My brows pinch as I look at her. “What?”
“Did you just say, Harley?” I give a small nod, and her eyes gradually close. “Harley is dead, Hell. She died in a car accident with her mother. I don't know what he is saying, but...”
“She fucking isn’t. Noir has told me she’s Harley, but she claims Kyro had her locked up for all these years, raping her.”
Her face pales before she stands slowly, pacing the room until she stops, her eyes searching mine. “Not long before they both ‘died,’ Kyro found out that Harley’s mom, Hana, was having an affair,” she says. “With your father.”
My eyes widen, and I stand quickly. “What?” I shout.
“I didn't tell you, Hell, because they were both dead. It wasn't of importance,” she tries to explain.
“But she isn't,” I bite out. “She’s right fucking here, and I am utterly obsessed with her.”
Her eyes soften, and she circles the desk until she is standing in front of me. “You know what he is like. He is vile. Please don't hurt her,” she shudders out, placing a shaky hand on my arm.
“But she killed him, Ma. I’m order to… She—”
She sighs, dropping her hand. “What I am about to say to you might make you hate me forever, but I’m going to say it anyway.”
I draw a deep breath, strolling past her, and take another seat, willing to listen. “He's playing games, Hell. He knew you would fall for her, and strangely, it makes sense,” she says, and I watch her every move as she sits behind her desk again.
“Your father and Harley's mother couldn't stay away from one another as well. From what I heard all those years ago anyway. He was besotted by her, and Kyro knew that.”
I sit up again, ready to hear more. “There were rumours going around that he caused that crash, and there were whispers that he could have been involved with your father's death as well, butyou know how much trash people talk in this world,” she waves her hand while taking a swig of her wine, and my brain ticks with unanswered questions.
“You’re saying this is a fucking revenge thing?”
She gently places her glass down while thinking, and then she looks at me, giving a nod. “Revenge can do crazy things to a man, Hell, especially a man like Kyro,” she states. “As I said, he’s playing games and it’s now too obvious. He is not only punishing Noir, but he is also attempting to punish you as well, for something that is neither of your faults. He wanted you to fall for Noir the same way his brother fell for his wife. Then he wants you to kill her, ripping her away from you entirely. Think about it.”
As I sit there silently, my head lowered, my brain mulls over everything. It makes perfect fucking sense, and my rage mounts, hating this motherfuck more than ever.
“Again, you might hate me for this, Hell.” Madame’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and I lift my eyes to look at her. “If they did keep her locked up and rape her for years, can you really blame her? There is only so much someone can take before they finally snap.”
My jaw tenses, my soul aching as I dip my head again, knowing she’s right. The thought that they hurt my Dolly like they did in such a horrific way, breaking her to what she has become, makes me want to kill him so much more than I could ever want to kill her.
When I looked into her tearful eyes as she screamed it at me, I could hear and see there wasn’t a fucking lie. It was pure pain and truth that seemed to shatter through me. They hurt her, they hurt her so fucking bad. I know exactly what my uncle is, but I am more outraged that Kai would do it too. I didn’t want tobelieve it, but I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the fucking tree.
A new thought arises in my mind, and I look sharply at Madame. “Does Harley have a sister named Arabella?”
She shakes her head slowly. “No, she was Hana's and her father’s only child.”
I try to piece it all together internally until she speaks again, her voice gentle but firm. “She came to me the other day, asking for anti-depressants. She said she has been hallucinating and seeing her sister here. Her mental state is so fragile, Hell.”
Could Noir be seeing and hearing things and truly believing she has a sister? I guess there is only one way to find the fuck out.
After speaking to Madame for some time, I sat on the carousel for a while, trying to clear my frantic mind and figure out where the fuck I go from here, but no matter which way I looked at it, the answer was always crystal clear and unmistakeable. It all makes sense now. Why she wanted control on Dark Night. How she knew what drug to use to knock me out. All the little slip ups that had no real meaning, but now they do.
As soon as I arrive back at the trailer, I jog upstairs, seeing Soul by his door and I give him a nod before entering my bedroom. I spot her right away, and she pushes herself back against the headboard, knees up, hugging mini dolly.
Her eyes are puffy from all the crying, and she attempts to avoid looking at me. I hate seeing her scared of me like this. I know we play our fucked-up games, but this is an entirelydifferent level of fear I am getting from her, and I don’t fucking like it.
Once I’ve locked the door, I pull off my jacket while staring at her. When my hoodie is off as well, I kneel onto the bed and her red eyes flash to mine. I crawl toward her, and the nearer I get, the more she curls into herself.
When I reach out, I take her leg and tug it without breaking eye contact. She’s tense at first, looking at me warily until she lets me extend it. My hand moves down the back of her calf until it reaches her ankle, my gaze following the movement. I examine the scars on her ankle, now understanding why she was so worried and compassionate toward M. She saw something in him that represented what she went through.
“This is from where you were chained?” I ask, still looking at the markings.
“Yes,” she finally whispers.
