Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 103852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Mom doesn’t slap me this time, but she bunches her fingers in my shirt and lifts me up by it. Up close, she’s pretty in a scary kind of way. Like witches from cartoons. “Tell me what she said, you little fucker!”
I can’t breathe.
It’s not the first time I haven’t been able to breathe. Mom used to place a pillow over my face when she caught me crying to make me stop.
That’s why I don’t do it anymore. That’s why I want to get used to pain, so I won’t need to cry.
The book that Aunt Annika bought me falls to the floor with a thud as I grab Mom’s hands with my smaller ones, trying to remove them.
“M-Mom…”
Her expression doesn’t change as she stares down at me. “You think you’re in pain, you fucking bastard? How about the pain I went through to give birth to you? Do you believe I wanted an illegitimate child? I’m Dominika Alekseev, first in my class at Harvard Medical School, and yet, I sacrificed myself. Instead of aborting your bastard existence, I gave birth to your father’s fucking spawn so he’d leave that bitch. But did he? No. She’s some fucking nobility, after all, and holds more value to him, even childless. So don’t sit there thinking you mean anything except to serve as a bridge between me and your father. You are my son, as unwanted as you are, and you will not take that bitch’s side over mine or I will fucking kill you. I will finish the life I gave you. Understand?”
She shoves me against the chair and I suck in a long gulp of air, gasping and wheezing. The wood digs against my side and a stray splinter stabs into my arm. Tiny droplets of blood appear on the surface of my skin before sliding down onto the book.
I rush forward, falling to my knees on the wood floor, and wipe the cover of The Nutcracker with the back of my hand.
Mom yanks the book from my fingers.
“Mom, no!”
Her head tilts to the side. “She gave you this, didn’t she?”
I shake my head once.
“Don’t lie to me. She’s the only idiot who loves this trash.” A sly smile paints her lips as she opens it and positions her hands to tear it. “Are you going to tell me what she said?”
“I…she…”
“What?”
I don’t want her to rip my book, but I also don’t want to tell her about Aunt Annika.
“Fine, then, you little bastard.”
“No!” I lunge toward her. “She…she said we’d go on a vacation.”
She raises a brow. “Vacation? Where?”
“Russia.”
She laughs, her perfect white teeth showing under the red lipstick. The sound is so loud that I want to place both hands on my ears and not listen to her anymore.
“Well, well. The model good girl plans on leaving.” Still clutching the book, she retrieves her phone and walks to the fireplace.
Mom stares at the book and mutters, “Trash,” and throws it into the burning flames.
I spring forward, trying to get it back, but the fire has already eaten it. Tears sting my eyes and I hit Mom’s leg. “You said you’d leave my book alone!”
“I lied. Now, hush.” She pushes me away and I fall on my butt on the floor beside her. The sting makes me wince, but I learned to mask it quickly.
Mom places the phone to her ear and a hand on her hip. “There’s a change of plans… Yes…an accident…tonight…”
After she hangs up, she turns around to face me with a triumphant smile, the one that looks like the bad guy. “You finally proved your worth, tiny bastard.”
“Are you going to let me go to see Aunt Annika this weekend?”
“Nope.”
“But Dad said…”
“Your dad won’t be taking her side anymore, Adrian. Because no matter how long he stays with her and no matter how much Bitch Annika and I worship at his feet, only one person matters to him. The one person who will carry on his legacy.” She tilts her head to the side. “You.”
I stand up, meeting her head-on. “Dad said I could spend the weekend with Aunt Annika.”
“You won’t be able to anymore.”
“Why not?”
She leans in to whisper in my face. “Because your beloved Annika is finally going to disappear.”
“No…” Tears stream down my cheeks. All I can think about is her smile, even the sad one, the hugs, and how much she cares about me. She can’t disappear and leave me with Mom and Dad.
“Yes. It’s about time she does.” Her phone rings again and she smiles. “That was faster than I expected.”
I watch her as she listens to someone on the other end. Her brows draw together and her red lips twist. The weight in my chest lifts as if it were never there. When Mom is mad, it means Aunt Annika is safe.