Page 136 of Sinful Sacrifice

“Not necessarily.” Sighing, she adjusts her dress strap. “I know you and Damien were involved before, though I’m unsure how serious. Men in my family don’t love their wives, so I’m not expecting that from him. My father could’ve chosen a worse man.” She offers me a soothing smile. “Igor is nice too. He’d make a decent husband.”

My shoulders slump as I take a sip of orange juice. “Isn’t that sad, though?” I ask over the rim. “That you don’t expect your husband to love you?”

A brief silence passes as she peers down at the table, scraping her French-manicured nail over the cloth. “You know, when I heard stories of your mom and you growing up, I was jealous.”

Unsure of how to reply, I wait for her to continue.

“You were able to escape this world,” she says with sadness. “But now, I’ve learned none of us ever escape it. This world waits until it’s ready for us and then sucks us in. Your shackles were loosened until they had a use for you.”

She smooths out her napkin on her lap before bunching it in her hand and placing it on the table. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“What’s that?” I ask as she stands.

“Please don’t fuck my husband.”

She doesn’t say another word while leaving the room.

I’m still in the sunroom when Cernach storms inside. His footsteps are so heavy that the floor rattles. The man who follows him around, who I learned last night is Odhrán, is behind him.

“Igor can no longer take you out for the day,” he snaps, his face red as he grips his phone tight. “Someone blew up his goddamn car last night. Be thankful he’s not dead.”

I try to hold it back, but there’s no stopping my lips from curling into a smile.

“Don’t gloating, you little bitch.” He points his phone toward me. “We know exactly who did this.” An evil smirk spreads across his grim face. “I know just the news that’ll wipe that smile off your cunt face.”

I don’t ask him what the news is.

I only stare straight ahead.

The news won’t be good.

I’d rather walk home on foot than hear whatever this news is.

The cords in his neck move. “You won’t be smirking long when you learn Riona is pregnant with Damien’s baby.”

I recoil in the chair, a wave of dizziness hitting me.

My stomach churns, the threat of my pancakes coming back up strong.

“Oh, it seems Damien forgot to tell you about that other contract he signed.” He snorts dismissively. “Not too confident anymore, are you, whore?”

I stare down at the knife on the table.

God, how good it’d feel to stab it into that neck of his.

Into his mouth so he’ll shut the hell up.

His eyes narrow, and he stands there, unmoving, like a man who feeds from other’s pain.

“Since your date is no longer able to take you out, you can call for a ride or walk for all I care,” he says before charging out of the room.

I gag, vomit threatening to make its way up, and push my plate away.

It takes me a moment to catch my breath before I slam my napkin on the table and stand. “Fuck this.”

Fleeing the room, I dash up the stairs. I collect my phone as soon as I’m in the guest room, rip off the clothes from the hangers, and throw them across the room. I’m not wearing anything this evil-ass family provides me.

“I need to get out of here,” I say between panicked pants.

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