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“Did it shock you when you found out we’re engaged?” I ask, lowering my voice so it doesn’t carry to the ears of the other girls. She pauses. “You thought telling me about how he fucked you would make me break up with him, right? Only, when I confronted him about it he gave me the one thing he would never give you—he’s going to make me his wife.”
The words are bitter in my mouth, but the storm of grief that clouds Cassidy’s features makes it all worth it. A tear gathers in the corner of one of her eyes.
“You bitch!” she screams, wrenching her hand from my grip. She slaps me so hard across the face I fall to my knees, fire skating across my skin in the wake of her touch.
“Get out! Get out!”
Blood leaks from my lip where her lacquered fingernails split my skin, but I smile even as my mouth fills with copper. “I’m going to move in with him.”
Drops of blood fall to white floorboards.
She rushes toward me again, but this time I’m ready for her. I roll out of the way, just as her heeled shoe comes down on where my abdomen was a millisecond earlier. I stagger to my feet. I feel ten feet tall, watching the feral rage taking her over.
Yes, you’re nothing.
You will never have him. I took what you wanted most.
“Get out!” she screams again, and this time her shoulders start to shake. That’s when Liz rushes over to console her friend. She glares at me, but I smile back.
Victory is detached from the whole situation, watching Cassidy with little sympathy.
“You have two hours to get out of here,” she says, leveling me with a stern look.
I nod.
I walk out of the room and close the door behind me with shaky fingers.
What the fuck did I just do?Getting that reaction out of Cassidy was worth it—to put her through even a smidgen of the pain she’s inflicted on me since I’ve been here gave me such a rush. But now, I’m faced with an actual problem.
I might have said it in jest, but it’s the truth.
I can’t end up in Hell House. My hand travels to the necklace hanging around my neck. I’m still Alexander’s Courtesan. I can move in with him if I like. I’m sure Cassidy knew that, which is why she wasn’t as excited as Victory was to kick me out.
It’s between Hell House and sharing an apartment with Alexander.
As much as I fucking hate him, the choice is obvious.
I make my way back to my room with the weight of the world on my shoulders. The last bit of my freedom has just been snatched away from me. If I live with Alexander, there will be no way I can escape him—I’ll have to deal with him and his bullshit every fucking day.
Did he know this would happen?
It’s a wild thought, but the longer it lingers in my mind, the less reasons I can find for itnotto be true. It seems like ever since I broke up with Alexander, everything has been forcing me into his arms. First the fake engagement, and now this—brought on in part by the fucking fake engagement.
He’s ruining my life.
When I make it back to my dorm room—Tara’s still not here—I dial Uncle Laurent’s number one last time. It goes to voicemail, just as I expected it to. Hot tears stream down my cheeks as the pain from my split lip sets in. I throw my phone on to my bed and move to the closet to get my suitcases out.
The knife I used earlier to attack the girls is lying on the floor of our dorm room, and there’s blood on the blade. That pulls a smile from me. I did hurt one of them after all.
Good.
As I pile my clothes into the suitcases, I find myself wishing I had my father’s number.
In spite of everything, I would do anything to hear his voice right now—he’s the only other person I have. It’s been months since I’ve heard from him, and I’m upset that I didn’t pressure Uncle Laurent to give me his number when I had the chance.
Now I’m here, all alone.
THIRTEEN
