I Still Hate You by Marie Skye (top 100 novels .txt) 📕

strand of hair behind my ear. “Was that a really bad dream?” I whispered. He shook his head and dread went through me all over again. I didn’t think so. I wasn’t that lucky. I felt sick. I felt betrayed. I felt violated. I felt dirty. I sat up trying to think. I didn’t have to though; Ash had already done it for me.

“We need to file a police report. Do you have any of your things there? If so, I’ll get them, you’re not going back there.” I dropped my head in my hands. Everything was happening so fast.

“Claire,” I whispered.

“I already talked to her. She was just as shocked as you were. She’s also filing a report.”

“Did everyone know what was happening?”

Ash sighed, leaning against the headboard. “I doubt it. The supposed website isn’t actually searchable, so I’m guessing dark web or some shit. Luckily, I know a few hackers. They were able to infiltrate the server as well as the list of names that had access to it. But that wasn’t even the tip of the fucking iceberg.”

I braced myself for whatever he had to add. “There was a forum—a highly active one. There was also one where your friend Felix admitted to placing cameras in bedrooms of the girls he hooks up with. You weren’t the only one being filmed.”

My eyes grew wide, as I started to scramble out of his bed to run to my room to check for cameras but Ash held me still. “I already traced yours. There was one, but Crouton was blocking its view,” he said smiling. I sighed in relief. I had never been happier for a plant in my life. Emotions started to get the best of me as I bowed my head. “Hey, look at me.” He placed his hand under my chin so I had to look at him. “It won’t happen again. I promise you.”

I nodded as he pulled the covers up around us and I laid my head against his chest as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He saved me months ago and didn’t even know it. I guessed I couldn’t hate him anymore. Maybe because I kinda loved him.

Epilogue

Perrie

Three months later

“What does that do?”

I silently laughed as the nurse smiled at Ash. “It’s just alcohol to sterilize the area.” For five days straight, two times a day, I was given a bone marrow stimulant. It’s now D day. I flinched as I moved to change positions. Before I could even ask, Ash placed the heating pad on the area of my back that had the most tenderness.

“All your vitals look good, are you ready?” I nodded as they prepped my arm with the needle injections as well as anywhere else on my body. Ash was already paling but still decided to be a trouper and held my hand. “Deep breaths, in and out, in and out,” the nurse spoke softly to me. After a few minutes, she stood up. “Alright. Eight hours. You got this, okay?”

I nodded, relaxing against the recliner. I looked to Ash who still looked pale as he stared at my arms. “Hey,” I said to him. “You better get it together, we’re back here tomorrow.”

He winked at me. “Wherever you are, I’ll be, babe.”

I sat back and closed my eyes. The past few months had been absolutely insane. Once word got out about the secret recordings, shit hit the fan. That so-called sponsorship Frank claims we had? Totally false. The company even released a statement expressing their disappointment that not only were their names used in an attempt to advance a place of work, but also volunteered to cover all legal fees for any of the women that wanted to come forward.

Frank was fucked. Frank also got sixty years, on top of the other sixty years from the Federal Government. It turns out Frank didn’t like paying taxes but loved embezzling. Oh, and there was that weird fact that he associated with terrorists.

Bad Frank.

Those with access to the website didn’t fare any better. There were two hundred and sixty members. The secretive spying was nothing compared to everything else they found. I imagined bigger prisons would need to be made.

As for Ash and me? Well, sometimes things change. Sometimes things are said and done for a reason. Sometimes greater things have to happen for you to get your shit together. But don’t worry, I don’t hate him.

“I can’t believe I’m taking you home to meet my parents.” I threw a few more things in my suitcase then mentally looked everything over to make sure I had enough.

“Well you know, when two people fall in love, it’s only natural they meet each other’s family. It’s like we’re officially serious now.” I rolled my eyes and hit him with a pair of balled-up socks. “But truth be told, I can’t pass up Thanksgiving food. It’s why I packed all my sweatpants,” he said, coming to stand by me while I surveyed the items in my suitcase. Ash grabbed the snorkel from my suitcase and threw it across the room.

“I mean this with no judgment, but you can’t even swim, when would you need this and why?”

I shook my head. “You never know, we could suddenly pass an ocean that needed to be snorkeled.”

“It’s a three-hour drive, Perrie.”

He was no fun. I zipped my suitcase up and prepared to lift it when he yelled and practically shoved me out the way. “No heavy lifting. Did you just forget you donated stem cells?” Of course, I couldn’t forget. The back pain still reminded me. “I’ll load it into the van, you about ready?”

I nodded, looking around the room. Most of everything was in boxes, with a huge pile going into storage and a very small pile of what was going in my van. Or I should say, our van. When I was resting in between treatments, Ash was finishing the van for me. I didn’t