Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“What are you talking about?” I ask, because how the fuck does she know?
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret,” she says, curling her fingers around my hand. She comes to stand shoulder to shoulder with me and looks out toward the lighthouse.
“I heard you and Caius broke up.” I pull my fingers away with effort.
She shrugs a shoulder. “He’s come over since. Don’t worry about us. We’ll sort it out. He can’t resist me. Or my bed. You know men,” she says with a wink, then gestures to the looming structure of the lighthouse. “You must worry you’ll be like your mom.” She smiles that cruel little smile of hers. “It must be on your mind that fear that you’ll hurt the little bundle?”
I can’t quite form a response out of sheer shock that anyone would say something like that.
“I mean,” she starts, shrugging her shoulders. “It runs in families, right? Mental illness?”
I watch her, not believing what I’m hearing.
“Don’t worry. Caius and I can adopt it. Take it off your hands. Keep it safe.” I don’t miss how she refers to the baby as an it. “I mean, I know Caius will want to have our own, but he’ll need this one. Sad fact.” She makes a mock sad face. “I’ll treat it as if it were my own, don’t worry.”
Now that, that makes me angry. I pull out of arm’s reach because I can’t be near her for another second. “Jesus. What is wrong with you?”
“What the fuck are you doing?” Caius says, grabbing Ana roughly by the arm and jerking her away.
Ana looks surprised, then cocks her head and smiles that stupid, fake smile. “I was just talking to my friend. You’re hurting me, Caius.”
He twists his hand around her arm and walks her away from me, backing her against a wall. He gets right in her face, and I see a side of Caius I don’t see often. Because when he’s being an asshole to me, which is often, he’s controlled. Almost enjoying himself. Now, though, he’s violent. Furious. And I can see what it’s taking him to master himself.
“Do not fucking go near her. Do you fucking hear me, you crazy bitch?” he hisses the words, and Ana looks shocked and then terrified. I take a step toward them to stop him but a cold hand wraps around my wrist. I turn to find Camilla Avery at my side.
This must be my lucky night.
“He’s very protective of you for a brother-in-law. You’d almost think he’s your husband.”
“Oh my God. Get off me!”
Her grip tightens. She smiles and holds up the book she borrowed from my room. “I have your book! It wasn’t as good as I hoped but you know how these things go. I did promise to return it. Here.”
She holds it out to me just as Caius returns, minus Ana. “For fuck’s sake.” He gets in Camilla’s face, and she backs up, right into Liam. “What is this, Grand Central Station for freaks?”
I look at him, see how he doesn’t look like he usually does either. The stubble on his jaw is not as neat, his hair is messier than normal, and I smell alcohol on his breath.
“No need to be rude, Caius,” Camilla tells him. “I was just returning a book.” She turns back to me. “Page seventy-seven is where it gets interesting. Byeeee!” She exaggerates the word, waves, turns and walks off, and my mind is boggled.
“Fucking freak,” Caius mutters. He looks me over. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. I don’t need you to rescue me.” I look down at the book that looks like it’s been through a war. “And don’t be a jerk to Ana. She’s just…” I shake my head because I don’t really know what she is.
“She’s a cunt to you. You don’t need to defend her.”
“And you’re my friend suddenly?”
“Suddenly? You’re telling me we weren’t always friends?”
“I thought you two broke up anyway.”
“Fucking has nothing to do with anything.”
“You’re something else, Caius.” I exhale, exasperated, and turn away to look out the windows again. I wish he’d leave me alone. Wish they’d all leave me alone.
“I heard… You feel okay?” he asks in a tone that’s quieter and way less cocky than his usual.
“I’m fine. As if you’d care if I wasn’t. Thanks for telling Ana, by the way,” I tell him.
“If it makes any difference, if I’d known my mother was going to interfere like that, I’d have stopped her.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t make any difference, Caius. Excuse me.”
I make to walk away, but he stops me. “I mean it, Madelena. I can understand it’s not what you want.”
“You don’t know me, and we are not friends. Excuse me.” I walk away, setting my glass down on a tray and finding Val standing against the wall when I can’t find Santos. “Can you take me home?”