Page 41 of Painter's Obsession: Volume II

“Byron.”

I stop.

“Ah, it is you. He left you all alone,” he teases, clapping his hands. “I have to say, I was wondering when he would be tired of you, does it mean he left?”

But I say nothing, I just use the strength I have to try and rip this fucking door open and kill the asshole, but that causes him to laugh. “I’ll assume he has put you on time out, but where is he?” I still don’t answer as the door rattles, then his phone rings.

“Ah, my sweet piece of ass, your darling sister.”

My blood runs cold. The weight of those words sucks the air from my lungs. “If you know what’s good for her, I would suggest you remain quiet.” And I do. For her sake, I swallow my venom and poison myself.

“Hey,” her voice comes through and soothes me. “Did you make it to the trailer?”

“Hey beautiful, I did but there’s nothing. Are you sure he didn’t run off with a secret lover?” he teases which causes a small chuckle from my sister before she sighs, I can picture her right now, pacing around the room biting her nails nervously.

“I went by the place where he went to his meetings,” she says nervously.

“I told you I would go with you.”

“I know but Johnathan, the guy that Byron befriended, hasn’t shown up.” I can tell she’s piecing things together, but not the biggest one, the piece of shit that her man is. Poor Gabriela sure knows how to pick them.

“Oh yeah? Strange.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

“But hasn’t your brother been texting you?” And my heart sinks with those words, knowing now the true depth of Ren’s depravity and cruelty.

“He has, but I don’t know, Kev. Something inside tells me that something is wrong.” Kevin sighs and his voicesounds honest.

“I know, princess, this is why we are here. We will figure it out, I promise.”

She takes a deep breath in, “Well, okay, just hurry back. I need you.”

A tear slides down my cheek, and then another. My body trembles, my knees threatening to buckle. I rest my head on the door, wishing it would dissolve under the weight of my need. I whisper her name under my breath like a prayer, knowing she can’t hear me. If only I could say something—anything.

“I’m still here, Gaby,” I whisper to the wood. But there’s no answer, just the sound of her soft goodbye.

I listen to their I love yous and goodbyes,each word like a knife to the heart. A memory floods back—Gabriela at ten years old, holding my hand after our mother left for her third night shift in a row. “We’ll always take care of each other,” she whispered. And I failed.

“I will kill you,” I whisper, my hand resting on the door, as I pray for a miracle, but there’s nothing.

Kevin laughs. “Gotta survive Ren first. Well, let Ren know I stopped by. Stay strong, I got a tight pussy waiting for me.”

His words snap my restraint and I lose myself in the anger, not caring about the pain. I violently shake the door handle trying to open it. Quickly, I scan the room for anything that might break open the door, opting for a small wooden nightstand. I can hear Kevin’s footsteps and laughter getting further away.

Grabbing the nightstand, I hurl it towards the door. Anything I can get my hands on gets thrown at the door.

“REN!” I shout, as I exhaust myself throwing anything and everything at the door, but Ren doesn’t answer—neither does Kevin.

I’m hopelessly alone. Again.

Chapter Twenty Two

Ren

“It’s beautiful around here.” She takes a deep breath out the window, her hair dancing in the wind as I drive. The night went ridiculously smooth, probably because it was fate for us to meet. She came back to find me... I could laugh. I was always meant to be hers—only hers. We promised.

“So beautiful.” The word scrapes against my memory like a blade across bone. My throat tightens. Vivian’s voice rattles in my head, the words triggering my mother’s voice as if I needed more confirmation, more signs that she has come back from the dead to haunt me,from her grave to my gut—poison, whispers, rot and perfume. From the corner of my eyes, I catch her staring. “You look so familiar,” she whispers, and I can feel the air shift.

---