Those monsters deserve to fucking pay for what they did. I won’t let them just disappear into the night.”

Alex meets my gaze, his own eyes steely. “Absolutely not. There’s no fucking way we’re letting them walk. But maybe… maybe we let them believe we will.” He grabs his phone, his thumbs moving fast as he types back a single word:

Deal

He sets the phone down, looking at me with a dangerous glint in his eye. “If they think we’re backing off, they’ll start to let their guard down. It buys us time. We let Ayla heal. You get your follow-up care in order—remember, you almost died. We need you at full strength. And the longer we wait, the more careless Charles and Nathan get, hopefully. When they’re unguarded, that’s when we strike. But make no mistake, Dean—this isn’t forgiveness. This is just the setup. We’re going to make sure they pay. Every last one of them.”

“Should we tell them?” I ask, my voice low, glancing toward the upstairs where Ayla is already lying down. The question hangs in the air, heavy with uncertainty.

Alex nods, rubbing the back of his neck, tension etched in his face. “Yeah, I think we should. It might help Ayla breathe again—help her sleep. The nightmares have been awful, Dean.” His eyes are shadowed with worry as he adds, “Do you want to lie with her tonight?”

I hesitate, my heart tugging for both of them. “Honestly, man, I think you should.” I picture Alex alone, shut away from the people he loves, and it feels wrong. “I’ll be with Zayn tonight. You go. Be with her. Goodnight, Alex.”

He gives me a grateful look, the weight of everything softening for a moment. Without another word, he turns and heads upstairs to his room, where Ayla is waiting—leaving me with the quiet relief of knowing, at least for tonight, we’re all exactly where we need to be.

Ayla

I wake up to screaming—sharp, desperate, echoing off the walls. For a moment, I don’t even know if it’s real or just the echo of my nightmares. My chest is tight, panic choking me, and I’m thrashing, caught in invisible hands. It takes a second, maybe longer, before I realize I’m the one screaming, lungs raw, voice cracking. Hands are on me—gentle, careful, but I can’t process it, can’t tell if I’m safe. The world feels fractured, my body trapped somewhere between the nightmare and the waking world.

I hear Alex’s voice cutting through the fog, soft and desperate, fierce with worry: “Ayla, darling, you’re okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you. I promise.” I shove at him, tears streaming down my face as I fight to get free, limbs flailing, my body still convinced it’s in hell. My pulse is a drumbeat of terror, the room blurring as I try to claw my way back to reality.

“Please don’t touch me,” I sob, voice shredded and broken, not even realizing the nightmare is over. I blink, frantic, trying to orient myself, heart slamming in my chest.

Alex is sitting in the bed, hands up, not touching me, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m right here,” he says again, heartbreak etched into every word, and it undoes me. He looks gutted, hollowed out by helplessness.

Guilt crashes through me. “I’m so sorry,” I manage, voice trembling, shame burning along my skin. I can’t meet his eyes, afraid to see my fear reflected there.

He shakes his head, kindness and worry etched deep in his tired eyes. “Don’t be sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?” he asks, still sleepy but fully present, his whole body an anchor I’m not sure I deserve.

I take a shaky breath, wiping at my tears with trembling hands. “Yeah… actually. Can we go for a walk? I don’t want to go back to sleep.” The nightmare is too close, its claws still hooked in my mind—I need the cold air, movement, anything to remind me I’m alive.

Alex nods immediately. “Yeah, okay. Let me get dressed.” He pulls on a shirt and jacket, still in his sweats, and laces up his shoes. I throw on sneakers and a hoodie over my pajamas, not caring how I look. He holds the door for me, and we slip out into the night.

The air is sharp, biting at my cheeks, clean in a way that makes my lungs ache. I slip my hand into his, grounding myself with the solid, steady feel of him. The city is a ghost at 4 a.m.—streetlights spill long shadows, windows dark, everything hushed and waiting for something to happen. For now, it’s just us—walking, breathing, letting the cold wash the nightmare away.

We walk in silence, the only sound our footsteps on empty pavement. I stare at the sidewalk, trying to steady my breath, until words finally tumble out. “I want to tell you what happened, Alex. I just… I don’t know how. The words feel too big, too ugly.”

Alex squeezes my hand, his grip grounding, his voice gentle but fierce. “You can tell me whatever you want, or nothing at all. It’s your story, Ayla. Nothing you say could ever make me love you less. And either way, I swear—I’m still going after them.”

I choke on a sob, the memory scraping at my throat. “I knew where we were going the minute the car hit gravel, even with my hands tied behind my back. I counted every bump, every turn. I thought maybe it couldn’t get worse, but I was wrong. When Charles took me there before, when I was younger, it was just the two of us and the camera. He… only ever touched me. This time, Nathan was there. He brought new clients. Charles never hurt me the way Nathan wanted to. The way those men wanted to. It was like I was just meat to them. There were times I begged to die, Alex. I really did. In that basement, I… I gave up. I thought I’d never be found. I thought my fate was to carry out clause four in that hellhole, and then—who knows. I stopped hoping, Alex. I stopped believing anyone would come.”

Alex’s jaw clenches, his voice a low growl. “Clause four? That fucking contract. Nathan expected you to stay chained down there…” But his voice trails off, and I wince at his words, the harshness of the truth behind them.

He steps in, cups my face, and looks me dead in the eyes. “Listen to me. They will never fucking touch you again.” He pulls out his phone and shows me the text—a white flag, a promise of a truce. I let out a shaky breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. He brushes his thumb over my cheek. “They think we agreed to a truce. That means we have time. Let’s get you built back up, so you can take your fucking revenge. I’ll help you do it. Whatever you need. As long as I can get a jab in too,” chuckling at the end.