Page 82 of Her Wicked Plan

Huffing out an irritated breath, I slam the journal shut and stand from the bed. I wonder if I go to the common room, I’ll be able to write better. Get a little change in scenery.

Being stuck in this boring, square room isn’t helping. It’s stuffy in here, and I’m getting sick of staring at these beige walls.

Wandering down the hall, slippers warming my feet while the journal is tucked underneath my arm. The pen is hidden between the pages because some of these guards don’t think it’s right for patients to be in possession of one.

They have confiscated more than enough from me. Edith was kind enough to lend me a new pen after knowing I’d stolen most of them from her desk.

Veering around the doorframe into the common room, my eyes immediately find Eliza sitting at one of the square tables, working on a puzzle. She is focused, not even realizing I approached her while she presses the pieces together.

“How long does it take normally to finish one of these?”

Her eyes leave the connected pieces to find my gaze. “Depends on how many pieces there are. This one has 500, which shouldn’t take me too long.”

“Damn. That would take me at least two weeks. Maybe even a month.” I blow out a breath.

“You’re more than welcome to join me.” Her attention goes back to searching for the next piece. “Seeing as you haven’t come to breakfast or lunch.”

I was hoping she would forget. That was the same day that something happened between Leo and I. When Dr. Bennett almost caught us. I was so turned on when I left that I skipped lunch entirely to return to my room and deal with my needs.

“There’s a lot that has been going on...”

“I’m not mad, Ronnie.” She sighs. “I thought you had questions, and I was willing to answer them.”

My brows pull down. “Are you saying you’re not willing to answer them now?”

The piece she chose doesn’t fit, and yet she remains calm. I would have already thrown this whole thing to the ground. “I will if you promise to keep up your end of the deal.”

“Lunch?” She nods. “Okay, tomorrow. We can have lunch tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Eliza then completely brushes me off and focuses on her puzzle again.

I take that as my cue to leave, so that’s what I do.

I swivel on my feet, taking a couple of steps towards my chair, but come to a screeching halt.

What the hell?

Anger floods my body when I see a girl sitting in my chair. This has happened before. Sometimes, I’d find a patient lounging in my chair, not a care in the world, until I appeared before them and kicked them out. They scurried off like scared little mice while I reclaimed what was mine.

Not this one, though. I’d never seen her before, which tells me she is new. What a cold welcome she will get from me. With my fist clenched at my sides, I stalk over towards her.

I stand before her, seeing a book in her lap. The words capture her so much that she’s not even acknowledging my presence.

Her hair is short, a pixie cut with green dye. I assume it was bright at one point, but it has been fading. Say goodbye to the color because you’ll never have it again. Not in this place.

“Can I help you?” Her tone is bitchy when she asks the question. Her eyes still holding attention to the book.

I already don’t like her.

“You’re in my seat.” I point to the chair, returning the same bitchy attitude.

The newbie's eyes lift, a warm blue irises staring at me before twisting in the chair to the headrest. Then she peeks over the arms before sliding her gaze back to mine. “Don’t see your name on it.”

My teeth clench hard enough that a tooth could have chipped. “I’m guessing you are new, so let me fill you in. When I’m in this room, this chair is mine. Everyone knows this.” My eyes scan the room, seeing the other woman watching us quietly. No one dares to speak up. “You want to sit in it when I’m not in sight? By all means, go right ahead, but as soon as I walk through that door, you get your ass off of it.”

She sinks back into the chair, opening her book back up. “I like this chair. It’s comfortable. Broken in. I think I’ll stay here for a while.”

My breathing turns rapid, smoke fuming out of my ears from the rage coursing through me. Her eyes drop back to the book, picking up where she left off while everyone else’s eyes are on me.