I Swapped His Fake Gift for a Real Life novel Chapter 16

“Lily! I don’t have time for your crazy shit! Aubrey’s passed out!” Grayson shouted.

I reached out and grabbed a fistful of Aubrey’s hair, yanking her right out of his arms.

She shrieked–very much not unconscious anymore.

I clapped, laughing. “See? Wide awake now!”

Aubrey seethed. “How dare you! Grayson, call someone to lock her up!”

Grayson reached for his phone, but I snatched it. I grabbed Aubrey’s too.

Crack! Both phones shattered against the foyer’s decorative stone.

I tilted my head, grinning like a demon. “Now, no one can interrupt our little game.”

Grayson swung a fist. “You’re fucking insane!”

I caught it, fingers tightening slowly. His bones creaked under the pressure, and he collapsed to his knees in pain.

I tied them both to dining chairs. The electric stove hummed, chicken noodle soup simmering, its rich aroma mingling

with their panicked breaths.

“Look!” I held up my blistered hand to Aubrey. “You burned me.”

I ladled a bowl of scalding soup, golden oil swirling on its surface. “You said I burned you, but I can’t find a single mark on

you.”

Aubrey’s pupils shrank, her chair creaking as she squirmed.

“Lying’s bad,” I sighed, shaking my head. Then, with a flick of my wrist-

“Aaah!” Scalding soup splashed her pale hand, raising angry red welts.

The sound was exhilarating.

“Bitch! I’ll kill you!” she shrieked, her voice warped with pain.

Slap! One hit silenced her.

I pressed a finger to my lips. “Shh. You’ll wake the neighbors.”

My fingers grazed her swollen check. “Cursing’s wrong. You need to be punished.”

I swung, unleashing dozens of slaps. The crisp sound was music. Remembering Lily’s wedding, her face bruised by their

Chapter 6

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hand, I ha harder

Fach wrive was for ber–one after another, relentless, antal 1 counted the final blows under my breath “Ninety–seven.

ninety right ninety–nine, one hundred

Aubrey’s face was a bloody, swollen mess, her mouth too wrecked to speak

The soup still bubbled on the table. I gently lifted her chin, wiping blood from her face. “Look, you’re hurt now… wounded people need nourishment.”

I scooped a spoonful of steaming soup, blowing on it under her terrified gaze. “Here, I’ll feed you.”

She shook her head frantically, soup splattering her trembling lips.

1 pinched her cheeks, forcing her mouth open.

The scalding soup burned down her throat. Her eyes bulged, body convulsing like a fish out of water, before she collapsed,

lifeless, in the chair.

“This time…” I patted her red, swollen face, “you’re really out.”

Grayson thrashed in the next chair, muffled groans escaping the rag stuffed in his mouth, veins bulging on his forehead.

I walked over, patting his face gently, “Don’t worry. Your turn’s coming”