Page 35 of Sardonic Burn

Noelle leaves me in her dust, alone in the middle of the street. I’m frozen in shock at the audacity of her words and can’t help but laugh in disbelief. She realizes I’m doing this so everything gets done quicker, right?

She must know that I don’t want to be near her any more than necessary, right?

Right?

She sits back across from that shithead, and they resume their conversation. However, something is… odd.

The excited smile that she showed me a moment earlier was one of the most genuine emotions that I’ve seen on her face.

But now, the smile isn’t reaching her eyes. It’s forced and if she continues grinning like that, her face muscles will contort. Her eyes are dull, though, as if she’s waiting for the moment she can finally leave the restaurant.

Did I misunderstand this entire night?

Has she been faking their lovey-dovey relationship all this time? It’s an arranged marriage, but the possibility of it being forced now weighs on my mind. And that smug-looking bastard doesn’t notice the desperation to leave in her eyes.

I make the decision at the utmost speed. Asking Noelle directly isn’t an option, so I have to use my best judgment.

Instead of leaving, I return to my car and wait.

If I can’t find out what the bastard is doing or thinking, I’ll have to ask him myself. He won’t have the chance of not responding because the setting will be… forcing him to tell me all I need to know and more.

I’m not doing this for Noelle.

I’m doing this to give myself a clear conscience. If he’s up to something and I don’t figure out in time what it’s all about, I’llface the wrath of my father and hers, and that’s not something I want in the near future.

For now, Noelle will have to work with me, whether she likes it or not. And I’ll make sure she understands that the moment this is all over, she’ll be dead by my hand. I never hesitate when it comes to my job, and this one is the highest of them all.

Soon, Noelle.

Soon you’ll fall by my hand, with nothing but the depths of despair surrounding you. I’ll cut your lifeline and ensure you’re left all alone in the darkness of your mind. It will consume you and drive you to the brink of insanity before I kill you.

TEN

“The number you have dialed is not available at the moment. Please try again later.”

With a groan, I lock my phone and return it to my back pocket. I’m sipping on tea with my mother and father, though the two lovebirds are too busy with each other to even notice me. It’s like I’m invisible, and it doesn’t feel great.

I clear my throat, trying to bring their attention to me, but to no avail.

They’re sitting across from me and talking in hushed voices. Mother’s smile can reach the moon, and Father’s eyes shine like the stars. The affection and love they have for each other is admirable, though it gets boring seeing it all the time.

“Wait, Kalina,” Father says and brings his eyes to me. “Our daughter wants attention.”

I grimace. “So you’ve finally noticed, huh?”

He rolls his eyes, and Mother pecks his cheek before returning her attention to me. She’s terrible at brewing tea. Yet Ray Campbell drinks it like it’s the most delicious thing that’s ever touched his tongue.

“What’s wrong, honey?” my mother, Kalina, asks with concern written on her face. Most of the time, she’s the coldest and most expressionless person I’ve ever known. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love us, she’s just terrible at showing it. But when Ray is involved, she breaks away from her shell and radiates warmth.

“I can’t reach Dylan,” I say with a sigh, biting my bottom lip in frustration.

I can’t say the past five days without him have been bad. I don’t dislike him. The two of us made our arrangements and agreements to this marriage, and it’s been working thus far.

Dylan has feelings for me, and I’m not blind to that. I try not to hurt him or give him false hope, but it’s getting harder and harder to keep on that mask. We go on dates, I smile at him, and he doesn’t notice that I’d rather be imprisoned than continue this charade.

But I have to do this for the sake of my family.

So it’s a shock that he hasn't tried to reach out to me since our last date on Tuesday. It’s been five days—the longest we’ve ever been without any contact since we’ve met. If he’s busy with work, he lets me know in advance, and we stay in contact via texts.

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