Page 55 of Papers Don't Lie

My hand sneaks its way onto her back, and I take her into my arms. “I know, I know.”

“This kid has become the only reason my suicidal thoughts have stopped. I couldn’t give it away when it was the first ounce of happiness I got to feel in years,” she tells me, hugging me back as tightly as possible.

This is the first time my sister has admitted that she’s not happy, even though all of us know the living hell happening inside of her house. But I never thought it was that bad to make her think this way. There’s no life I could live without her. Not after everything we've been through together.

“Oh my God, Rave. That night at the hospital…” I murmur, memories flooding back to me.

She nods, breaking away from the hug and biting her lip. I raise a hand to wipe the tears on her cheeks. “I took some pills, but Jamie found me. He doesn’t let me live, but he won’t let me die either, Esme.”

“I didn’t know. I’m so sorry, Raven,” I murmur, caressing her head while I try to hold my own tears locked inside. She’s hurt enough, and facing my own emotions spilling will only break her more.

Someone knocks on the door, and Rave is quick to discard any evidence that she’s been crying, getting up to her feet like she’s used to it. I throw her a questionable gaze, which is replied to with an automatic shrug.

Kai walks in, serious as ever. “Sorry to interrupt. Can we talk?” he asks, directing the question at me.

Raven gives me a sad smile, clearly getting the message that Kai is not happy about her presence here. He accepted when I asked him if she could come, but he said he didn’t trust her.

“I have to get back home anyway. Jamie doesn’t know I’m here,” she murmurs, glancing at me from the corner of her eyes.

She wants to leave with a smile only, but thankfully, Kai places himself in front of her, closing the door behind us. “Is there a reason why he doesn’t know?”

From not trusting her to the full protective side—this is a fast shift in his demeanor. There’s a long road ahead.

Raven turns to look at me, asking for help I’m not willing to give her. Not after what I just heard. She can’t continue living her life like this. I won’t allow it.

“No.” She shakes her head when she realizes I won’t intervene.

“Raven.” He stresses the words. “I’m familiar with the type of men your family makes you marry. Even if you betrayed Esmeray, she cares about you, and you’re her sister.”

My sister is silent for a moment, her shoulders tensing at Kai’s words. She’s reacting the same way I did, only because no one was there to help us besides ourselves when we needed it, so coming from a stranger, it's the last believable thing in the world.

“I—I have to go,” she murmurs. “I’ll call you, Esme.” In no more than a few seconds, Raven pushes Kai out of the way, not staying around to hear what we have to say before leaving.

“What happened?” he quietly asks, stepping towards me.

“It’s complicated.”

He nods. “That’s what we do. Complicated things.”

I give him a smile, hugging myself as I walk to the side of the bed, getting lost in the view outside. “We can’t force people to accept help, Kai. We just have to wait and hope they do it before it’s not too late.”

“She’s your sister,” he tells me, an accusatory tone in his voice.

My body turns to him, and my eyes snap to his green ones. “Yes, Kai. She’s my sister, who’s tried to end her life multiple times in the past, and I’m afraid that if we do something wrong just because we want to help her, she’ll do it again. So I'd much rather wait, even if it kills me.”

His shoulders slump, defeat pressing onto them. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs after messing up his hair. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I can’t even take care of you properly, let alone your sister.”

I shake my head, sighing. “Kai, that’s not what I said or meant.”

“You didn’t.” He agrees with a bob of his head. “I did.” And then he leaves to his room, leaving me standing with no words to address.

First, my sister comes and tells me I’ve been blaming her wrongly for the past few weeks, letting her be alone through thepain she was facing just because I thought she betrayed me. And now, Kai feels guilt for something that is out of his control.

As much as I would love to say I’m completely safe, I’m not, even though I feel that way. There’s no place where someone can be safe when Carter is alive. That’s his job—finding people and protecting them. He uses the first one more than the last, but it’s his job, and he’s good at what he does.

That’s why I’m afraid we won’t ever be able to stop him… All this security, even if we move to another country, he’ll still find us. Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a bubble built by him and that it’s under his watch. Just like he said, he’s waiting for the right moment to break it and snatch me out of it.

What if all Kai did was in vain? What if he risked so much only for me to end up exactly how Carter wants? And that is in his house, under his arms, in his name, and under his possession.

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