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"She gave me some tea to get r-rid of the b-b-baby," I manage.
"Fuck," Alli mutters. "Come on."
She helps me up. I feel overheated and delirious, barely taking in our surroundings as she leads me down the hallway into one of the obnoxious pink bathrooms in this place. She helps me lean over the toilet bowl and demands I shove my fingers down my throat.
"Shouldn't we call an ambulance?" I whisper, my heart beating so fast I'm convinced it will just burst through my chest. "Get a doctor to help?"
"You need to get it out of your system," Alli insists. "We'll see a doctor as soon as we can. Please, Pandora." She grips my hand with unexpected strength. "We can't lose this baby, Pandora."
I'm touched by how much she cares, so I nod with determination and shove three fingers down my throat. The tea comes up again, and I spit it out in the toilet bowl. It takes several excruciating minutes, but once it's done, I instantly feel better. The poison is out of my system, and my mother's wicked plan to make me lose the baby didn't work after all.
I collapse on the cool, pink bathroom tile with my head against the wall.
"I can't believe she did that," I whisper.
"She's sick." Alli slumps down next to me. "She's a sick, horrible, awful woman."
"We need to get out of here." She nods in agreement. "The sooner we can leave, the better. But where on earth could we go? I can't go back to Eden Falls yet. I want the baby here when I do that."
"I know," she mutters, chewing her bottom lip. "Well... there's a place where I could take you. It's very secluded and no one knows about it—it doesn't get used very often."
"Oh?" I furrow my brows.
"I'll tell you all about it. But we need to get you to bed and you need to get some rest first. I'll call a doctor for you tomorrow."
She moves to get up, but I grab her palm, turning my pleading eyes to hers. "You won't let her hurt me, will you, Alli? I don't want to lose the baby. I can't lose it. Please."
"I know." She rubs my hand. "I'll watch out for you, don't worry. I'm not letting that wicked witch anywhere near you. And we'll leave as soon as we can. Now come on."
She helps me get up. With her help, I somehow make it through the house to the upper floor and the room we've been sharing. I don't catch another glimpse of Mother, which I'm grateful for. If I did, I'd drive my fist into her face and ruin it forever. She probably knows that, too, which is why she's staying hidden.
"I can't believe she did that," I mutter when I'm lying in bed later. "She tried to take it away from me."
"She's awful," Alli mutters. "A monster. But don't worry, we'll leave soon. And then it'll just be the two of us."
I nod and shut my eyes, allowing dreams to take over.
My last memory is Alli holding my hand as I drift off to a troubled, fitful sleep.
I'm so lucky to have someone like her on my side.
6
Dexter
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Hello to you too," I hiss into the video intercom. "Let us in. We have important matters to discuss."
The voice disappears, and the five of us stand there uselessly, until the gates finally open. I exchange a triumphant smile with Easton, then get back in the car. We pull up in front of Oakes Estate, where Emilian is already waiting in front of the house, with brows knitted together and his arms crossed.
We get out of the car, and the man smirks at me.
"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," he drawls out. "Dexter motherfucking Booth. Let you out of jail, did they? Do they just let murderers walk the streets these days?"
I ignore his shitty remarks and walk past him into his own home. He grunts something but follows closely behind. I know he's curious. He knows I wouldn't show up here unless I had something useful for him, so he doesn't object as we all file into his study, taking our seats. I sit on his desk, running a hand through my dark hair and waiting for everyone to settle so I can start talking. The silence in the room soon becomes deafening. Everyone is on the edge of their seat. This conversation will change so many lives. I need to be damn sure I want to condemn Lily Anna like this. But one memory is enough to seal her fate.
Lai's dead, unmoving body on the floor.
