TEN
“T he number you have dialed is not available at the moment. Please try again later.”
With a groan, I lock my phone and return it to my back pocket. I’m sipping on tea with my mother and father, though the two lovebirds are too busy with each other to even notice me. It’s like I’m invisible, and it doesn’t feel great.
I clear my throat, trying to bring their attention to me, but to no avail.
They’re sitting across from me and talking in hushed voices. Mother’s smile can reach the moon, and Father’s eyes shine like the stars. The affection and love they have for each other is admirable, though it gets boring seeing it all the time.
“Wait, Kalina,” Father says and brings his eyes to me. “Our daughter wants attention.”
I grimace. “So you’ve finally noticed, huh?”
He rolls his eyes, and Mother pecks his cheek before returning her attention to me. She’s terrible at brewing tea. Yet Ray Campbell drinks it like it’s the most delicious thing that’s ever touched his tongue.
“What’s wrong, honey?” my mother, Kalina, asks with concern written on her face. Most of the time, she’s the coldest and most expressionless person I’ve ever known. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love us, she’s just terrible at showing it. But when Ray is involved, she breaks away from her shell and radiates warmth.
“I can’t reach Dylan,” I say with a sigh, biting my bottom lip in frustration.
I can’t say the past five days without him have been bad. I don’t dislike him. The two of us made our arrangements and agreements to this marriage, and it’s been working thus far.
Dylan has feelings for me, and I’m not blind to that. I try not to hurt him or give him false hope, but it’s getting harder and harder to keep on that mask. We go on dates, I smile at him, and he doesn’t notice that I’d rather be imprisoned than continue this charade.
But I have to do this for the sake of my family.
So it’s a shock that he hasn't tried to reach out to me since our last date on Tuesday. It’s been five days—the longest we’ve ever been without any contact since we’ve met. If he’s busy with work, he lets me know in advance, and we stay in contact via texts.
In the time we’ve been engaged, I’ve come to see him as a genuine friend. That’s the most I can offer him, and he accepts that. He did try to seduce me a couple of times, but he realized on his own that my heart is something I will never give to anyone.
“Do you want me to send someone to look for him?” Ray asks, probably having the same thoughts as me.
I shake my head. “I’ll give it another day or two before looking for him.”
“Alright.” He nods. “Now tell me, why are you being so difficult?”
I wince.
Hudson sent me the location of the bar four nights ago with the message saying he expected me to show up on time. As a little protest, I didn’t go at all. That, and I visited Cecilia, which resulted in both of us getting insanely drunk.
“Why are you allowing this?” I shoot back. “Am I not capable of handling this on my own?”
That’s right, I’m sulking.
And I’m fairly close to throwing a tantrum.
After Hudson gave me this ugly scar and proceeded to stalk me, I had a change of heart. I no longer want anything to do with him until I figure out the easiest way to kill him. Of course, it will be after we deal with this bullshit.
“You are, but you’re also missing the bigger picture. You’ll get to see firsthand all there is to know about them, something I was never able to do. You’ll find a weak spot and if an opportunity presents itself—attack.”
My throat starts closing up, and my eyes are wide in disbelief.
“Are you telling me to break that silly agreement?”
“We’re criminals,” Ray deadpans. “Did you think I’d never think of breaking it?”
“Not really, no. You seem too… proud to be the first one to break it.”
“Correct.” He smiles. “And that brings me to my next point: force them to make the first move. That way, it will be justifiable if you resort to violence.”
I make a mental note to develop a solid plan based on his words. Kalina is silently watching us, a hint of pride on her face. She’s not the one to openly express her feelings, so seeing that makes my heart skip a beat. It’s been too long since I saw happiness on my mother’s face, and I don’t want to stop looking at it.
“So, where’s your middle child?”
Ray snorts at the title. “He’s on house arrest in his apartment.”
I raise an amused brow. “I thought he was in the basement, facing his punishment.”
Kalina gives me a stern look, and Ray clears his throat.
“I couldn’t do it for more than a night. He’s my child, after all.”
