He Laughed at My Tears, Now He Cries Alone Chapter 03

He Laughed at My Tears, Now He Cries Alone Chapter 03

I was afraid of cockroaches.

He knew that.

It was my deepest fear.

When I was little, my family was locked in a vicious battle over the estate.

To keep me from my inheritance, my stepmother locked me in a basement full of cockroaches and left me there to die.

There were bones. There was the stench of rot.

That place became a nightmare I could never escape.

I had told Derek all of it.

And he handed that weakness right to Tiffany on a silver platter.

I begged him, but he acted like he couldn’t hear me.

He just watched as Tiffany continued her torment.

“What do you have to feel wronged about?”

“You should be grateful I’m letting you stay by my side.”

“All I’m asking is for you to play along a little. Is that too much?”

“Did you see that?”

“Hurry, lean a little farther forward.”

The men all crowded closer.

The rage building behind my eyes was almost impossible to contain.

“Claire, don’t be scared.”

“When Derek’s done with you, you can come to me.”

“I won’t treat you badly.”

“Get lost. Aren’t you married?”

“Claire, be with me. I’m single now.”

“If you can keep Derek that happy, you must be a demon in bed.”

“I want a taste of that, too.”

In that moment, I was an object on a shelf for them to inspect and bid on.

I stared at them, my voice dangerously clear.

“Derek Lawson. Tiffany Vance.”

“You’d better remember today.”

“I’ll pay you back for this. Double.”

“And those precious families of yours will fall right along with you.”

As soon as I finished, another wave of laughter filled the room.

“You’re just some girl from a small town. What makes you think you can bring down our families?”

Seeing I was trapped, Tiffany surged forward and slapped me.

Her nails raked across my cheek.

A sharp, burning pain flared across my skin.

“I hate your face more than anything.”

“It’s too good at seducing men.”

She leaned in, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

“And I’ll tell you something else.”

“When the bet’s over, I’m going to have the guys grab handfuls of cockroaches and stuff them in your mouth.”

“A disgusting woman like you should eat disgusting things, don’t you think?”

“And after you’ve had your fill, they can have their fun with you.”

I looked right at her.

“You’d better pray you’re not the one eating cockroaches when this is all over.”

“And that you’re not the one they’re having ‘fun’ with.”

“Shut up.”

She slapped the other side of my face.