The Game

The Game
Natalie Clarke


Copyright © 2020 Natalie Clarke
All rights reserved.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Natalie Clarke
https://natalieclarke98.wixsite.com/website
Paperback ISBN: 9798647437907
Ebook ASIN: B088X2FND5


Playlist
‘Is This Love’ – Whitesnake
‘November Rain’ – Guns ‘n’ Roses
‘In The Night’ – The Weeknd
‘Cool’ – Dua Lipa
‘Hold Me While You Wait’ – Lewis Capaldi
‘Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby’ – Cigarettes After Sex
‘Falling’ – Harry Styles
‘Bruises’ – Lewis Capaldi
‘Apologize’ – One Republic ft. Timbaland
This book is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to mature and explicit content. This book may be unsuitable for some audiences as it contains explicit sexual scenes, references to suicide, gambling addiction and some scenes of sexual violence from the offset.
If any of these are offensive to you, this book may not be for you.
Please excuse some British spellings of some words, please remember that I am a British author writing American characters in a story that takes place in the USA.
For my best friend Meghan.


Prologue
There’s a room.
A sliver of light filters in through the small crack in the curtains, casting the room in shadows of darkness, what little light there is, is cast onto the only piece of furniture in the empty room, a bed.
It’s dark.
It’s so dark, I can barely see a thing.
Everything is still and calm.
My eyes search the room, looking for any sign of movement.
There’s nothing, just, silence.
I hear a muffled scream, but it’s like I’m listening through a wall. It sounds like a woman.
Then I see her.
She’s thrust from the shadows and into the light, falling onto the bed hard as though she were pushed, she lands on her front though she rights herself quickly.
From where I’m stood, she looks young, she can’t be any older than twenty. She has long dark red hair that glistens in the light. Her slim frame makes her look so tiny on the huge bed.
She draws her knees up under her chin, wrapping her thin arms around her legs, hugging them tightly to her chest.
She’s scared.
I look closer, she looks familiar.
She shifts her position slightly and then I see it, her face is so much clearer now, I know her.
Sara Godfrey.
My mother.
I recognise her from photographs I was shown when I was younger.
How did I not see it before?
Her eyes are fixated on something I can’t see, something that’s hidden in the dark.
Something, or someone?
A tall, well-built man steps into the light, his knees brushing the edge of the bed as he stares down at the girl.
I can’t see his face. All I can make out is that he seems to be middle-aged, if not a little younger. Despite his age, he looks strong, really strong.
My eyes flick back to the girl on the bed, to the look of pure terror on her face as she stares up at him.
Something in the back of my mind is telling me that I know this man, but I can't put my finger on it.
Oh my God, it’s him.
Fuck.
Suddenly, his arm shoots forward and grips the girl on the back of her neck forcefully, pulling her closer.
She whimpers, clawing at his huge hand in an attempt to escape his grasp, but it has no effect.
He tugs her closer and crashes his mouth to hers forcefully, before tipping forward so that he’s towering over her on the bed. She struggles, kicking and squirming underneath him, which only makes him tighten his grip on her.
She cries, her muffled screams echo through the empty room.
“No!” I shout.
I need to get to her, I need to help her, but I can’t.
A thick wall of glass separates us.
I watch as he tears her dress off and rips her underwear away from her, forcing his way between her trembling legs while he undoes his jeans.
My fists clench at the thought at what happens next, a low growl rising up my throat.
He covers her body with his as he forces himself inside.
She screams, the sound tearing through her.
“No. Stop! Get away from her!” I bang my fists against the glass, but it’s no use.
Her screams turn into sobs, as his punishing thrusts become rougher and harder. She continues to struggle but after a few minutes, she stops fighting, she simply gives up. Her body goes slack, her hands falling to her sides.
“Stop!”
Where she lies, pinned down on the bed beneath him, she turns her face to me, looking directly at me as though she can see me through the glass.
Her eyes are filled with tears, pleading with me to help, but I can’t.
I pound my fists harder against the glass, over and over but nothing happens.
I roar in anger, my palms pressed flat against the glass, I cast my eyes down to the ground as I regain my breath, squeezing my eyes shut in frustration.
I force my gaze back up to the scene in front of me, when I realise that the girl on the bed is no longer my mother…
It’s her.
I wake with a start. My body slick with sweat, my heart hammering against my ribs, only one word escapes my lips as I gasp for breath.
“Hayley.”


Chapter 1
Hayley
“So what was it this time?” I ask, my chin resting in the