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“Excuse me. Where’s the bathroom?”
The salesperson tells me where to go and I walk away, still feeling like I’m in a daze. In the bathroom, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My god. No wonder I’ve been getting looks. My cheek is bruising from where Clayton hit me. My face is red and splotchy from crying. Tilting my neck, I’m not surprised to see fingerprints. And that was all from a single car ride.
Hot tears fill my eyes and I blink them away. No. I won’t cry. Not until I’m safely back at home. Home. Kieran’s house isn’t my home. My father’s house isn’t my home. I have nowhere. I have no one. All I have is a future that I don’t want. My stomach heaves and I barely make it to the toilet before I vomit. When I’m done, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.
Knowing that Clayton is likely to come looking for me, I splash some water on my face and then rejoin him.
“What do you think about this set, stepmother?”
I swallow the bile creeping up my throat. “It’s lovely.”
“I think so, too. We’ll take this one.” He smiles down at me. “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it? Now, I’ve made us a reservation for lunch at one of my favorite steakhouses. Then, I was thinking we could go look at a few penthouses.”
“Penthouses?”
“I prefer being in the city.”
“What does your father prefer?”
His gaze narrows and I flinch.
“My father’s time is limited. You should remember that.”
The way he speaks of his father’s death is like he has an exact date in mind. Sebastian’s words cross my mind. If he killed his mother, is it possible that he’s planning to kill his father, too?
His phone rings and he glances at the screen. “Fuck. I’ll be right back.”
He steps outside, and I exhale loudly. Sebastian is at my side instantly.
“What in the fuck did he do to you?”
I wrap my arms around myself. “Please don’t make me ride back home with him.”
“I’ve already called our car to come pick us up.” He touches my arm. “Ari, you can trust me.”
I shake my head. “I can’t talk about it. Not with him so close.”
Seb nods. “We’ll be out of here in five minutes, I promise.”
Clayton returns, looking irritated. That irritation turns to something that terrifies me when Kieran’s driver enters the store, announcing that he’s there to retrieve me.
Clayton says in a low tone, “Well played. Remember this moment the next time you’re choking on my cock.”
I gasp, moving away from him.
He calls out, “Goodbye, stepmother. See you tomorrow.”
Seb takes me by the arm, leading me outside. I’m surprised when he climbs in next to me instead of sitting in the front.
As soon as the car pulls away from the store, I start crying.
“Ariel, please tell me what happened so I can make this right.”
I shake my head, crying harder.
Seb pulls out his phone, typing furiously. A moment later, he curses under his breath.
“What is it?”
