WHAT UP PEEPS! It took me a solid four hours, but I'm finally done with Chapter 36! I've had this chap planned out in my head for a solid six months, and I'm super happy with how it turned out! Let me know what you think in the comments, and stay tuned for more updates!

Ellison's eyes fluttered open, the hazy cloud of sleep that still fogged her mind making it hard to concentrate as she took in her surroundings. Furrowing her eyebrows, the corners of her mouth tugged down into a confused frown as she realized she was back in her bedroom. How had she gotten there? The last thing she remembered was standing in the alleyway outside Tom's flat before.... Avery.

"Awake already?" A cold voice called as realization hit her. Jerking her head around, her eyes fell on Avery, who was seated comfortably on the foot of her bed.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, realizing, as she made an effort to stand, that her wrists were tied firmly to the chair she sat in.

"Something I should've done a long time ago," Avery responded, standing up, his eyes dark with a malevolence that sent chills down Ellison's spine.

"Let me go," She said firmly, jerking against the rope that bound her.

"No..." Avery smirked, taking a step towards her. "I don't think I will."

"If Tom knew-" She began.

"But he doesn't," He cut her off. "No ... The two of you aren't on speaking terms, are you?" He continued mockingly. "By the looks of it, you're on your own ... No Tom Riddle to step in and save the day."

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, keeping her eyes trained on Avery, who had closed the short distance between them, and was standing a few feet in front of her now.

"Because you ruined everything," He replied, his tone thick with contempt.

"I didn't do anythi-" She began, but he cut her off.

"You turned him against me!" He yelled angrily.

"You did that yourself," Ellison bit back. A loud smack echoed through the room as Avery's hand made contact with her face, the force behind it snapping her head to the side. Blinking the tears away from her eyes, she turned her head back around to face him.

"You know," Avery began, his voice deathly calm now. "I thought it'd be over when Tom left you ... I thought that would be it. That he would move on ... Forget you." He snickered bitterly. "But no ... Here you are, over a decade later, back and still sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"I didn't ask to be pulled into this mess," She said, ignoring the shooting pain that had consumed the left side of her face.

"You didn't object though, did you? When he brought you up here and-"

"Shut up," She cut him off, gritting her teeth.

"Let me guess, he told you he loved you afterwards, didn't he?" Avery pressed on, his menacing smirk returning.

"Shut up!" She yelled, anger bubbling up inside her.

"You don't think he could ever actually love you, do you?" Avery asked, giving her a patronizing look. "People like Tom Riddle aren't capable of love. You're a distraction ... That's all you've ever been. An obstacle he keeps tripping over."

"So what? You think killing me will bring him to his senses? That he'll thank you for getting rid of me?"

"Maybe not," Avery shrugged. "It'll certainly make me feel better though," He added, taking another step towards her. Pressing his wand against her neck, he ran it down the length of her collarbone, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine. "You have no idea how long I've thought about this day ... The things I'd do to you," He continued in a low voice, circling the chair she was bound to.

Ellison jerked against her restraints, her wrists searing with pain as the ropes dug deeper into her skin. "Oh, don't flatter yourself," Avery chuckled at the sickened expression that had flickered across her face at his words. Reaching forward, he brushed a thumb against her bottom lip, a bright red substance staining its surface as he pulled away. "The things I have planned aren't nearly as pleasurable for you as that would be," He added mockingly, raising the bloody thumb to his lips and pressing it against his tongue. "Now..." He continued, his eyes darkening as he glared down at her. "Should we get started now or wait for little Calla and Ella to get home?"

"Wh-What?" She stammered, her angry expression faltering.

"Not so tough now, are we?" Avery sneered, twirling his wand between his fingers. "I had assumed they would be home by now, but-"

"Leave them out of this!" She shouted, her eyes shooting daggers into Avery's.

"I wonder..." He continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "Should I kill their mother in front of them, or kill them first so you can watch?"

"This doesn't concern them Avery! Your fight's with me, not them," She pressed on, suppressing the panic that was rising within her.

"No, but hurting them is the best way to hurt you," He replied matter-of-factly. "You see," He continued, crouching down until he was eye level with her. "That's what happens when you love someone ... They become a weakness ... A way for people to hurt you."

A light creak sounded from downstairs, followed by a thud as the front door closed shut. "Ah, that must be them," Avery said, clapping his hands together as he stood upright and turned towards the bedroom door.

"Avery!" Ellison called, the same panic she had repressed moments before, overtaking her as she jerked against her restraints, ignoring the, now intense, pain shooting though her wrists. "AVERY PLEASE!" She pleaded, her voice cracking. She watched, tears gliding down her cheeks, as he reached for the door knob.

"Ellison?" A familiar voice called from downstairs causing both of them to freeze ... Tom.

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