Page 91 of The Divide that Binds Us

I failed to protect her.Scarlet is gonna kill me.

I rest my elbows on my knees, burying my face in my hands to swallow a frustrated groan.When I look up, Lynn’s bright red body twitches once, and then again until her monitors beep faster.A nurse rushes in with cold compresses she gently lies over Lynn’s peeling arms.She places another one on an exposed area of Lynn’s neck and half of her chest.Lynn winces and scrunches her face, but her eyes eventually flutter open.

“Lynn.”I adjust to face her bed, but also not get in the nurse’s way.“It’s me, Rio.”

“R...Ri—Rio,” she whimpers.A few tears escape from the corners of her eyes, but she’s staring at the ceiling.Her chest quakes as the nurse carefully places a wet mask over her face to which Lynn shrieks enough to shake the room.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie.It’ll pass soon, I promise,” the nurse says.“I’m gonna grab another nurse to help me; be right back.”

As soon as she leaves, I scoot my chair closer to the bed.

“Hey.”I fumble over my thoughts and what else to say.“What happened?”

She struggles and swallows slowly, bringing some sort of pain that’s translated on her face.“Rio,” she croaks.“Someone...grabbed me.Was trying to visit my pa.”She stops to breathe slowly.“All I saw was their hand.There was a...red letter A tattooed on it.”

Chapter 19

The Vision

Mildred Anguine

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The hotel conferenceroom is a typical take on over-modernization from floor to ceiling with barre gray wooden flooring, and plush, black wheely chairs to match the cold stone table the monarchs sit at.

Well, every monarch plus Mildred and Roon but minus Remington.

Everyone sits with an empty seat between them and an armed Guard from their island standing behind them.

“Hmm, King Remington won’t be in our presence today, I presume?”Jonah asks, curling his thick mustache and crossing his legs.He sits next to Sophie and across from Mildred.

She surveys each monarch with disdain but satisfaction—always reveling in the fact she’s the only person with her position who exists, and only for Remington.

Theymusttreat her as his substitute.

Judging by the pointed brows, curled lips, and flared nostrils, they’ll never truly welcome this fact, even if she’s dutifully served the King for several years now.

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