Page 273 of Halfblood Deceived

“You’re right,” Aella said, her voice barely above a whisper. She swallowed hard, wiping the tears from her face, but more fell. “You’re right. Is that what you wanted to hear? Does it make you feel any better?”

Zeydan’s brow furrowed. He blinked, nostrils flaring and lips twitching. “No. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Aella’s heart seemed to weigh a thousand tons. “But you did.” Stabs of pain crossed her chest. It wasn’t just her pain. It was Zeydan’s, too. The bond they shared became all too clear at that moment, and she couldn’t bear it. Because he had been right, but he’d been cruel, and she was angry at him.

“Get out of here,” Aella said, voice shaky with the tears that flowed with no sign of stopping. “Leave me alone.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes were glassy with unshed tears.

“I don’t care,” Aella lied. She cared. She cared so much it was suffocating her. “Leave.”

He did. And it was better and worse.

“I’m going to murder him,” Mari growled.

“Not if I beat you to it,” Diana said, returning to Aella’s bedside. “Honey, are you alright?”

A rueful laugh burst through Aella’s tight throat. “No.”

Kamilla cursed. “I’m so sorry, Aella. I should have dragged him out.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Aella tried to search for Mari’s gaze, but the tears blurred her sight. “I want to sleep.”

Mari nodded, fishing a syringe with blue liquid from her pocket. She injected the liquid into Aella’s IV, and everything turned mercifully dark.

CHAPTER 53

“Eggs are underrated,” Aella said, taking the last bit of scrambled eggs with cheese into her mouth. The buttery sunlight coming in through the windows made Diana’s kitchen look warm and cozy. The day was chilly but bright.

Aella loved days like these.

Diana half smiled, drinking her black coffee.

Aella couldn’t understand why her sister preferred that bitter brew to a cup of milky cocoa. And Diana often teased Aella about her immature palate.

But Diana wasn’t in a teasing mood.

She had avoided crying in front of Aella, but her puffy eyes gave her away.

Aella could hardly begrudge her for trying to hide her pain when she was doing the very same.

It had been five days since she’d woken up after almost dying again. Five days since her fight with Zeydan and Aella’s heart still ached.

He’d tried to call her. She’d answered only once to tell him she wasn’t ready to talk to him, and he hadn’t pushed.

He had sent her a box with a gift the previous day, however, and a note that read: “Disclaimer: This is not blackmail. I just want you to have it because I can’t stomach the idea of seeing you hurt like that again. I hope you like it.”

Aella loved it.

And she knew Zeydan was being honest about not bribing her. But she’d sent him a thank you text, resisting the temptation to call him or ask him to come over. What was supposed to be a quick message had become a short conversation in which they’d agreed to meet for dinner.

Aella didn’t trust herself not to cry as soon as she saw Zeydan.

But she missed him.

She missed him with a violent intensity that frightened her despite still feeling hurt. However, under her pain, Aella realized how horrifyingly right he’d been. She hadn’t been afraid to die when she hatched her risky plan with Aylana, Evan, and Andreas. And not because she was fearless, but because the part of her that wanted to stop existing was still very much alive.

Aella had hoped she could mend that brittle, broken part of her. And partly, she had. Through her conversations with Kamilla. Through accepting the truth of the extent of the abuse that she’d suffered. She had glued part of her broken pieces together by getting friends and a job, spending time with Diana, and learning new things. Her relationship with Zeydan had given her back parts of herself that she didn’t even know were missing. He made her want things. He made her feel wanted. But even with all of that, something was shattered inside her. And she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to fix it.

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