“I will.”
Avit turned and walked away. I expected him to head upstairs toward his room, but instead he moved down the hall toward the office.
I made my way upstairs. Once I changed for bed, the events of the night replayed in my head. I found myself thinking about Mandy and how much I missed having her to talk to. She was the one person I could always call when my life felt like it was spiraling.
And right now, it was. I needed someone to help me sort through the confusion in my mind. I really liked Avit’s family, and his vulnerability tonight had felt…real. Or at least rare. Maybe it only surfaced because his family showed up. I didn’t know anymore—what was fake, what was real, or what he wanted me to believe.
But my phone was still locked away somewhere in this house. Avit still hadn’t given it back, and I wasn’t even sure that if I asked for it, he’d let me have it.
I took two cold tablets, swallowed them with water, and curled under the covers.
“No matter what happened tonight, don’t get attached, Sienna. Avit is the enemy…he always will be…” I mumbled as I drifted off to sleep.
The next few days, Avit hadn’t been around, and I had to admit that I missed our morning routines. But with each day that passed, despite self-medicating, I felt like trash. I tried to act normal around Wexler, but I knew I wasn’t fooling him. It only made him hover even closer.
I was standing in the bathroom with Mandy on campus while she touched up her makeup.
“Sienna, I think you should take a few days off school and get some rest.”
“You know I can’t.”
I didn’t want to stay at home, not in that house, and it wasn’t like I’d get any rest anyway. I was still trying to figure out who the hell my father had been working with.
Mandy turned to me. “Sienna, I love how dedicated you are to your studies, but passing out during a lecture shouldn’t be one of your goals. You’ve gotta go to the hospital.”
“I hate hospitals.”
And I did. They reminded me too much of my mother.
“Well, at least a private doctor. If you don’t have the money, I could give it to you.”
“I’ll give myself a few more days, and then if I don’t get better, I’ll go to the doctor, but you’ve gotta go with me.”
“Deal.”
After Mandy finished touching up her makeup, I splashed some water on my face, hoping it’d add some color to the paleness that had settled in.
When we left the bathroom, Wexler was standing there.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sienna. And get some rest.” Mandy pulled me into a hug.
“I will.”
She pulled away and gave Wexler a wave before walking off.
I turned to Wexler. “I have to head to the library to pick up a book before heading home.”
“No problem, Miss Sienna.”
I made my way into the library with Wexler walking behind me.
I grabbed the book I had requested from the librarian, then went to check out some new arrivals on one of the shelves. The shelf was next to a window, and below it were shrubs.
Then I heard someone whisper my name. I spun around to see if it was Wexler, but when I looked at him, he only lifted a brow. I shook my head.
“Sienna,” the whisper came again. “It’s Dad. I’m in the bushes.”
What the hell?
