Page 58 of Teach Me How To Fly

“Who knows from where that water might come. I won’t risk anything,” I quickly replied as I let my head rest on my palms.

Maksen sat in front of me and ran his fingers through his messy hair strands, then rubbed his face with his palms and eyed me.

The entire cabin was drowned in a faded light that made me think the weather outside wasn’t sunny. It was fall, and even though it was cold, I liked it. The beautiful colored trees, the wind blowing around our bodies, and the smell of rain hugging our lungs made me love this season.

The weather was just like I was right now. Gray colored, chilly, and full of dark thoughts I couldn’t ignore. Even though I felt good being with Maksen, I was expecting the moment when my mind would come for my sanity.

My uncle. No, the stranger who abused me.

My father. No, the man who tried to take my father’s place and create a real-sized cage for me.

My sister. Well, the girl who I thought was my sister and who made my life a living hell, but also the girl whom I cared about despite everything she did to me.

Olivia and Lydia, were the two women around whom I felt like a little girl who finally found her mother.

And they all lied to me, without thinking about how I would feel if I had found out the truth.

The only thing I can think about is that my father might have known that Sylvian was abusing me because that’s the only way he could’ve justified why he forbade me to go to their house. But did he know something about Maksen too considering that he didn’t let him go there either?

I needed to talk to him, even though I didn’t really want to see him now. He was one of the people who could’ve given me some answers.

But the person I would’ve loved to receive some answers from was my uncle.

I was scared of him, afraid of what he might do to me again, but I needed to ask him some questions just to come to peace with myself. I needed to see him, to confront him, and to give the little girl inside me what she deserved.

“You don’t have to zone out when you’re with me, Anna.” Maksen’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts and made me look at him. “Tell me whatever is going through your mind and we’ll figure it out. You’re not alone.”

“I’m afraid that if I tell you what’s in my mind, you won’t accept it and you’ll judge me.”

He frowned and narrowed his eyes, and then he stood up from the chair, towering over me when he came closer.

“Think of me as you think of yourself. Would you judge yourself for what you have in your mind now?”

I looked at him, and his words made a lot of sense. He really did know how to manipulate people and make them see the side of the story that was also in his favor. But right now, he didn’t manipulate me, he just opened my eyes.

“No, I wouldn’t judge myself, but I know the real reason behind what I have in my mind.”

“I would know it too if you’d tell me,” he quickly replied, letting his glance fall on my lips.

Did he want to kiss me again? Because if he did, I wouldn’t have refused it.

“I want to talk with my uncle. No, correction, I want to talk to Sylvian,” I finally said and I saw how his facial expression changed instantly.

He clenched his jaw while he gripped the edge of the table into his palm and I was sure that if he was going to squeeze it more, he was going to break it considering how old the wood was. He remained silent, but his eyes told me more than he was able to say.

“You said you wouldn’t judge me.”

“I’m not judging you, Annalise, I’m thinking of a way I could provide that to you, without having the urge to kill Sylvian the moment he comes to talk to you.”

Oh.

“I want to do it for little Annalise, you know? I want to ask him some questions, I want to confront him, I want to see the monster who could’ve done such a thing to a child,” I explained, and his jaw tensed even more.

I could see that he was angry, not at me, but angry at the entire situation. I knew very well that he wanted to kill Sylvian with no second thoughts considering that’s what he did betterthan everyone. But now that I told him that I practically need him alive, he’s reconsidering his ideas.

“Okay,” he finally said, and I was confused about how briefly he answered.

“Okay? So you’re fine with it?”

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