Of course, it could be wrong.
Dad could be lying or just assuming.
Until I know for sure, I can’t do anything about it.
I’m still a mess from being ravaged by the triplets. I need to shower desperately. Dad returned some of my clothes to me and all of my bedding this week. If it weren’t for that stuff being in my room, I’d shower in my sister’s bathroom.
My life isn’t that easy.
I’ll have to risk being seen.
Time for bed, Della, I sign to my sister. Love you.
I love you too.
I kiss the top of her head that smells like her lavender shampoo and finally make my exit I’d been putting off for far too long.
The house is quiet which makes me breathe a little easier. I’m just heading into my bedroom when I bump into someone coming out.
“Oh,” Noel cries out. “So sorry. I was just looking for you. Your father has sent everyone home for the weekend. Do you need anything before I leave?”
“Everyone?” A cold, oily feeling washes over me. “Even his security?”
She nods, her lips pursing. “I can stay, but he wasn’t exactly in the best mood.” Noel glances down the hall and then back at me. “Will you be okay?”
“I have to be.”
Her brows furl and she gives me a knowing smile. “I made up your bed. I believe Della left one of her toys in your room. A pink cat.” She pauses, glances past me and then bores her gaze into me. “Be careful.”
I freeze, struck by her words.
“I always am,” I say, my voice cracking. “Goodnight, Noel.”
We both know this is more than just goodnight. It’s goodbye. Forever. At least I hope. And I hope the triplets know what they’re doing. If they don’t get her and her family someplace safe, then she’s risking much more than a job. Dad will bury her and her family if he discovers her aiding in my escape. A housemaid has no chance against a tech billionaire.
She remains for a beat and then gives me a clipped nod. “Goodnight and good luck.”
* * *
I stare at my reflection in the foggy mirror. Somehow, I made it through tonight unscathed. Dad must have drunk himself until he passed out. Thank God for small mercies.
Now all I have to do is wait for my guys to show up.
When I exit the bathroom, all relief is sucked from my lungs. Sitting on my bed, clean and dressed in sweats, is my father.
I’m happy I brought my clothes into the bathroom with me. I wrap my arms around my middle, chancing a look at his face to gauge his mood.
“You’re different,” he says in a cold voice. “Since you came back.”
I don’t dare ask how. He doesn’t want an answer or to discuss this. I’m smart enough to keep my mouth firmly shut.
He stands, swaying slightly. “Too ballsy for your own damn good.” His jaw clenches. “Did you fuck them at my birthday party? With my friends and colleagues on the other side of the wall?”
Swallowing hard, I blink back tears and shift on my feet. There’s no right answer here. If I lie, he’ll call me a liar. If I admit that what he’s saying is true, he’ll rage. All I can do is remain quiet. It’s the safest bet right now.
“I asked you a question,” he roars, backhanding me across the face.
Since I was expecting some sort of hit, I manage to recover and not crash to the floor. Holding my stinging cheek, I meet his stare. All the hate for him burns in my eyes. I hope he can feel the fiery heat of it. I hope it hurts.
“I raised you better than this,” he bellows. “To be a lady, not a fucking whore. And look at you!” He shoves me against the wall, smacking me on the neck where Scout bit me. “Spreading your legs for not one prick, but three.”
He grabs my jaw in a painful grip, wrenching my head up to look at him. Tears freely leak down my face. My heart seems to slow to a stop.
This isn’t how this is supposed to go down. He was supposed to get drunk and pass out. I was going to be safe until they rescued me.
“When I caught her fucking him, she looked just like you do now. Guilty!” He spits in my face. “She deserved what I gave her.”
My mind reels at his words as I try to catch up to what he’s saying. “W-what?’
“Speak when you’re spoken to, child!” He drags me by my jaw and then pushes me facedown on my bed. “I don’t have my belt. My hand will have to do.”
A spanking.
I can handle a spanking.
His fingers grab the material of my sleep pants, yanking them down along with my underwear. I clench my ass, waiting for the hit.