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“Well, what am I supposed to do?”
She turns to face me, reaching to take my hand in hers. “Support me.”
“I’ll take on more jobs.”
“There are no more jobs.”
“Then I’ll make jobs,” I insist. “Don’t think for one second that I’m going to allow that fucker to lay one hand on you.”
“He’s never going to own me, Brock. Not like you do.”
“Please, Amber. I can’t stand the thought of him…” I turn away, raking my fingers through my hair.
“You’re just upset I won’t give myself to you, aren’t you?”
“That’s not it,” I lie. But I’m mad about more than just that.
“I promise you can have me after. You know how much a girl’s first time is worth. It’ll mean nothing.”
* * *
LYRA
It’s easy to pinpoint the worst day of my life. It was the day my father died, for as much as my mother did her best to mend the wounds his loss created, our hearts remained forever broken.
The realization that my mother would never come home takes second place, because not only did I lose someone I loved, but everything fell upon me. Including caring for Caleb and Carrie.
It forced me to confront an undeniable truth: I was selfish. As much as I loved my sibling, I didn’t want to be their caretaker. I didn’t want to cook or clean up after them, and I certainly didn’t want to put them to bed with a story.
Today is the third worst day, which is probably super confusing considering the misfire I had with Brock yesterday, but that was easy peasy compared to the horrible anticipation I awakened to.
Will he be angry? Violent? Is he even still here?
I stayed up half the night, dreaming of how he’d made me feel. That sinful feeling I hadn’t known existed.
That I should want it again so badly is an irony I don’t know how to reconcile in my brain. It’s like tearing myself apart and feeding the pieces to the wolves.
I’m still unsure why he was so mad, but if I had to guess, I wasn’t eager enough.
A beep sounds, and I look over at the large screen on the wall, one of the few signs of modern technology.
Cook breakfast,then call Brock in to eat.
Are you kidding me?Am I really supposed to go about cooking breakfast after Brock stormed out of the cabin last night?
My mother used to say that food often tames a man, so maybe he won’t be so angry after a good meal.
After brushing my teeth, I search the drawers and find several changes of clothes—all dresses. Frowning, I put one on, not at all happy with how short it is.
Steph warned me it would be like this. That the goal would be to make me sweet with a side of sexy.
I put on the lip gloss given to me and brush my hair, because, at this point, I have no other option but to play along.
At least I have a good meal to look forward to. Bacon, eggs, toast—more than I could have imagined. Steph explained that everything we eat will be raised and cared for on our homestead, which is how I’d been living for as long as I can remember.
During our first years at the cabin, we lived in abundance. We had a cow, sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens, and a huge garden. As the years passed, we suffered hardships, and eventually, we were only left with a handful of chickens and rabbits and a garden half the size it once was.
My mother reasoned that the soil wasn’t clean, which was terrifying because there was no fixing that. Steph assured me we wouldn’t have that problem here, but one has to wonder if it can truly be avoided.
