Page 2 of Torment

Willow tucked the chain back inside her shirt. “Soon. But for now you can call him H.”

“If you love him and he’s the one, then let us meet him.”

Willow sighed and got up from the bed. “It’s complicated, B.”

“What’s so complicated about it? You love him, and I’m sure that he loves you too. It’s simple.”

Willow shook her head. “No, it’s not. He’s not like us, B. Grandmother, the family, they won’t accept him.”

Blanchette sat up, leaning on her elbow. “Why won’t they accept him?”

“Like I said, he’s not like us.” She slowly started to pace in front of Blanchette’s bed. “He’s different, but good different. I think that’s what made me fall in love with him in the first place.”

She took the chain off from around her neck and held the round charm in her hand, staring down at it like she was holding her heart in her hand.

“He’s wild, free. He doesn’t have every step of his future planned out. He lives for the here and now, the moment. And for someone like me, whose life has always been planned out to perfection, it’s liberating being with someone like him.” The way her voice softened as she spoke, her emotions coating every word, was exactly how Blanchette imagined someone’s voice would sound like when they were in love. There was no doubt in her mind her sister had fallen in love.

Blanchette slowly got off the bed, careful to not show her pain. Placing her arms on her sister’s shoulders, she stared into blue eyes that almost mirrored her own.

“Follow your heart, Willow. If your heart is guiding you to fall head first into something with this guy, then that’s what you should do.”

“I was hoping you would say that.” Willow kept her gaze. “I’m leaving with him, B.”

Blanchette gave a step back, narrowing her eyes. “Leaving?”

“Yes. I’m running away with him. If we stay here, we will never be free to love each other the way we want to.”

“Willow, no.”

“B, it’s the only way.”

Blanchette felt the bed behind her knees and sat down on the mattress. Just thinking of staying behind without Willow felt like someone was tightening a rope around her neck. “Willow, you can’t leave.”

“I love him, B. He loves me. It’s the only way.”

“No!” Blanchette jumped up, desperation fueling her actions. “Let Grandmother meet him. Let us meet him. When everyone sees how much you love him, they will accept him.”

“No, they won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.” Willow looked down at the ground, still clutching the chain in her hand. “They won’t let me be with him. And even if they do agree to it, the family’s disapproval will always hang like a shadow over us. B, we won’t be free to live our lives the way we want to.”

Blanchette felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t imagine living here alone without her sister. With her mother dead, her grandmother always busy with family business, that would only leave her and…him.

No.

There was no way she would survive it. Not with him.

“Willow, please—”

“It will just be another year, B. Just one more year, then you’ll graduate and you’ll be able to leave.” Willow took Blanchette’s hands in hers. “Then we’ll be back together again. Please. I need him.”

Blanchette stared into her sister’s eyes and all she saw was a girl so deeply in love that she would go to the ends of the earth for that love.

For a moment, she envied her sister. She wanted that. She wanted to feel that kind of love for someone. But now, after whathedid to her, there would never be any place inside her for love. No matter how much she wanted it, it would never be. So who was she to deny her sister the chance at love, a chance Blanchette would never have.

“When?” she asked softly.

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