TitaniaI want revenge. I want closure. I know he's somewhere in the world, preying on other girls who have lost their voices, just like me. Who has lost the will to trust the ones around them and speak up? I want to erase those black days. To erase the painful memories. To make everything go back to how it once was. How perfectly happy Uncle Patrick and I were.Tears stream down my cheeks but I wipe them off hastily, clenching my fists by my side. No, I won't cry. I'll be strong. Hardening my face, I clean my eyes dry and take a deep breath, dressing up hastily. I move out, back into Kristoff's office, my vision blurry. Without thinking, I pick up the wine glass Kristoff left behind. There's still a little wine left, and the bottle on the table. I down the glass empty and pour myself another, and another, and another, until I can't feel my legs anymore and collapse on my back on the swivel chair, meant for guests. I sit there calmly for a long time, my nerves weak, my gaze fixed on t
Kristoff“What the — ”My eyes widen as Titania pulls the trigger, a wary sound rolling out of the gun as she collapses. I twist away, then swiftly recall that I took away the bullets from the gun earlier, before lunging at the desk, kneeling beside her curled-up figure. “What the fucking hell do you think you're doing?!”She doesn't answer, drool pooling out the corners of her lips, her words slurred. I glance at the desk to see the empty wine bottle.Shit. Trust the alcohol to make a mess out of everything.I kick the gun farther away from us. “I told you not to touch anything. What got into you?” I ask, raising a brow, and checking her temperature. She's warm, her breathing steady, yet labored. She tries to stand but her nerves are so weak they plop down by her sides like overweight tree trunks.“Do you love her? Fuck her, as well?” she slurs.I whip out my phone, hastily punching in Ernest's number, my brows knotted together. “I don't know what you're talking about.”“Don't lie to
KristoffIt's a little after seven before I leave my study and head downstairs for a drink of water. I hear the refrigerator being pulled open, and liquid trickling into a glass cup. Titania's dark curls are the first thing I see when I stride briskly into the kitchen, her back turned to me. She's leaning over the counter, a packet of milk by her elbow and when she hears my footfalls and whirls around to face me, I sight the makings of a sandwich close to the half-filled glass cup. “G-Good evening,” she stammers.I grin, nodding at the bathrobe she has on. “Evening. Why aren't you dressed, yet?”“Well,” she tucks a strand of wet hair behind her ear, smiling nervously. “I had no idea you were home. Thought you'd already left or something, judging by how quiet the entire house was.”I shrug. “I was in my study.”She nods. “Nice. Not to be an ingrate, but I don't really like the clothes you had Ally stuff in for me in the wardrobe. If you don't mind, I have some nice dresses I'd like to
TitaniaKristoff blinks, his lips parted, yet his eyes betray nothing close to shock as I had anticipated. For once, I wish they do, though. I want to know his first impression of me on this. I want to know what he's thinking. What he thinks of me.“My deviousness has finally rubbed off on you,” he smirks, his eyes moving to my mouth, down to my neck, and to the exposed skin of my chest. “You're not so innocent, as I thought,” his words send shivers down my spine but I keep a straight face, wrapping my arms securely around my waist. He grabs my wrists and brings them down to my sides, and I let him undo the belt that holds the bathrobe in place so it falls open. He takes a deep breath, sucking on his bottom lip as he trails his thumb down the space between my breasts. Over my breasts. At the slit of my throbbing sex. I swallow, my knees almost giving out at the intensity of his stare. “Who is he?”“Adrian Hart.”He cocks his head to the side in surprise. “The man who lived next to you
KristoffI stand rooted in the hallway, gritting my teeth when Ernest tells me that Harvey is around and is waiting to speak to me in the lobby. Great. My irredeemable idiot of a brother is the last person in the world I want to see right now. Titania still hasn't left her room. After a while, her sobs had died down. But I know she's still falling apart. I'm guilty and confused about anything and everything for the first time in my life, trying to figure out the best way to approach this situation, and Harvey chooses this critical moment to show up.“Seems like he hasn't learned a good lesson at the club,” I growl into the phone, rubbing my forehead warily. “Anyways, send him up. I'll be out shortly.”In the meantime, I text Pete as I hurry toward my room to pick up a shirt. He beeped me this morning, informing me that he had landed safely in Tennessee, but I haven't heard from him since then.“Man, any updates? What have you found so far?” I text.“Nothing yet, Sir. I followed a tail
KristoffWe get to the rundown shack a little after dawn upon Titania's insistence. She's been restless and excited ever since I agreed to let her take some stuff from her place last night. I guess she just misses the place. She misses home. I park my SUV in front of the building, and we both got out, Titania walking hurriedly ahead. I follow her up the dusty stairs to the first floor. When she reaches her door, she freezes, whirling around to face me, her face white with panic. “Oh, my God.”“What?”“I think I lost my key. The last time you and your goons came — ”I roll my eyes, pulling out the key from my breast pocket and holding it out. “Here.”She takes it with a huff. “Ugh. Of course, you'll have it.” She inserts it into the lock and turns it. “Hope my wallet is safe, as well as my passport, lipstick, and other essentials?”“Yup. Everything is as you left it with me. Intact.”She snorts, shakes her head, and gives the door a sharp kick. It cackles, the hinges rusted, a mouse ru
KristoffThe Latino nurse pulls open the door and ushers us in, slamming it shut behind her. Patrick is lying on the bed with his face to the wall, looking smallish and pale in his blue patient uniform. His hair is overgrown, sticking out everywhere like a maniac's, and generally, he looks worse than the last time I came to see him.He turns his head when we enter, then sits up, his movements slow and his hands trembling. “Titania,” he calls, his voice hoarse.“Uncle!” she shrieks in delight, running to him, pulling him in for a hug, clinging. It doesn't take long for her shoulders to start shaking violently, and I know she's crying. Patrick strokes her hair idly for a few moments, muttering something in her ear before he looks up at me, his eyes widening in surprise. Titania must've felt the shift in mood for she steps back, and turns to glance at me briefly. “I didn't think you'd follow me in,” she pouts, folding her arms over her chest like a boss. “I'd like my ten minutes with him
TitaniaThe warm rays of the sunlight streaming in through the window slants stir me awake. But my legs feel numb. Dead, like I've walked a million kilometers and can't just feel them no more. The cotton sheets are soaked with my sweat, despite the fact that the air conditioner is on. Fear lodges itself in my throat, choking, making it impossible for me to breathe. Fear of the past. Fear of ruin. A fear I've spent years trying to escape from. It's back, and this time, it's here to stay and throw down damn thing I've worked for.It's here to destroy me.Uncle Patrick wasn't at peace. He wasn't happy with me. I'd kept this secret with me. Carried this burden handed to me by that monstrous Adrian for nine solid years, only to have Kristoff throw a single stone, causing everything to tumble down. Now, Uncle Patrick is suspicious. And I hate lying to his face. I hate the tight corner this situation is trapping me in. My uncle and I never keep secrets from each other. We tell each other eve