Page 55 of Mastered By Lust

“What’s up?” I ask.

“Tell me you’re coming to Salding tonight. My aunts are forcing me and I don’t want to. You’ll make it tolerable.”

“Salding? For what?” I finish slicing the tomato and move it aside for a bell pepper.

“To celebrate the jazz club. Patrick invited you.”

I vaguely remember a text from Patrick yesterday. I ignored the message because lately, he seems a little too interested in hanging out with me. I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea by writing back immediately.

But why would Patrick invite me? Why wouldn’t Dmitri invite me instead? We spoke on the phone a few hours ago. He could’ve asked me then. He must not want me there. I frown at the pepper and slice it a little more vigorously than necessary.

“So?” Danica sounds impatient.

“Yeah, I’ll go.” I’ll go and I’ll look amazing. I’ll wear that dress Gage bought me, because I feel incredible in it.

“Yay! Want to meet me there? I’ll text you the address.”

We figure out the details, but my mind is elsewhere—mostly on Dmitri. Gage said that Dmitri has my heart. But this party makes me think I don’t have Dmitri’s. Not at all. If I were important to him, he would’ve invited me. He’s been talking about starting that club with Patrick for years.

Fabulous. Spite will fuel my beauty. I’m going to look fucking fabulous.

* * *

Gage

Claudia seems so small in her hospital bed. We’re in a private room, in a private hospital. The beeping sounds of monitors are muted here. Everything is far more peaceful and respectful than it would be in a public hospital.

My chest thuds with a dull emptiness. Claudia has suffered for years, and she continues to suffer. While I have some say in her treatment because she granted me some legal powers, I can’t force her to get well.

This hospital, frequented by celebrities and others with ties to the film industry, boasts a substance abuse rehab center. I can see the place from the window, past a large, immaculately landscaped lawn. A meandering concrete pathway, bordered by rose bushes, leads to it. The building itself has glass doors with a small sign stretched above them readingSanto Serenity.

“Hey.” Claudia’s voice is raspy, and she clears her throat. “Whatcha looking at out there?”

“The rehab center.”

“It looks pretty nice, right? Nicer than that other one I tried.”

I turn around to face her directly. “It does look nice. I already talked to the director. She assured me that they’ll do everything they can to equip you with the best tools to manage your health.”

Claudia and I have already been in touch with Vero, Claudia’s therapist. She believes this treatment center is the best chance Claudia has at recovery.

Claudia agreed to voluntarily admit herself. Then she promptly burst into tears and nearly hyperventilated. The nurses had to administer medication to calm her down. She fell asleep after that.

Her face twists as if she’ll cry again, but she manages to keep her emotions in check. “I’m an addict, Gage. I hate that I have to say it out loud, but Vero said I need to be more open about it. She said there’s no shame. But I feel so fucking ashamed, all the time.”

I sit on the edge of her bed. “You have an illness. You shouldn’t be ashamed of that.”

We spend the rest of the day talking and preparing for her to be transferred to the rehab facility. I make arrangements at my hotel to stay for one extra night. I desperately want to get back to Leah and my dark, quiet home, but it makes more sense to stay close in case anything goes wrong with Claudia’s intake. She could, for instance, completely change her mind about treatment.

A few hours later, however, I walk Claudia up to the entrance of Santo Serenity. While she doesn’t seem eager to go inside, she doesn’t protest, either. Two burly security guards stand inside the clear glass doors.

“This is as far as I can take you.” I squeeze Claudia’s shoulder. “All your forms have been filled out, and Vero has coordinated everything. You’re good to go.”

She blinks apprehensively at the wide glass doors and fusses with her pale blue, hospital-issued scrubs—her new uniform for the next few weeks. “I’m not going to be able to talk to you for a while, Gage. Vero said the doctors here will want me to take a break from all my usual friends and connections.”

I could use the break, too, although I would never, ever tell her that. “I’ll miss you. But more importantly, I want you to be healthy. You deserve to be healthy, Claudia. I want that more than anything for you.”

“I’m starting to want that, too. For the first time, I want to be well.” She throws her arms around me. “I don’t want to die.”

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