Page 86 of Hateful Games

“You want to encourage her freakiness, be my guest.”

My lips curl in disdain. The vehemence in his tone, the blatant disgust in his eyes, almost makes me recoil. Until the only conclusion my mind comprehends is that, for some unknown reason, he hates Rosalie.

His own flesh and blood.

It ticks me off, leaving a sinister sensation in my chest.

It cannot simply be because of her personality or her wardrobe choices. There’s a deeper root for his disdain and toxicity toward Rosalie. One I itch to uncover.

But that’s for another day.

Straightening, I deliver another threatening look and say, “If Rosalie is walking down the aisle in anything but the wedding dress she chose, the wedding’s off.”

“The hell it is.” His chair falls as he abrupt stands.

“You want to be a fool and test me, be my guest.”

Striding to the door, I slam it in his fuming red face and leave the house.

Chapter Twenty-four

Rosalie

“Okay, that’s it. We’re taking Rosa to the ER,” announces Bee, slapping her palm on the table and drawing the attention of the other patrons in the crowded restaurant.

Iris rolls her eyes and says, “She’s fine.”

“The hell she is,” she retorts and waves her finger up and down in my direction. “She’s not acting normal.”

“How?”

“We’ve been sitting here for over an hour talking about Nova and she hasn’t once threatened to kill him.”

Iris squints her eyes and slowly mumbles, “Because that would be… normal.”

“For her, yes.”

I watch them bicker back and forth, keeping my mouth shut. Usually, I would actively participate or be amused while fighting the urge to smirk. However, I can’t even muster the strength to give my two cents because inside, I feel dead. Sleep has evaded me, making dark circles my daily essentials.

I’ve run out of days.

Time flew away at the speed of lightning.

Before I know it, tomorrow is finally the big weekend.

I thought I was prepared after all these years but a fresh wave of nerves is beginning to take root. How can one ever be truly ready for a life of imprisonment? Most girls dream of the fairytale day, but I never did. My mind was too in the clouds, concocting otherworldly scenarios that were far away from reality.

All I needed was some music in my ears and I was off to traveling in my head.

I yearn for those simpler and more peaceful days.

Hoping a relaxing and fun lunch with my best friends would be a distraction from the impending doom, I sneaked out of my house away from the bodyguards. While asking Jasmine to cover for me.

My father has me on lockdown, worried I might run away.

Being a runaway bride is only fun in rom-coms.

From my peripheral, I see Iris’s hand inch toward my plate of pizza and just as her fingertips graze one of the slices, I slap her hand. “Hey! Eat your burger.”

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