Page 31 of Mastered By Bliss

“Seriously?”Disapproval, disbelief, dismay color his tone.

“Seriously.”I turn on my heel and walk back into the club.

This is better.

* * *

Leah

“I’m sorry,” Dmitri says over the phone.

“No, it’s okay.”I clench the phone tighter and turn to my bodyguard.“Lauren—we’re not going to Abdul’s after all.”

She keeps her eyes on the road.“Where to, then?”

“Just pull over for a second, and I’ll plug in directions.”

“Hey.”Dmitri’s voice is soft.“You and I should still go out.You need to eat, don’t you?”

“Yeah…but I just thought of something I should do.”I touch my bag.The sage-green journal is nestled inside, with all the hate I scrawled across its pages.

“Are you sure?We could get ramen again.”

“I’m sure.Tomorrow, though?”

“Family lunch at Granddad’s.Do you want to come?”

I shudder.“No.Probably not a great idea yet.”

“I’m sorry my parents are assholes.”

“Mine are, too.And yours are still way better.At least yours feel bad about things.And they took me in when my stepdad kicked me out.”I will always,alwaysbe grateful to the Montroses for that.

“You’re sure about tonight?”

“Yeah.Thanks, though.”

I hope he doesn’t think that he’s not worth a dinner date on his own, without Gage.It’s just—I have to do this.

Dmitri and I say goodbye.The car is still idling, Lauren waiting for me to tell her where we’re going.I know the address by heart, so I punch it into the navigation system.

Nobody except for the Ironwood SUV follows us.I’m relieved to have the extra car, but I worry that my paranoia has been getting the best of me.At some point, I need to live my life without fear.

Fifteen minutes later, we’re pulling up to a generic-looking house that can almost brag it’s part of the Old Thirty-Three district.In reality, it’s on the border of Bellefleur.If my mom and stepdad tried to sell it, I think they’d be eating a loss.The neighborhood is getting worse, not better.

The wood siding has been painted since I last saw it—from an ugly shade of yellow to an ugly shade of blue.Twilight isn’t helping its cause.

When Lauren moves to get out of the car with me, I shake my head.“This is my parents’ house.I’m safe here.”Physically.

“If you’re sure.”Her brown eyes narrow.

Nope.I nod.“Thanks.”

I haven’t been here in years.I came back once, during my second year of college.Mom wanted me to have dinner with them.I think she missed me, in her own weird way.Peter had been on his “best behavior,” which meant he glowered at me the whole time.By the end of dinner, though, he and Mom started bickering about some bullshit thing—I think the full trashcan.I’d quickly kissed Mom’s cheek and said a hasty goodbye to them both.

I haven’t seen her since.

I walk up and stand in front of the door.I don’t know why I’m here.Do I expect their relationship to have changed?

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