Page 75 of Tyrant

My heart deflates. Olivia has been more of a mother to me than anyone else.

“I can’t do it anymore,” Olivia says. “I have to leave. I also came to warn you. That woman is no good. She’s up to no good all the time. I thought sending you here was the worst, but it’s not.”

“I said you could say goodbye to her,” Esme cuts in. “Nothing else.”

Olivia starts to cry but catches her breath. She hurries toward me and hugs me. I hug her back, digging inside my soul for somekind of emotion here. I feel void of emotion right now though. After everything I’ve seen and what’s been done to me…

“I’ve loved you always, Serafina,” Olivia whispers. “If I had been lucky enough to have a daughter I wished it would have been you. You need to have a good life. You don’t need that evil woman near you. But please be careful. Be safe. I worry what she’s going to do next.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” Esme says. “You’ve said your goodbye. You’ve given your hug. It’s time to leave. Before someone ends up in trouble here.”

“No,” I say. “Wait. I want to know more.”

“If I contact security, you will have to go through a rigorous screening process to ensure nothing was shared with you that shouldn’t have been,” Esme says to Olivia. “And it can get quite violent.”

Esme swipes a tissue from a box on her desk and holds it out for Olivia to take and use. Olivia grabs the tissue and looks back at me one more time. She breaks down into tears and leaves the office.

“What was that about?” I yell at Esme.

“She wanted to say goodbye to you, Serafina. I’ve read your file. I understand the construction of your family. Or lack of family, I should say. She’s leaving the country. I’ve verified that too.”

“Because of mymother,” I say. “She wanted to tell me more. Why wouldn’t you let her?”

“You belong here. You’ve been sent here.”

“Sent? I was notsent. I was kidnapped. Brought here. Against my will. That’s what kidnapping is.”

“Let’s not get into an argument over the definition of words, Serafina. What’s done is done. You’re here. You can’t leave. End of discussion. I appreciate what that woman meant to you andwhat you meant to her. I allowed a hug and a goodbye. That’s more than most would get.”

“Why even do that? That fucking hurt.”

Esme doesn’t respond to that.

“You wanted to do it on purpose,” I say. “You did it on purpose. All part of this place. To hurt me. Constantly hurt me.”

“Who is hurting you, Serafina?” Esme asks. “Did something happen?”

I don’t know what I can or cannot say.

“You brought Olivia here to say goodbye to me,” I say. “Or better yet, you allowed her to say goodbye. Is that some kind of reward? Are you happy with the classes I’ve been taking?”

“Let’s just consider this me checking up on you. You seem to be settling. Fitting right in. I hope that’s true.”

My mind flashes images of Tyrant tying me up in his spare bedroom. Handcuffing me to his bed. The feel of the butt plug penetrating meback there, breaking open a threshold that’s normally ano-nospot.

I swallow hard.

“Olivia was the last person I had in life,” I say. “And she’s leaving the country. I officially have nobody now.”

That thought makes me catch a breath in my throat. I find myself rushing toward Esme’s office door. She doesn’t try to stop me when I leave.

I run out of the building and know I won’t find Olivia. I just hope she’s happy wherever she ends up. And that whoever she met is a good person and takes care of her. She doesn’t deserve any more abuse from my stepmother.

But she wanted to warn me about my stepmother. Why? What’s happening?

The frustration mounts inside my body and I open my mouth to scream but only exhale a growling breath. I start to suck in a breath when a hand clamps over my mouth.

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