Axel’s kiss caught me by surprise, so I stood frozen, not kissing him back. But that didn’t stop Axel. His lips still moved against mine, his hands shaking intensely.


    My lips twitched, aching to kiss him back, but I pushed that ache aside.


    He couldn’t juste into my life after one year of nothing and do this. It was uneptable.


    I gathered all the strength I could, nted my hands on his chest, and pushed. Caught off guard, he staggered back, that wild look in his eyes now scaring me.


    “How dare-”


    But he was back again, kissing me again. This time I bit his bottom lip so hard that I tasted blood. When he reeled back this time, I pped him. Hard. My palm connected with his cheek, and made a ringing sound that echoed in my ear.


    Axel’s head whipped to the side, his eyes


    wide.


    “You’re mad,” I whispered, my voice shaking, my breathing harsh. “You’ve fucking gone mad, Axel.”


    “And once again, I ask, whose fault is that?” he asked, his voice soft but nk as he turned his head slowly and fixed his dead eyes on me.


    “So it’s my fault you’ve gone mad?”


    “Yes, Rosette. Yes, it’s all your fault, so you should take responsibility for it.”


    “I only take responsibility for what I did, Axel.”


    “But you did this. You made me go mad. You ripped my sanity away from me, Rosette.”


    My throat tightened, and there was nothing I wanted to do but hold him. But I stood still. “I did nothing to you!”


    “But you did!” he shouted and I flinched back from him. He walked to me and I walked back until my back hit the wall. He leaned in, his face close to mine, and his voice dropped. “You’re the cause of this,


    sweetheart. You took a piece of me when you left. You took it and left, and now that ce is empty and it’s rotting. You left me to rot while you lived your best life. You fucking left me insane!”


    His voice broke and I couldn’t look into his eyes anymore, so I closed mine, shaking my head as my throat grew impossibly tight, “Axel…”


    He leaned in closer, his breath warm on my lips. “You think you can just ruin me and leave like that?


    You think you can change my world and leave like it never happened?”


    I was still shaking my head, fighting to hold back my tears. “Axel, stop-”


    “You think you can let another man touch you?” Now his voice was nk again, and I squeezed my eyes tighter as if I tried hard enough, all of this would end. “I haven’t been able to touch another woman for a year, and since I’m suffering because of you, you should suffer too, don’t you think, my gorgeous darling?”


    I heard the sound of his belt unbuckling, I shook my head harder.


    “You’ve ruined me beyond repair, Rosette. So it’s only fair I ruin you too. It’s only fair that I brand myself on you like you’ve done with me. You’ve left your print, so I’ll leave mine.”


    “Axel, please stop,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I did nothing.”


    “Liar,” he whispered, tracing my jaw with the cold metal part of his belt. “You did everything.”


    He grabbed my hand, and my eyes flew open. He dragged me to the center table and forced me to kneel, bending me over the table.


    “Axel, stop!” I screamed, struggling against his hold, but he wasn’t seeing past his madness, his rage.


    He stayed behind me and dragged my gown up, exposing my bottom. I struggled harder, but he had me pinned.


    “It’s only fair, sweetheart,” he whispered, his voice shaking.


    The first crack of the beltnded on my bottom, and I flinched, my eyes going wide as I felt the cold, brutal feel of the belt, followed by the burn,


    The second one followed and I gasped, a tear slipping out of my eye.


    It wasn’t really the burn of the belt, not really the sharp crack of the belt as itnded on my ass. It was Axel. Axel who had once treated me like I was made of ss, who called me precious.


    Have I really broken him? Was it really my fault?


    The third onended, and I cried out when it burned more than the other two. By the fourth, I was shaking, gripping the edge of the table while my bottom slowly grew nude.


    I rested my head on the table, the cold ss stinging.


    “Axel,” I whispered, another tear stipping out of my eye.


    He stopped, the belt falling to the ground. I felt him go still behind me, then I felt his shaking


    “Ro-Rosette,” he whispered, his voice shaking. “Oh, God.”


    He touched my bottom and I hissed, my grip tightening on my table.


    He slowly moved and knelt in front of me, his eyes moving, his hand slowly reaching out and touching my face. I slowly raised my head and looked at him, blinking slowly.


    His eyes were glossy, his jaw moving but no wordsing out.


    “I’m sorry,” he choked out. “God, I’m so sorry, Rosette. I didn’t- I had no control over myself. 1-1 didn’t know what I was doing. I swear.”


    Was I stupid for believing him?


    “It’s okay,” I whispered. “It’s okay.”


    He leaned down, kissing my tears. “I’m so sorry, Rosette,” he kept repeating, his shaking getting worse. “I’m so sorry.”


    “It hurts,” I whispered, closing my eyes.


    He winced. “I know, baby. I’m so damn sorry.”


    “Do you remember when you said you would never hurt me? When you said you’ll be brought down before you ever do something like that?”