Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Seven years ago
Viktor
“Where is she?” My voice sounded too low, too weak to counteract the inky darkness, to give me the answers that I needed.
“She's gone, Viktor. I am so sorry,” the doctor in the white lab coat said. His facial expressions didn’t match his words, though. Even then, I understood that people lie to get what they want and to make their own lives easier.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my fists clenched at my sides. My brain refused to comprehend his words.
He took two steps over to me and put a heavy hand on my shoulder. “We did everything we could.”
I shook my head. “If you had done everything, she would be here!”
“I promise you, we tried,” the doctor continued. Another lie.
I knew my sister was sick. I knew it.
“I brought her here two days ago. I told you she was sick. You sent her home and told her she needed some over-the-counter meds and sleep!”
My sister didn't need more sleep. She coughed up blood. But we had no money for a doctor. I came here, offering them anything I could give, but they had no use for a young man like me.
“I told you,” the doctor said, his voice hard. “When she came here the other day, she was fine. She had a little bit of a cold. Tonight, she was in great distress, yes, but we did everything we could. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I can send someone out to talk with you—”
I lifted him by his coat and threw him against the wall so hard his skull cracked against it. One of the nurses screamed while someone else frantically called for security.
I advanced on him. “You asshole. You could've saved her, and you did nothing.” I punched him again and again, and when he fell to the floor blocking his face, I kicked his ribs.
I knew how this would go. This wasn't my first rodeo. I had thirty more seconds before a team of “security guards”—half-assed, skinny dudes who couldn't cut it in real law enforcement—would come here and tell me to put my hands up, tell me to leave, and threaten to stop me.
I had just enough time to impart the lesson I needed to. I lifted the doctor and shook him. “I don't know why you're here or who the hell you think you are, but you let a little girl die, and it's all your fault. I want that on your fucking conscience.”
I could have killed him right then, right there. I could have ended him, but I didn't want his life on my own conscience.
I marched out of that hospital, everybody stepping out of my way. I was already too big for anyone to stop me, even the security guard.
No. It was just me now. All alone. And I was going to find someone who valued me, who could use my fists, my strength. I would never, ever let anyone weak or vulnerable suffer again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lydia
I am definitely nervous about today. While I might come across as a confident woman, it's something else entirely when you're about to meet your future husband's family.
What if they hate me? What if they've already formed preconceived notions about me? His brother certainly seems to have done that. There's hope, though, because I haven't met his sister-in-law, his sister, or his mother.
But as a woman, those are the ones I am most afraid of. What if I don’t fit in here? I’ve never fit in anywhere.
Who the fuck cares? Since when have I really cared about the opinions of other people?
I blow out a breath and look at myself in the mirror.
Yeah, I’ve cared about that since I took my first breath as a human being. Sure, I'm at least outwardly confident, and I've mostly gotten over the need for approval from others. But I still have an intrinsic need to belong.
How do I put this makeup on, anyway? I look at the array of makeup on my counter. While I thought I was pretty confident using it, I wonder if I could learn something new.
I pick up the new phone Viktor gave me, sleek and beautiful, in a soft purple matte case. I've never owned anything like it before. When I touch the screen, it springs to life, vivid colors filling the display so quickly it feels almost space-age.
I notice a tiny dot in the top right corner of the screen, barely noticeable unless you're looking for it. It's a subtle but persistent red blink.
“What the hell is that?” I mutter to myself, my curiosity piqued. Leaning closer, I squint at the dot. It looks like a small camera or a tracking device, but I can't be sure. I tap it lightly with my finger, but nothing happens. It's just a tiny, blinking dot.