“Well, no use crying over spilled milk, right? What’s done is done, and I’m hoping he understands that his actions have consequences.”
Father hums. “Are you talking about your brother or yourself?”
My expression falters. “What?”
He motions with his index finger toward my cheek. “I happened to run across the young De Santis. Care to tell me why exactly the two of you have a matching scar?”
I grit my teeth together and turn my head to the side.
“Listen, Noelle.” The tone of his voice sends shivers down my body, and I’m forced to look at him. “I forgave Nikolas because he’s an idiot. You know better than that, and I will not forgive you if you involve yourself with Hudson.”
I choke out a bitter laugh, push the teacup away from me, and stand up, trying my best to hold my shit together.
“I understand.” I swallow the knot in my throat. “You don’t have to remind me that Nikolas and I have different parents.”
He starts speaking after I start to walk away, but I tune it out. I don’t listen to his words, and I ignore my mother’s request to come back. Instead, I walk out of their house with eyes filled with tears.
The moment I’m sitting in my car, I break down completely.
Jane’s always been the baby of the family. She’s the only one allowed to pursue her dreams away from this hellhole. And that’s what I want for my baby sister, too. To make sure her life is blissful, long, and filled with happiness.
Nikolas, on the other hand, can do no wrong.
He fucked the enemy and faced no consequences. If it were me, I would’ve been stripped of the heir title. I would’ve been locked in the basement until father’s anger subsided, but it’s hard for him to let go of his anger.
I don’t mind being the scapegoat, the one sacrificing everything for this family. I know I’m more capable than Nikolas and Jane combined and that Ray and Kalina have high expectations of me, but hearing that I’m doing well once in a blue moon wouldn’t hurt.
They act like they care about me, but one minor inconvenience and I would get thrown out, disowned, and labeled as a traitor. I’d be hunted down for the rest of my life because my life has no value to them.
That’s why I’m desperate to reach Dylan.
At this point, he’s the only family I have. Jane is far away, Nikolas isn’t worth my time, and Kalina and Ray won’t notice that something is wrong with me unless I say it. And I don’t want to say it.
It’s time for me to face reality.
I’m replaceable, but my skills aren’t. Ray can subtly threaten me all he wants, but we both know he’ll never go through with the threats as long as he has any use for me. Giving me the authority gives him more free time to spend with Kalina. Although I know I’m being used as a pawn in his game, I’m starting to get rid of the anger.
It’s finally time for me to take a step forward—with no steps back.
I’ve waited for this moment my entire adult life, and I’ll be damned if his words get the best of me.
With my sleeve, I wipe the fallen tears and take a deep breath.
The moment I get home, I send a message to Hudson. He’s been blowing up my phone for the past few days, switching between annoying me and demanding I respond. He didn’t show up at my doorstep, which I’m beyond grateful for.
Hudson doesn’t respond for a while.
I don’t know why, but it irritates me. I have many missed calls and at least a hundred texts, so I thought he’d respond as soon as I messaged him. But it’s quiet, and a nauseated feeling fills my stomach.
By the time the clock strikes ten in the evening, instead of sleeping, I’m pacing in my living room, biting my thumb.
Neither Hudson nor Dylan are answering my calls or texts. I’m anxious that something has happened to Dylan and even more that someone managed to kill Hudson before me.
My head snaps to the front door. Someone is furiously pressing the bell, and I hurry toward the door, opening it one swing.
Hudson stands before me, clutching the left side of his stomach. His hand is covered in blood, his shirt soaked in the liquid. The wound continues to gush ichor, and it makes me gag.
“Why are you here?”
Hudson swallows.
“I had nowhere else to go.”
In that moment, the image of him sucking blood off my lips resurfaces behind my eyes. The stinging sensation returns from when he dragged the knife across my cheek, causing me to have a matching scar as this bastard.
The little sympathy I had for him vanishes in the blink of an eye.
“Go find someone who cares.”
I slam the door in his face, making sure to lock it. He leans against the door, and I hear him slump down to his knees.
But I don’t find it in me to open the door and help him.
This mess might end up cleaning itself up.