“Thank God you’re here,” she cried.“Calix found out.He found out!”
Before she could get caught in the middle of Calix unleashing on her boyfriend—Can I even call him that?—I tugged her into the hallway and away from the drama.I ushered her over to Cairo, who stared at me through wide eyes, as if he didn’t know what to do.
“Stop him, Astrid.”She sniffled.“Please.I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
“Astrid, what do you want me to—” Cairo started, but I ran back into the room.
Calix had crossed the bedroom, shoving his fist into his stepfather’s face.I wrapped my arm around his waist and yanked him back as hard as I could, giving myself enough space to slip between them.
“Calix, stop!”I shouted, waving my hands back and forth so he’d see me.
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” Calix snarled at him, coming back with another swing.
But when he saw me, he stopped his punch and pulled it back, staring down at me through fury-filled eyes.They softened, and then he turned around and stormed straight out of the room.A moment later, the front door slammed closed.
“Where’d he go?”I asked, running into the hallway.
Cairo had his arm awkwardly around Diya, who was sobbing uncontrollably.“I don’t know.”
I hurried down the hallway, then the steps.“Well, I’m going to find him.”
CHAPTERSIXTY-ONE
CALIX
My knuckles were raw,split open, and bleeding.
I laid my foot on the accelerator and continued forward, unsure where the hell I was going, but knowing that I needed to get as far away from there as possible.I didn’t want to see Diya and especially not Astrid.Not like this.
The streetlights and rage blurred into a haze around me, my breaths coming in sharp gasps.I clenched my hand around the steering wheel.I wanted to kill him.No, Iwasgoing to kill him for what he had done to my sister.
That dickhead had manipulated her, fucked her, and gotten her pregnant.
After speeding all around Redwood for what felt like several hours but somehow only minutes at the same time, I found myself at the Overlook.Light glimmered off the ocean down below, the mountain of rocks the only thing stopping me from driving into it.
“I hate him,” I snarled, parking and hitting the steering wheel.“I hate him!”
What had he done to her?Why did she want to protect him?
The questions raced through my mind, and I sneered at the windshield, imagining finishing what Astrid had broken up earlier.I wanted him dead.I wanted him to see me when he took his last fucking breath.
How could he do this?!I trusted him.
Someone knocked on my window, but I just gripped the steering wheel tighter.
I didn’t want to fucking talk, and she knew it.
“Calix!”Astrid yelled outside in the cold.“Open up!”
I flared my nostrils and shook my head.
“Please,” she said, knocking some more.“Open the door.”
“I don’t want to talk, Astrid.”
“You don’t want to talk, but you need to.”
A low growl escaped my lips, and I unlocked the door, but didn’t open it for her.She yanked the door open, grumbling to herself, and crossed her arms, her eyes fixed on me.I stared back, empty inside.
