Page 106 of Sinful Desires

Annoyance bubbled inside me. I knew she was trying to be a caring friend, but right now, I just wanted to be left alone. Any other time, I’d be grateful for her persistence—just knowing that there was someone who really did give a shit about me, but right now wasn’t the time.

“Fine,” she caved with a defeated sigh. “But I’m bringing you back something to eat, and you better be feeling better by the time the party starts tonight.” If I wasn’t in so much pain both emotionally and physically, I might have laughed at her seriousness.

I didn’t say anything, and relief had the tension in my shoulders easing.

“Are you expecting mail?” she inquired.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I rolled over, propping myself up on my elbows. An envelope rested between her fingers as she held it in the air. When I shook my head, she glanced down at it.

“It says someone named Rebecca is supposed to come see you today around ten.”

I groaned and fell back against my pillow. Out of all the days she could have shown up, it had to be today. I wasn’t in the mood for any company, and especially not a lecture.

“Is she family?”

“She’s my social worker.”

Rebecca did tell me she’d make an appearance eventually, but I hadn’t expected her to follow through on it. She wasn’t getting paid to do random checks on me like this.

I do care about you.

That’s what she’d said right before bringing me here. I hadn’t believed it at the time, and maybe I still didn’t. However, I was beginning to see things differently now.

“Have fun with that,” she snorted. “I’ll be back soon.” I watched as she placed the piece of paper on the desk and then disappeared from the room, leaving me to my thoughts.

wallowing hurt. It felt like I’d spent hours screaming at the top of my lungs while hanging from a noose. I didn’t even know what I had to fight for anymore. What if Avery was better off without me? What if she was happy? I suppose it was also a possibility that she might not even remember me. Pain sliced through my chest at the prospect. She’s made it this long without me. Maybe I just needed to let her go.

I stared into my sister’s light blue eyes; our hands clasped together while we sat on the bedroom floor. While we were twins, we looked nothing alike. She had brown hair and blue eyes; I had black hair and green eyes.

“No matter what happens, we leave here together,” I said.

She nodded. “If they try to separate us, we kick and scream and cause a scene.”

A smile bit at my cheeks. She remembered. Avery was the only thing keeping me together. She was always so bubbly, optimistic, she kept me from giving into the darkness that danced around the edges of my mind. Avery was my light, my best friend, my only family.

My chest tightened as the pain flooded through me. I saw the people who adopted her, met them even. They were kind and wealthy. They fucking adored her right from the beginning. They met with her a few times to make her more comfortable about leaving with them. When the time came, she didn’t fight like she promised. She left me…and maybe she was better off for it.

Raven had brought me back some soup, and it helped soothe my throat a lot. The pain was still there, but it no longer felt like I’d stuck a curling iron down it.

I was walking toward the office to meet Rebecca, knowing she wouldn’t leave until she at least saw me. The office itself was closed due to the holiday, but there was a table around the corner from it where we could speak freely.

As soon as I entered the building, my gaze landed on her. She rushed over to greet me, her face lit up with excitement like we were old friends or some shit.

“Aspen,” she enthused, her gaze raking over me slowly, right before concern washed over her features instead. “Are you alright?” she queried, trying to get a better look at me. “You don’t look well.”

You don’t even know the half of it.

“Dandy,” I retorted.

A frown tugged her maroon lips downward, clearly displeased with my attitude. What did she expect? That she’d bring me here, and I’d morph into a completely different person?

“Can we just get this over with?” I rasped before strolling toward the table and sliding onto the bench. The wood creaking beneath my weight.

She didn’t say anything as she slid into the seat adjacent to me. Hell. She didn’t need to say anything; it was written all over her face. I knew I looked like death. I’d been too weak to even attempt making myself up. Too weak to hide the bruises or circles under my eyes. I hadn’t even bothered to run a brush through my hair—settling for my fingers instead.

She shifted uncomfortably, her gaze roaming over me. “Did…something happen?” she finally asked as the tension started to settle.

A scoff left me. A lot of things had happened. I’d been used, tortured, abused in more ways than one. At some point, I think I’d become addicted to the pain they inflicted. It meant someone cared enough to go out of their way to target me, even if it was out of hate. I knew that was fucked up. This time, Hunter had crossed the line—gone too far. They’d won in the end, just like they said they would. I couldn’t even find it in me to care anymore.

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