She forgot me at the grocery store when I was 3.
She forgot me at church, the one time we went, when I was 7.
She forgot me at the house when they went on vacation when I was 9.
They forgot meonvacation when I was 13, leaving me alone at a hotel for three days before the police got me on a flight back to America.
But this? No. Why would she ever forget to do something like this?
Becausethiswas something that would destroymy life. It held no effect on hers, but me? This life that I had carefully built over the last three years, of course she would want to destroyit. Whatever thread she could pull to get me back in the cage that was that stupid oversized mansion on the hill. Whatever she could do to shove that thorn-covered silver spoon back into my unwilling mouth and convince me, once again, to give up my third of the company.
It was all she had been trying to do since the day I packed up the car and came here.
Steven straightened and slowly turned to me, something in both his hands. His right hand held a small velvet box, and his left held a butcher knife.
My eyes widened and I suddenly had an overwhelming regret over not bringing Lucy. I should have brought Lucy.
I took a slow step back, holding up my hands, my heart racing. “Steven, she lied,” I said carefully, keeping my voice low and calm. I could fix this. I would fix this.
His cold wheat eyes met mine, and it wasn’t the same kind of chill I saw inhiseyes, this was different. This lacked emotion. It lacked soul. It lacked life. It was evil and horrible, and it terrified me far more than the eyes of that man had. That knife terrified me far more than the loaded gun in my pussy had.
Oh my God, there was something wrong with me.
His knuckles were white. “Did you tell her that you earned it?” he asked me, walking towards me slowly. “Did you tell her that youdrive meto the brink of Helleverytime you choose to argue with me?”
I shook my head, my heart pounding. I could run. If I just turned around and ran, I might be able to get out the door and scream loud enough for someone to hear me. “I didn’t tell her anything, Steven, I swear. On mylife, I swear.”
“Don’tlie to me,” he snapped, causing me to flinch back. His brows pulled together, his eyes melting like chocolate over strawberries.
“I’m doing it for us, sweetie. All of it. Everything I sacrifice,everything I say, every action I take, it’s all for us. But you just argue with everything I say, youalwaystalk back. What else am I supposed to do? You don’t give me any other choice,” he said desperately, as if he were on his knees begging for my forgiveness.
I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. “Please,” I whispered, tears welling in my eyes, my hands shaking. “I—”
“And,” he laughed half-psychotically, “how shocked was I to find out thatRoseisn’t even your real last name.”
My eyes widened and I froze, my blood running cold. I hadn’t considered that. It never crossed my mind that my mom would tell him that.
“Lemont? You’re the fucking daughter of Trenton Lemont?” he asked, waving the knife around. “How much money do you have, Olivia?How much?” he roared without giving me a chance to answer.
I flinched, my back hitting a wall, panic slamming through me in waves. “I left them, Steven. That’s why I changed my name, I don’t have—”
He rushed me and I was too scared to move.
He ran right up to me, slamming the knife into the wall right next to my head.
I felt something warm trickle down my leg, tears spilling down my cheeks as he panted inches from my face, his eyes wild.“Help,”my pathetic little mind whimpered.“Help me, someone. Please.”
“They told me you own a third of the company. I want to know the number. I want to know how much money you have.”
I had my hands up between us, and I was doing my best not to touch him. I didn’t want to touch him ever again. “I don’t have money,” I tried, my voice surprisingly even. “I promise. I don’t have money.” I prayed the lie sounded better than I thought it did. I prayed to everyone and everything I knew of that he wouldbelieve me. He had to believe me. I didn’t have another plan.
He leaned in until his nose touched mine. “Liar.” He released the knife and spun around his back to my front. He grabbed my left hand, using his body to shove me back into the wall, trapping.
“Steven stop,” I tried, clenching my hand into a fist.
He pried it apart, pain shooting up my arm, causing me to cry out, tears spilling down my cheeks.
“Steven,please!” I cried, struggling to push him away. But he was stronger than me. Everyone was always fucking stronger than me.
