Page 29 of Kortlek

“You are, thank God you are, but you almost weren’t. And Arlo feels guilty as much as we do. That’s the reason he wants you away from Kortlek.’’

“I think you’re overreacting. It wasn’t that bad. I was never kidnapped, tortured, or abused.’’

“No, physically, you weren’t,’’ she sighs. “Mentally, though? He ruined you, and I feared I’d never get my daughter back.’’

“I’ll talk to Arlo,’’ I sigh. “I’ll see what I can do over there.’’

She nods.

“But you said you tried doing damage control on two fronts; you’ve clearly failed this one, so what’s the second one?”

“So, funny thing,’’ she laughs nervously, uncomfortable to even speak about it. “Micah… saw you and Cove… and he may or may not have told Arlo… and Hudson.’’

“Jesus Christ,’’ I groan in annoyance, slamming my head against the marble counter. My eyes close, and I try to remain calm.

“Oh, that’s not all of it, sweetheart.’’

My head lifts off the counter, chin resting on it. I’m not ready to hear whatever it is she has to say, because I just know it’s going to be fucking terrible. She has an apologetic smile on her face, and it seems as though she’s struggling to say the words.

“Just spit it out,’’ impatience echoes in my words, my heart hammering against my ribcage. Mom’s eyes look at me, waiting for a reaction to her next sentence. Anxiety starts spreading through my body, a terrible gut feeling probing in the pit of my stomach.

“Arlo and Hudson may or may not have gone straight to Cove’s.’’

Oh fucking hell.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

My hands skim through the wardrobe, pushing hangers after hangers to the right, desperately trying to find something suitable to wear. Somehow, the dresses I own are no longer pretty; the skirts and shirts are looking plain.

I groan, trying to find something. Blair chuckles from behind me, sitting on my bed and eating popcorn. She’s all ready to go. Her baby pink dress reaches just above her knees, with a pretty, heart-shaped neckline. The dress has long sleeves, hugging her body in all the right places.

“It’s not funny,’’ I mutter.

Rose enters from the bathroom, snorting. She just finished getting ready, too. She has a pair of leather pants on, a corset that makes her tits stand out almost too well. I can’t say I wasn’t looking because that’d be a lie. They look gorgeous.

“Why don’t you let Blair and I pick your outfit?” Rose offers with an amused glint in her eyes.

I roll my eyes. “Who? Miss pink bubblegum over there, or you, who I haven’t seen out of sweats in almost a year.’’

“Hey! I can get out of sweats; I just prefer not to most of the time,’’ she laughs at the tired expression on my face, then adds, "How about you let me pick you something? I promise it’s something to suit your taste.’’

With a nod and a sigh of annoyance, I step aside and let her skim through the clothes. While she’s busy cursing me under her breath, thinking I can’t hear her, I sit back down on the floor and start taking the rollers out of my hair. I run my fingers through my hair to loosen the style and make it prettier, then add some oils to it.

I look cute.

But I had to get another bleaching session, at home, by Blair and Mom because the blood stained the white. Who would’ve thought? I definitely didn’t think about that when I decided to participate in the game. As ridiculous as it sounds, if I’d known that it would stain my hair, I would’ve thought twice before going there.

I smack my lips together after adding lip oil and look in the full-body mirror. Except for the fact that I’m currently in a lingerie set, I look good. Well, my face and hair. The white parts pop out even more since it’s freshly dyed, and I am quite satisfied with the outcome.

“There,’’ Rose comes, shoving the clothes in my chest and then going back to the bathroom to pick up the mess she created.

With an eye roll, I start getting dressed before looking at myself in the mirror again.

“Oh,’’ I mumble.

This isn’t half bad. It’s a classic high-waisted black mini skirt with see-through black stockings. Only once they’re on my legs do I see the designs. I completely forgot I even had these. They’re pretty, with many roses all around. They end just around my mid-thighs, with a lace around the hem and a small bow in the middle of it.

The top is a simple black lace bralette, for which I had to take my bra off, but luckily, it has more coverage on my nipples. Going out and flashing everyone isn’t something I want for the night. I’d be too embarrassed to even look at myself in the mirror after that, and these two wouldn’t let me live it down.

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