Page 64 of The Favorite Girl

An orange box with a giant white Nike logo.

“Bradley…” I opened it and couldn’t contain my emotion. This was too much. I was crying so hard that snot began to drip and intertwined with my sobs.

“Hey, hey… it’s okay, Demi. It’s just shoes. And, they actually make noise when you walk.”

“No, Bradley… it’s not just shoes.” I placed the brand-new Air Jordans down. They were pink, black, and white, with a light pink Nike logo across.

“Thank you for being the reason I have even survived here. I don’t know how I’m going to make it without you.” I threw my arms around him and pulled him closer. His scent and the warmth of his body was soothing and comforting, and for the first time in this house, I felt safe.

“Bradley, I want you to do one more thing for me,” I whispered against his ear as he held me in his strong arms.

“Anything, Dem.” He sniffled against my hair.

I closed my eyes. “Take my virginity.” It wasn’t a sexually charged thought; it wasn’t the right time or mental state. It was a shocking thing to say to any man, especially given what we had both endured in the evening alone.

Bradley’s breathing shifted; he didn’t say anything and for a moment, we both held on to each other. “I can’t do that,” he finally replied woefully.

My voice cracked as I parted my lips and felt embarrassed to have to plead for this. “Please, Bradley. Nothing in my life has been by choice. If I have to live this life, I don’t want to know that monster was the one who took literally everything from me. Please don’t let Conrad be the one to break the last piece of me. Please don’t let an Ivory man be the one who gets every part of me.”

“Dem, you don’t understand. I can’t do it because they have to see blood on the wedding night. They frame the damn towel, and the husband keeps it. Do you want to know what happens to the women who don’t bleed?”

Bradley was still holding me, but I had tilted my head away from his chest to look into his eyes. I shook my head, too afraid to ask.

“They end up on Ian Ivory’s office wall.”

Sucking in a breath, I stumbled back as my lips parted in shock.

“That decorative wall behind his desk you’ve been dusting off are the bones of all the women who didn’t bleed on their wedding night. The Ivory family loses so much money if that happens.”

I think the entire time I pretended they weren’t real bones. No, I lied to myself. But now, I couldn’t breathe, my hands were shaking, and I wanted to throw up, even though there was nothing left to come up.

I had been cleaning, scrubbing, and dusting the damn wall. Dr. Ivory had made a trophy wall of… bones from innocent women.

“He’s an orthopedic surgeon, well… was. He no longer performs actual surgeries that aren’t for his amusement. He rips the bones out of their bodies and saves them. He crafts out of them.”

“The peony garden…” I trailed.

Nodding, Bradley took a deep breath. “The peony garden is where they bury the bodies. They are convinced those women fertilize the soil and produce the most fragrant peonies. The perfume anyone wears in this house or the wine we are forced to drink all come mixed from the peonies that grow from the ground of death.” He rubbed his hand over his face before filling the space between us again.

“Demi, this has been the way of the Ivory family for generations. I really hope you have a son first.” He brushed my hair from my face before tracing my lips with his thumb.

“What happens if I had a daughter?” My voice shook as I looked into his eyes.

“Oh, Demi?—”

“No, wait, don’t tell me. I’m not going to get pregnant. I’ll figure something out.”

“Well, for three months, you won’t have to.” Bradley turned and grabbed a second wrapped present. It was a small, thin rectangular package. Slowly peeling the paper off, I slanted my eyes as I stared at the bright blue packet.

“What…” I pulled the paper out from it, revealing four rows of pills. “Oh…” I felt a wave of relief.

“I was only able to get a three-month supply. It should give you some time to deal with everything around you and being married to him before having to get pregnant. And I have a way for you to hide them.”

Bradley picked my Nike shoes up and gripped the heel of one. Sliding it off, he revealed a divot he must have had cut in.

“Bradley…” My heart had never felt this kind of emotion for anyone.

“I’m going to cut myself on my inner thigh or even… inside myself for the holy room. I’ll figure out a way to bleed for the wedding night. But Bradley, I need you to do this for me. I need you to take?—”

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