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“Why? Amara? What did Sergei do to you? Did you know he jumped to save me? Did you know he stopped me from tipping over the bridge that night because you called me an attention seeker?” I lash out, only pausing when I realise that I lost the battle with calm and sanity.

“You never cared, so why fucking save me?” I press but I’m met with her silence. “Fucking answer me!”

“Because if you had died that night, Austin would’ve used me instead.” She yells back. “I didn’t…I didn’t want to get r- raped.” She turns her head away.

“What happened next?” I probe, not dwelling on the pain her words are causing me.

“I just took you to the hospital and Austin took care of everything, it was sheer luck that you didn’t remember anything—”

I didn’t remember Sergei. “Why didn’t you save Sergei?”

“Because he was beautiful.” Her tone is highly-pitched and it grates on my nerves. “Like everyone, he wanted you too, I was…I was jealous. You don’t deserve anything but pain, you ruined my life. You are a fucking attention whore.”

Her nails draw blood as her skin breaks beneath them, she keeps on digging them deeper and I can only watch.

“Too bad he didn’t die.” She chuckles, her head tilting to look at me, her eyes bloodshot and a creepy smile edged on her face.

“Do you see these marks around my neck?” She lifts her head, and surely there are bruises.

She chuckles again. “Your boyfriend did this to me.” Her fingers splaying on her neck. “He cut my hair when I came to see you. And now he tried to kill me. You’re in love with a murderer.”

“I am.” I reply. “He’ll kill for me; he’ll die for me. Who do you have, Amara?” I scoff, pretending to look around the empty room. “Right, no one!”

I wonder if begging for help was when I ruined her life, or when I was getting raped because of her or by her friend.

I turn around and find Sergei stalking towards me, favouring his left leg slightly. His lips are pressed into a hard line as he closes the distance in two long strides and leans down until his shadow swallows me whole.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

He’d been reluctant and agitated when I told him I wanted to talk to my sister, but he finally caved when I said please, batting my eyelashes at him.

He said he’d spank the sass out of me and I might’ve replied. “Promise?”

“Yeah!” I nod as he lifts a hand to cup my cheek before leaning down to press a gentle kiss to the other one.

“Let’s go, baby.” He lifts me off the ground, my hands coming around his neck as I instinctively rest my head against his chest.

“Put me down, you’re hurt too.” I complain.

“It doesn’t matter.” He carries me with a small smile marring his face.

“It does to me.” I argue and he almost rolls his eyes. “Sergei! I said put me down, I can walk.”

“You sure can.” He nods with approval. “For now.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” I lift a questioning brow, feigning innocence.

My head turns and I find a seething Amara clawing at her face, her nails raking down her skin with so much fury it terrifies me.

I force myself to look away. I’m incapable of hurting her, but I can no longer find the strength to care for her either. All my life, I tried to mend a bond that I never broke in the first place.

If I want any chance at a peaceful future, I need to let go of the darkness of my past.

I was discharged today.

The doctor said my wrists were healing well. No serious damage, just scars that would fade with time if I took proper care of them.

He said I was stable now. That I was no longer considered a danger to myself. And for the first time in a long time, I agreed.

I want to live.