Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
I couldn’t let her do that. She’s been through so much. She’s worked so hard to take care of me, and she’s finally found her happiness. I couldn’t be the person to take that away from her. I thought I could talk to him, make him see reason. And maybe I could’ve, except I didn’t have all the facts.
Eleazar’s wife, Arielle, has been having trouble getting pregnant and carrying to term. Several rounds of IVF and just as many miscarriages has Eleazar desperate for an heir—me. She’s jealous and heartbroken that she can’t give him the only thing he wants—a baby.
When I showed up to talk to Eleazar and learned that his plan was to use me as a pawn, I knew I messed up. Especially once he stuck me in a room and said I wouldn’t be going anywhere until this all got sorted. At the time, I thought that was the worst that could happen, until Arielle showed up. She told me she was taking me to Eleazar, but she lied. Instead, she took me to a warehouse and said as soon as she gets Sienna, we would both be killed.
Tying up loose ends, she called it.
She left me with the guards and told them they could do whatever they pleased since I’d be dead soon anyway.
Sienna begged me not to go talk to him.
Micah said he’d handle it.
I didn’t listen.
I left without them knowing, thinking I could fix it.
But now, I’m broken.
“Sienna!” I yell, throwing myself at my sister. I notice her hands are tied behind her back, so I quickly untie the rope to release her. “I’m so sorry,” I cry. “I never should’ve gone to see him. I’m so sorry.” Tears race down my face, hating myself for not listening to my sister when she told me not to go to him. “I’m so sorry. I’m so—”
“Shh, it’s okay,” she coos, wrapping her arms around me. It only makes me hate myself that much more because she’s always so forgiving. It doesn’t matter what I do, she loves me unconditionally. “It’s okay.”
She rubs her hands up and down my arms trying to calm me, but I can’t be calmed. The visions of what the men did to me, what they took from me, are in the forefront of my mind. I can still feel them—
“Who is she?” Sienna asks, knocking me from my thoughts.
“Eleazar’s wife,” I tell her.
I spend the next several minutes apologizing for what I’ve done—what I’ve gotten us into—while she assures me it’s all going to be okay because Micah will get us out.
After a while, she gets up to check out the room, trying to open the single window. It doesn’t budge. I already tried.
I’m lost in my own head when out of nowhere, Sienna runs to the corner and throws up.
“Are you okay?” I whisper, praying the guards don’t come in. When I dry heaved earlier, the acid roiling in my belly and needing to come up, they came in to check on me and took it upon themselves to teach me a lesson for soiling the ground. The last thing I want is for them to teach Sienna a lesson.
“Yeah, something smells rancid,” she says.
“Like death,” I tell her. The guards told me this is where they take care of people who are a problem. This is probably where our mom died, and unless a miracle occurs, this is where we’ll die.
“Hey, El, did anyone—”
Before she can finish her question, she’s throwing up again and again. I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but it can’t be good. And when I ask her what’s wrong, she shocks the hell out of me when she says, “I’m pregnant.” She closes her eyes and lays her head against the rough wall. “I only just found out.”
It takes a second for the words to wrap around my brain, but once they do, I start to freak out. “What?” I gasp, wishing it weren’t true. “No...No. No. No.” I shake my head, fresh tears gliding down my cheeks. “I did this. This is all my fault. I went to go see him and now—”
Now my sister, who’s pregnant with my niece or nephew is going to die. She’ll never be able to give birth, raise her baby. I’ve taken away her happiness because of my stubbornness. I should’ve listened to her.
“Hey, stop it,” she says. “You couldn’t have known. Don’t worry, we’ll get out. Micah will find us.”
“No, you don’t get it. She’s going to kill us. She—”
“Well, aren’t you observant?” Arielle says, walking into the room. “You are nothing but a stupid bastarda born from a whore.” She steps toward me and fists my hair. I should probably fight her, but I just don’t have it in me. I’ve fought and fought and every time I’ve lost. “You don’t deserve anything,” she spits. “And I’m going to ensure you never get a dime.”