Chapter One
Milly
I stare at my favorite spot on the ceiling and squeeze my sister’s hand.
Her sobs break my heart, and I wish I could make it better, but I can’t.
Greg will come soon and leave her alone.
His grunts get deeper and more malevolent-sounding when he is close.
I wish he didn’t slam into her so hard because her whimpers are what hurt me the most. I never understood why he rapes her and not me, because I’d take it on in a heartbeat to save her from this.
From him. Greg is a powerful man with considerable wealth and ties to everything.
He isn’t someone you can throw under the bus so easily.
“Goddamn it, this tight pussy,” Greg groans quietly in her ear. He always assumes I am sleeping, or he just knows I won’t say anything to protect Molly.
Finally, he comes. He took longer this time. When he gets off the bed, her cries continue long after he leaves the room. He always does this. He just walks in, rapes her, and walks out like nothing happened.
Mom doesn’t care. I have tried to tell her before what he does to her, but all that does is piss her off.
When we were about fifteen, I finally worked up the courage to tell on him, but instead of leaving him, we were sent to boarding school until we were eighteen.
All I wanted to do was protect my twin sister, but I was treated like I was insane and making things up.
I need to get her out of here, though. We are twenty-four and long overdue to get the fuck out of here.
I promised her I would wait until she was ready to make those waves.
When Molly finally stops crying and falls asleep, I quietly and carefully get out of our bed to sneak down to the bathroom.
It takes so much out of me to lie there and not help her, but I can’t do anything about it.
I’ve heard him tell her over and over again that if she or I say anything, he will kill her.
I know he will, too. Hell, he might kill me as well.
I step under the scalding hot water and let it wash away everything I just witnessed.
I feel worn down, and I need an escape. I need to feel something other than regret for not bashing his fucking head in for hurting my sister.
After a while, I reach out of the shower and grab the small razor I brought with me.
I don’t always do this after he rapes her, but tonight just hit differently, I think.
I sit on the shower floor while the scalding water rains down on me and pick a new spot on the top of my thigh.
It’s not too far up, but it will be easy to hide.
It’s summer, and I wear a lot of dresses, so I have to be careful about how far down I cut.
I sigh—almost in relief—when the blade digs into my flesh, slicing just deep enough to quiet the world.
The blood runs down my leg to drip down the floor, where it is washed down the drain.
I drop the razor and sit back against the wall to let myself feel this for a moment.
How is it that from the outside looking in, we are this perfect little family with a perfect little home?
Mom and Greg have two perfect daughters who got perfect grades.
Not that any of that matters, because I’m not allowed to get a job.
The degree was just so no one thought I was an idiot, I guess.
Greg always said that no man would want to marry a dumb woman, and I needed to be smart enough to know when to get on my knees.
How that makes sense to him is beyond me.
Greg dragged us all into this society shit that is based heavily on BDSM.
I don’t even want to know what Mom and Greg do, but Molly and I are being dragged into it.
More so me than Molly, though. They won’t even tell me why I have to do all the shit and why they exclude Molly.
Maybe it’s because Greg wants to just keep Molly here with him.
Eventually, I get up and wash myself before getting out and placing a bandage on the new cut.
Molly is still asleep when I crawl back into bed, so I face the wall and try to get some sleep.
Tomorrow, I am being made to take some stupid test so The Society can match me with a husband.
After that, I have my therapy appointment.
I have been through so many psychiatrists since Dad killed himself when we were ten, but I’ve been with Dr. Torres for two years now.
Of course, who I see has to be approved by not only Greg, but The Society as well.
Grayson hates Greg, especially since he knows about everything he does to Molly.
I won’t consent to him reporting it, but I know Grayson won’t say anything.
My favorite days of the week are when I get to see Grayson for two hours on Fridays, but only an hour on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Tomorrow is Wednesday, so I get to spend an hour with him.
I end up falling asleep with Grayson on my mind because he is the only thing that brings me any sense of peace in this world.