PROLOGUE
Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords: but, like all other pleasures immoderately enjoyed, the excesses of hope must be expiated by pain. —Samuel Johnson
Lisa
“TELL ME YOU love me!” he screamed, fists clenched. He was high on pills; then again, he was always high on pills.
“Tay…” I licked my lips and tried to maintain a sense of calm. “…get down.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “No, no, no, I don’t think so, not until you tell me!” He moved to the ledge of the bridge and leaned over, laughing, swaying, and dipping his feet below the edge, making a giant joke out of nearly killing himself. He turned quickly, almost falling. I gasped, and he righted himself and stared me down, his face twisting with rage. “Say it.”
“Tay—”
“Say it, damn it! Say you love me! Say it, say it, say it, say it!” His voice went hoarse from screaming as he pounded his chest.
Things hadn’t always been like this.
I used to think we were in love.
I used to think our relationship was… just passionate.
“I’m going to jump if you don’t say it, Mel.” His smile was cruel. “Do you really want that on your conscience for the rest of your pretty life? Do you even realize who I am? What my death would do to you?” He laughed again as tears streamed down his face. “I may as well be a god to you. That’s how much I own you. I’ll always own you.”
“Tay...” I stepped forward, my heels clicking against the cement. “…I love you, I love you so much, now please…” my voice shook, “please just get down.”
“I always knew this moment would come.” He went completely still; the wind blew his dark, wavy hair across his forehead. “When I wouldn’t be able to control it anymore, when you’d finally try to run away,” he sneered. “When you’d lie to my face!”
I shook my head, panic rising in my chest. He’d always been dramatic, controlling, bat-shit crazy, but recently he’d been threatening to kill himself more and more. He’d almost succeeded the month before. “Taylor, please baby, I love you. I can’t live without you!” I held out my hands in front of me. “Just come off the ledge.”
He threw his head back and laughed, almost losing his footing. “It’s hilarious how much I control you. I’m going to ruin your life, you know that?”
“Taylor!” I yelled. “This isn’t funny! This isn’t a game. Just get down!”
He did a little jig on the ledge and laughed harder. “I took care of everything, you know… everyone will find out. I took notes. It was too easy… too easy to take you, but you made me feel, and I don’t want to feel, Mel. Not anymore. It hurts too bad. But you know what? In a bit it won’t hurt anymore, and I’ll be happy knowing that I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life. You see, even in my death, your soul is mine. Your body is mine.”
His smile was cruel. I fought the urge to throw up as each word pounded into my brain — as absolute truth.
“I own you,” he whispered. “One more chance, Mel. Do you love me?”
His head tilted so far to the right I thought he would lose his balance.
In that moment, the hate won over the fear. I was so tired of being afraid, so tired of being controlled, just so, so tired.