Page 14 of Cruel Steps

“Milton, look who made it,” Rose said, spotting us at the doorway. Aquamarine eyes turned to where I stood, and for one second, it felt exactly like that night in the club. An electrical current stretched between us, connecting our two souls, and everyone else disappeared.

His eyes widened, shock covering his face as he stared. One side of his lips curved up, and heat filled his gaze. For that one second, I believed that maybe it would be okay. If I got Holden, then I could deal with everything else.

I sucked in a breath, my body tingling with anticipation, and I held myself back from running into his arms. Hope’s hand wrapped around his bicep, and just like that, the connection between us snapped. He bent to listen to her, and his smile morphed into a sneer. It was so like Hope’s; it had to be because he’d looked at me with lust that I hadn’t noticed the similarities before.

His eyes scanned me, but they were filled with disgust instead of the heat I’d come to know from him. Losing the way he’d looked at me was the last blow I could handle. I covered my body, remembering how I looked, and pivoted on the balls of my feet. I sprinted down the hall and up the stairs.

Hey! It looked like I found something that would make me run.

Ignoring my father’s shouts, I ran into my bedroom and slammed the door, but when I glanced around, I couldn’t spot anything familiar. Boxes stood against the wall, and the bedding had already been changed. Yanking open the closet, the hangers held dresses and tops in a size I hadn’t worn since middle school. Buzzing filled my head at the realization Hope had already taken over my room—the last place that had been mine.

Stumbling out of the room, I grasped the doorknobs of the spare rooms as I passed, not finding any of my belongings in them. They held boxes of stuff labeled with Rose and Hope, but none were mine.

Maybe Taylor’s assumption about me being Harry Potter was coming true. Should I check under the stairs?

I stared down the last hallway at the two bedrooms that remained. They were on the opposite side of the house from everything else, so knowing Hope, this would be where my stuff would be. Sighing in resignation, I opened the first door and frowned when it was empty. Turning to the last door, I hesitated.

What if my stuff wasn’t in here? Then what? Would I say something to my dad? I wanted to believe I would, but history told me I wouldn’t.

Slowly, I opened the door, my shoulders relaxing at the sight of my familiar belongings. Closing it, I leaned against it and took a breath. I glanced at the doorknob and knew I’d need to change it so Hope couldn’t get in. She’d already proved she didn’t care about boundaries by moving my stuff.

Opening boxes, I slowly unpacked and placed my belongings around the room. I brushed my hair and changed my clothes, spraying on some body spray for good measure. Once I had unpacked everything, I realized I’d left my phone by the pool. Fear that Hope would get her hands on it filled me and I took off, needing to get to it.

Taking the back stairs, I avoided the kitchen and snuck out the back door. No one was at the pool, so I unhooked my phone and gathered my stuff from the pool bed. My heart slowed now that my phone was safe, and I returned the same way I had come to avoid everyone. Voices stopped me in the back hall, and I froze halfway up the stairs to listen.

“Do you hear how crazy this sounds, Mom?” Holden asked. “You married a man after six weeks! How is this any better than last time?”

Intrigued, I stayed hidden and urged my heart to slow, convinced they could hear it.

“Shh, Holden. It’s different this time. Milton’s a nice man.”

“Who also happens to be loaded?” he scoffed. “Please tell me you’re not taking advantage of him.”

That shocked me. Was Holden more worried about my dad than his mom?

“It’s not what you think. We’re helping each other.”

“Gross. I don’t want any part of this. I’ll find somewhere else to stay until school starts.”

“Don’t you dare leave!”

“Stop! Both of you,” Hope whispered-yelled. “Holden, you’ll stay here. You promised.”

“That was before she was here.” I could almost hear him grinding his molars, my heart sinking at the vitriol in his words.

“Don’t take it personally. Milton said Emerson’s always been shy and has no friends. You two could help her. It won’t be easy starting her junior year somewhere new.” Ouch, Dad.

“This year is too important for me to show around a stray,” Holden gritted, my heart turning to sand.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll make sure Emerson fits right in.”

I couldn’t stomach hearing anything else and was too worried I’d throw up on the stairs if I stayed. Climbing on shaky legs, I made it to my new room and shut the door. The conversation I overheard was a stark reminder of my life and how everything was slotted into before and after.

Before Mom died and after.

I’d had two years where life had been good, and I foolishly believed my future would be different.

But nothing had ever been okay after, and this wasn’t any different.

---