Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 167671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 838(@200wpm)___ 671(@250wpm)___ 559(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 838(@200wpm)___ 671(@250wpm)___ 559(@300wpm)
And I definitely didn’t walk here by myself.
I rub my face, listening to the weird noises coming from the living room.
What the … what happened to me?
All I remember is dozing off in the forest after Silas and Heath used me, and then …
I cover my mouth with my hand.
Max.
He was there.
I can still remember his smell. The feel of his body against mine. His heartbeat was so fast as I lay against him while sitting on his bike.
I walk to the living room, where the television blasts cartoons.
“Hi, Ivy.” Cora smiles. “You’re awake!”
It’s as if I just walked into a fever dream.
How did I even get here?
Did … Max actually bring me to my apartment?
How did he get inside?
My whole body begins to shiver.
Fuck. I shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe.
“Did you buy the cereal?” Cora asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
“No … not yet.”
She pouts. “Aw…”
“But I will. I’ll get it for you today,” I say.
I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I will.
Cora’s eyes grow bigger. I didn’t even realize I had a shirt on until she points at it. Or that there’s a bloody stain near my pubic bone. “You’re bleeding!”
“Oh,” I mutter, swiftly taking off to the bathroom. “Don’t worry! Lemme just take care of this first.”
I take off the shirt and look at it with a frown. I haven’t worn this in ages.
How did I put this on? Did I even do this myself, or …?
A cold shiver runs up and down my spine.
There are red markings all over my skin.
I grab a towel, wet it under the faucet, and dab my skin until the blood is gone and the letters are clear.
THIEF.
That’s what’s now eternally etched into my skin, thanks to Silas Rivera, a vicious, demonic boy … And I gave him permission to do it, to defile me, use me, hurt me in any way he wanted.
All of it … just so I could keep her safe.
I look at the door as my hand balls into a fist.
“I will protect you,” I whisper softly so she can’t hear. “With every last shred of my dignity.”
“Are you okay?” I can hear her squeaky voice through the door, and it nearly breaks my heart in two.
“I’m fine.” I clear my throat and throw the shirt in the washing bin, then grab a fresh one from the bedroom closet. I reappear through the other door like a magician. “Tada. See? Fine.” I do a weird little dance to make her laugh.
“You’re so funny.” She dances with me and shows off. “See this? I learned this last night from that man.”
I freeze. “What man?”
She sheepishly looks at me. “The man who brought you home.”
“Max,” I mutter.
“Yeah!” She jumps up and down like his name alone makes her happy. “He taught me some cool moves before he left!”
“How did he come into the house?” I ask.
She points at the front door, and I can feel my blood running cold.
I suck in a breath and pat her on the head. “Finish your breakfast now, Cora. It’s about time for me to go back to the university.”
“Aw …”
I swiftly put on a blue skirt and a black top, along with my jacket, and I stuff some high heels into my bag for later. “I’ll see you again in a few, okay?” I kiss Cora on the cheeks. “Be nice to Mrs. Schwartz. She’ll pick you up in five minutes. And if she gives you a tough time, just feed a few of those hot dogs she always gives you at lunch to that wiener dog of hers.”
“Mr. Squiggles?”
“It gives him the runs.” I wink, and her loud giggles are the last thing I hear before I close the door behind me.
CHAPTER 12
Heath
“Where is she? Why isn’t she here?”
“She’s at a boarding school,” Mom says, curling her long blond hair around her finger.
My eyes widen. “WHAT?!”
My nostrils flare as I listen to my parents talk about Cecelia like she’s no longer with us. Like she’s dead and buried, and there’s nothing we can do about it.
“It is for the best,” Dad says, running his fingers through his dirty-blond hair.
“Bullshit,” I growl. “You sent her away.”
“Heath …” Mom sighs. “Please, don’t fight about this.”
“When were you going to tell me you sent away my goddamn sister?” I make a fist with my hand, staring at the coffee in front of me. I thought they invited me over to the house to catch up on things, but this … this is a bombshell I was not prepared for.
Mom sighs, pouting her rosy lips. “We couldn’t. Not until after she’d already left and—”
I slam the table with my hand. “No! Cecelia loved it here. She never wanted to leave. She told me she wanted to go to Spine Ridge University too, and now you’re telling me she’d leave without telling me? No. I don’t fucking believe it.” I scoot my chair back. “You shipped her off to some boarding school, fuck knows where!”