My mind drifts back to the guys and the betrayal that led me here. I can’t hate them, not really. They’re not bad people, at least not at heart. But they got caught up in their project, willing to go to any lengths to achieve their goals. And I was just collateral damage, an easily persuaded, naïve girl they could use.
The lonely target.
The only one I really have to blame is myself. I knew it would end like this from the start. I knew I was the one who would be hurt coming out of this, with them becoming bigger and better, while I’m left lost, hurt, and forgotten again.
I should probably fight, go to the police, bring them down.
But I’m not like that.
I will not end their careers because I was naïve.
I will not ruin them just because I love them, and they don’t love me back.
What I will do is be everywhere they look but nowhere to be found, and that will be my revenge.
Let them be successful with their project,maybe even with mine.
They’ll forever know who was part of bringing them there. And I hope it will haunt them.
Pulling up to the mansion, I brace myself for the cold reunion that awaits. The grand façade of the estate looms ahead, its opulence so different from the emptiness I feel inside.
Wilfred gets out and opens the car door for me before he takes my bag, escorting me to the front door and opening it for me.
Stepping inside, the familiar chill of the Stanley mansion washes over me. My eyes immediately lock onto my mother’s figure in the entrance hall. She’s engaged in conversation with a young girl I’ve never seen before, but she’s wearing the crisp, starched uniform of our housemaids.
Mother’s voice, sharp as ever, cuts through the air like a knife, “Make sure to trim the stems at a forty-five-degree angle before placing them in the vase. And use the crystal water to keep them fresh. I want the lilies and the roses arranged alternately… precision is key. Each bloom should be visible and perfectly spaced. This arrangement is for the foyer. It must be impeccable to greet our guests.”
Just behind her, August towers over them. He’s just as tall as our father, with the same brown hair and blue eyes as mine. But he looks thinner than he did before, tired.
His eyes meet mine first, and I see a flicker of relief cross his face. “Meelie,” he calls out, his entire demeanor brightening as he strides toward me. Before I can react, he pulls me into a fierce embrace, his familiar scent enveloping me.
Home.
“I’m so glad to have you back,” he murmurs into my hair.
The only person who really cares.
I feel the telltale prickle of tears at the corners of my eyes, but I swallow hard, wrangling them back.
This is no place for vulnerability.
“Amelia Charlotte, what in the world are you wearing?” My mother’s harsh words make me stiffen in his arms.
August lets go of me, turning to face her. “She had to take a ten-hour flight in the middle of the night, Mother. Of course, she wanted to feel comfortable.”
“This is unacceptable,” my mother continues, her disapproval palpable. “We have to keep up appearances, and your American casual style is nothing I want to see you in. Go up and take a shower. I’m going to have Betty iron out a dress for you for dinner later. And I want to see your hair in something that is not a bird’s nest.”
With that, she sweeps out of the room, leaving a chill in her wake that seeps into my bones. The maid I don’t recognize comes to grab my bag from Wilfred, smiling shyly before she walks off with it. I feel a pang of guilt for not asking for her name, but then again, Mother’s staff turnover is notoriously high. She might not be here in two weeks.
Wait, will I be?
“Why are wehere? You didn’t say we would behere,” I hiss at August as he puts an arm around my shoulder and walks me to the stairs.
“Long story,” he says, and I would love to punch him as casually as he just shrugged.
My hands even twitch at the thought, but I somehow restrain myself.
He’s the only ally I have in this house of horrors.
