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I know we’ve been distant, but that has to count for something, right?

I hope I fix our relationship before I leave. For good.

Sergei is safe.

Roman told me that Vasily died from blood loss.

He said. “Dollface, you hit a nerve.” And cackled at his morbid joke.

No one can hurt Sergei anymore, not even me. I still wonder how he’ll react once he reads my letter. He didn’t read it before, considering I found it in the same place I left.

Vasily’s touch ruined me again, and when Sergei was in the hospital, my phone kept on ringing with messages I couldn’t ignore and memories I couldn’t hide from.

I am fulfilling the promise I made.

It’s true, so much has changed, and yet nothing truly has. And if I continue to breathe, he might harm Sergei.

A tear slips past my eye and I wipe it abashedly, looking around to see if Alec or Alina noticed.

Lucky for me, they are busy arguing. Alec places his hand on top of hers but she swats it away with a loud hiss.

“What? I wanted to touch the gear, snezhinka.” He chuckles.

“How about I touch your gear and squash it in my hand?” She hisses again, her fire is so unreal yet alive, it only adds to her beauty.

That earns another loud chuckle from Alec as he nods. I think they’ve forgotten I exist; I could jump out of the moving car and they won’t even notice.

“Amara?” I mumble in a low voice, her entire head is shaved off, covered with white bandages, her right hand is broken and so is her leg, protected in a cast.

Tears stream down my eyes as I glance at my sister’s broken body.

Her eyes open slowly, looking everywhere to comprehend with reality and then they widen when they land on me.

She looks at me, her lips turning into a snarl as she extends her hand and grabs my hair, pulling it so hard I almost scream.

“Amara, it’s me.” I whisper in a low voice but it only seems to aggravate her more as she yanks a few strands off my scalp with a quick tug.

“G-go…go a-a-away.” She yells but her throaty voice loses all the angry impact and I’m left too stunned and rooted at my place.

“Ama-ra?” Tears threaten to spill down my eyes but I stop them, adamant to fix whatever is broken. “I’m sorry.” I plead, kneeling on the floor as I grab her hand and she tries to free herself from my grip.

She turns her head away from me.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” And kiss her forehead, knowing what a kiss does to a hurting person.

“I d-don’t need your sorry, go the fuck away before I kill you.” The words roll off her tongue easier than the last time, the venom in her voice is thriving and alive, and I feel a knife lodging in my chest.

“Go. Away.” She warns and I stand up, my hands falling by my side, limp and trembling all at once, as she doesn’t turn her head to look at me. “I wish you fucking die, Elara. I hate you, it’s all because of you.”

“W-what did I do?” My throat constricts, forcing me to take a handful of air. Breathing is so hard, it seems impossible.

“You ruined everything.” Her head it still facing the window as she speaks. “He pushed me down the stairs.” My legs stumble back. “Her raped me—” She’s interrupted when large hands grip my forearms.

The familiarity of the filthy touch renders me speechless.

Trembling.

No.