“Rumours?” Violet pressed, almost vibrating in her seat.
“Of organisations. Circles that sell real dolls. Men and women who are nothing more than sexualised toys. They catalogue them as letters, numbers, or anything to strip them of their name.”
“Wait, did you just saysell?” Violet shot to her feet. “As in living, breathing sex dolls?”
“To an extent. It varies depending on the buyer.” Aeris carefully stacked the photographs together, taking great care before holding them out. “The symbols dehumanises them, making them just products. Clearly in this case, they were named after flowers.”
“What do you think happened to these girls?” I asked, taking the pictures from her outstretched hand.
Aeris hesitated, her gaze softening. “You said the articles were decades old?” At my nod, she sighed. “Then they were likely sold to the highest bidder, or they were silenced.”
Chapter 31
Violet
It felt like some weight was crushing my lungs, the edges of my vision tightening as I stared at the photographs. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
“Excuse me,” I managed to choke out before bolting for the door. The moment I hit the hall, the air turned heavy with laughter, moans, and music pressing in from every direction until it was all too much.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Violet…”
I kept running.
“Violet, for fuck’s sake, stop!”
A hand clamped down on my shoulder. I almost screamed before Ryder spun me around to face him.
“I don’t understand,” I gasped, my voice cracking, growing louder and drawing glances from the people nearby. “Sold to the highest bidder? What kind of bullshit is that?”
Ryder shifted, glancing over his shoulder.
“I need—” I broke off, chest tightening again. “I can’t—” I shoved at him, stumbling past. “I just need air,” I choked out, barely managing the words. “Just… give me a minute.”
Ryder didn’t follow me this time, and I entered the main room in search of the exit. Before I knew it, I was outside where the sun touched my skin, then came a drizzle. I tipped my head back, anchoring myself with the spit of rain.
Sold.The word wouldn’t leave my head.
It stuck in my throat like something half-swallowed and sharp.
I tried to picture mum’s face, the way she’d laugh or scold when I said something stupid, the way she’d hum when she cooked… or the crack of glass when she smashed the mirrors because the voices wouldn’t stop.
I couldn’t imagine her young, vulnerable like those girls.
I couldn’t imagine her as a ‘doll’.
Closing my eyes, I exhaled, rubbing a hand down my face. I couldn’t connect her to the world Aeris described, not when half the time she barely existed in this one.
A faint rustle sounded behind me. My eyes snapped open, scanning for the source, but the street was empty, nothing but the soft pitter-patter of rain on pavement.
God, I was losing it. Clearly the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Pushing the wet strands away from my face, I went to wait inside?—
A sharp yank wrenched my head back, followed by a hand clamping tightly over my mouth. Instinct and panic took over. I twisted, kicked, and scratched, but the pain in my scalp only sharpened as I was dragged into a narrow alley drowned in shadow.
“Get off—” The word broke into a gasp as I was thrown to the ground, my knees and palms scraping raw against the wet concrete as pain wracked through my body.
