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He laughs giving me a tender look, as if he finds me amusing. “Well, sweetheart, I’m offering because I might be her best option to survive. If you don’t let me, she might die, and you’ll end up with two children—”
“I’m capable of raising two kids.”
He scrubs his face. “I hate when you interrupt me. You’re capable, but it might be easier if we just raise ours, and Rumi gets to grow up with her mom. Plus, losing your sister is going to scar you for life. You’ll have to carry that grief with you for an eternity. Did I ever tell you about the time we almost lost Myka?”
I blink a couple of times. What is he talking about?
“She was nineteen. I can’t go into detail, but for a month, we thought she wouldn’t make it. Having the support of friends and family kept us together, but those were dark times. I don’t know where I’d be if she had…” He taps his chest. “It still hurts to think about it. You don’t want to live with that for the rest of your life.”
A knot roots in the pit of my stomach. I can’t imagine the world without Myka. Sure, she can be annoying when she steals all the lavender ice cream, but we get along well. I don’t want to tell him that those scars are already there, settled in my soul. The memories come and go depending on the day. Just because I never talk about Mom, it doesn’t mean I don’t remember her. I learned to grieve in silence.
“Let me be here for you,” Iskander insists.
“This isn’t us, Iskander. We fuck and ignore each other,” I argue.
“You need a friend, and the last time I checked, you left without telling anyone where you were going.”
“I need space to deal with—” I look over my shoulder as if saying, Anya and Rumi.
“Two realities can coexist.”
“Then, it’ll be hard to leave Luna Harbor.”
He nods a couple of times. I sigh with relief, knowing I’ve convinced him and he’s going to leave. “If that’s what you want, we’ll keep them away, okay? Do you want to start with the legal part? Afterward, we can call Elroy or Nathalie. Maybe she can be treated in their clinic.”
But I don’t want to go back to Luna Harbor or be with you,I don’t say out loud.
He doesn’t comprehend that maybe this time, I might be unable to keep my heart safe. There’s too much going on in my life to protect it against someone like him.
“I’m still not finding out if I’m pregnant.”
Iskander nods as if understanding, but I doubt he does.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Siobhan
AmI selling my soul to Satan?
I wonder what I’m giving up as I walk inside the house with Iskander. He’s going to help us, but there’s going to be a price. There’s always a price.
A wave of dread rolls in my stomach, making it turn upside down and sideways. It’s when I find Anya coming down the stairs with Rumi in her arms that the apprehension of being in debt with Iskander is gone.
As long as Anya gets the best treatment, doesn’t lose her home, and gets to be with Rumi for another hundred years, I’ll do anything.
“Anya, let me introduce you to Iskander. He’s the grandchild of Diego Cantú, my former boss.”
Anya waves.
“Iskander, this is Anya. We’re like sisters. She came to live with us when I was fifteen.”
“My last foster home,” Anya says. “This is Rumi, my daughter.”
“Nice to meet you both. She’s cute. Make sure to buy a leave-in conditioner when she’s older. It’ll help with those red curls,” he suggests, and I stare at him as if he’s suddenly grown a few extra limbs after the unrequited information he offered.
Iskander not only gives some random advice, he walks to where Anya stands and opens his arms as if reaching for her daughter. “May I?”
Rumi willingly goes to him. This girl… when I first met her, she ignored me, and with him, she looks like she’s living her best life. “You’re a beauty. How old are you?”
