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He sighs. “Oh, for God’s sake. What’s she done now?”
I clench my free fist, suppressing a growl that attempts to break free. Eva is nothing like the other students–she’s innocent, considering she’s the daughter of two of the most dreadful people I’ve ever met.
“A few girls attacked Eva in her dorm. She’s in the hospital at the moment as she sustained a knife wound to her left leg, a cracked rib, and some superficial bruises.” I pause for a moment. “I have to inform you of all incidents that occur on campus.”
Jamie Carmichael clicks his tongue. “Excellent. Hopefully, it will force her to stand up for herself in the future.”
Stand up for herself?
I clench my jaw as I know the words I want to say would anger him.
For a girl who insists she wants nothing to do with the world she was born into, she fared well against three of the most violent girls in school. Eva fought back, but they outnumbered her three on one. Not to mention, the girls brought a knife to the fight, tipping the scales in their favor.
I’m not surprised that her father’s reaction is so insensitive. The two of them deserve to rot in hell.
“Indeed. It was purely a courtesy call,” I grit out, struggling to contain the rage rising to the surface.
He tuts. “Don’t tell me the next time Eva’s injured.” There are a few moments of silence. “I only expect to hear from you if she’s dead, and then I will kill you myself.” He slams the phone done, inflaming the fire exploding inside of me.
When I planned my revenge, it went differently to this. Instead of a desire to torture and harm their daughter, I can’t help but pity her. I slam the phone down on the receiver and massage my temples.
I grab a paperweight from my desk and hurl it across the room. It hits the wall and shatters into fragments. None of this is going as I planned it. Eva Carmichael is supposed to be like her selfish parents, and yet I’m struggling to see her as anything other than a victim of their willful neglect.
I grab the bottle of scotch off my desk and pour myself a glass, savoring the way it sears my throat. It’s unorthodox for a teacher to drink on the job, especially since I have classes to attend in an hour, but I don’t give a shit.
Eva has been haunting me since I set eyes on her for all the wrong reasons. She’s strong and knows what she wants. Her determination to become a vet is endearingly innocent and admirably brave, even if she’s naïve to believe she’ll ever break away from her parents. They will hunt her down if she tries to run.
My office phone rings, and I see it’s the hospital calling on the caller ID. “Hello, Oakley Byrne speaking.”
“Mr. Byrne, it’s Doctor Kenward.” There’s a brief silence. “I’m calling regarding Eva Carmichael.”
“Yes.” I swallow hard as I recall her wide hazel eyes following me as I left her alone at the hospital. A part of me felt guilty, which is absurd. I couldn’t have spent my night at the hospital with her.
He sighs. “The knife wound missed any major arteries, but we can’t be sure whether there’s any nerve damage.”
I grind my teeth together as those three girls went to town on Eva more than most girls, and I believe that’s because she fought back.
“How long should she be in?”
“She needs rest, but we’d prefer to keep her in for a few days to be sure,” he suggests.
“Can’t the nurse tend to her here?” I ask, not wishing her to stay away from the academy any longer than she already has.
There are a few moments of silence. “Whatever you prefer, as long as your nurse is confident enough to deal with the knife wound.” Elaine Jasper is our resident nurse, and she has dealt with so many outrageous injuries. Stab wounds are her specialty at this school.
Eva’s wounds were bad, but nothing she couldn’t handle. Since it was Elaine’s day off yesterday, I had no choice but to take her to the local hospital. “I’ll confirm with her and let you know later.” I don’t want to make him suspicious about what goes on in this school.
He clears his throat. “Am I right in thinking this was an accident?”
There’s suspicion in his tone, which is why we don’t use hospitals. “Yes, Eva fell in the kitchen with a knife and stabbed herself,” I deadpan, assuring there’s no uncertainty in my tone. “We will be more careful with who can enter the kitchen in the future.”
“Indeed.” There are a few moments of silence between us. “Well, I will await your nurse’s decision.” He cancels the call.
I sigh heavily and close my eyes, rubbing my temples. It would have been far easier if Eva’s brother, Karl, had remained my target.
With her brother, the Apple didn’t fall far from the tree. He was exactly like his parents, but I’d struggled to get him to the academy. His father wanted him deeply involved in the family business from a young age, and all my efforts were in vain. It wasn’t long after my last attempt to get him to join; I heard the news of his passing and knew I had to turn my efforts toward their daughter.
Eva Carmichael.
