Page 14 of Cruel Knots

“You can’t go inside without a doctor’s permission,” a female nurse tells us as she walks past us.

“Wait! Hold up!” I call after her.

The middle-aged woman stops and turns around to look at me.

“I know it’s late but I just got to know about my Dad,” I explain breathlessly. “Is there any way you can tell how he’s doing? I don’t want all the details, I just want to know if he’s going to be okay.”

“What’s the patient’s name?”

“Leander Baldwin.”

Recognition flashes through her eyes, followed by a pitying expression. “Are you his family?” she asks.

“Yeah. I’m his daughter.”

“I’m so sorry,” she says, looking truly apologetic. “The doctors are still trying to revive him. You’ve got to hold tight and wait until the morning. I’m sorry I can’t give you any other helpful information about your dad.”

“It’s okay,” I say through the painful choke in my throat. “I’ll wait for the doctors to come around.”

When the nurse walks away, Callum pulls me into a hug. “Don’t worry, Lucia,” he says in a sweet voice while his hands caress the top of my head. “Even if Dad’s not around, you’ll never be alone. You’ll always have me.”

His words are meant to soothe me but they leave me feeling hopeless.

All I can do is hope Dad would pull through the night and that Damien, Leon, and Mikhail would come back in the morning. There’s no way I can live a day without them with only Callum for company.

5

Lucia

Seven years later

Present-day

I cringe as a stream of thick, vibrant green goo fills up the tall glass. The smoothie comprises of a mix of veggies and boiled eggs that have been blitzed together to form a “complete” meal for my ailing dad.

Almost seven years went by since Dad’s accident but his condition hasn’t improved one bit.

The accident that occurred all those years ago left him paralyzed from the waist down. His spinal cord was also affected, resulting in him having difficulty forming proper speech.

His being alive is a constant source of disappointment for Callum but I thank the heavens every day for letting my dad stay with me. Dad is the only reason I get out of bed most days.

“Hey there,” a familiar voice sounds in my ear.

The sound startles me so badly, that the glass slips from my hands and falls into the sink in front of me. I cringe as the tumbler shatters from the sudden impact.

“So clumsy of you, Luce,” Callum says in an amused voice as he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest.

I squirm, hating his lover-like embrace.

“That was for Dad,” I say, doing my best to keep an even tone. “It’s time for his meal, so I’m going to have to start all over again.”

“You’re such a sweet person,” he croons, skimming his nose along the side of my neck.

His pheromones, tasting of bitter tobacco, assaults my senses. I hold my breath, wishing he’d let go of me already.

Callum’s behavior fills me with disgust but I’m too scared of him to protest. These past seven years have shown me my brother’s true monstrous nature.

Damien, Leon, and Mikhail never came home again. I asked around at school and in our neighborhood, but no one had seen them past that night when everything changed.

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