After a while, I pick it up and open it.
Inside are the same little pieces of paper I remember, filled with promises we vowed to keep. Along with my car key. I didn’t put it here. He did.
I pick it up and stare at it.
This is my way home.
My way to safety.
But at what cost?
If I left now, would he try to kill my sister?
Could I get to her in time before he does?
The mere thought makes me want to burst into tears. Because I shouldn’t have to choose. I shouldn’t be forced to make this decision. To shove myself aside to save another.
But I do.
It’s what I’ve always done.
What I do best.
The hand that holds the key begins to shake.
Because the paper it was lying on top draws my attention more than that key ever could.
‘If our parents force us to marry, we’ll be kind to each other.’
The words sounded so familiar once.
Back when everything was clear as day.
Back when I still thought his parents would pick him, and my parents would pick me.
Three years ago, before the accident
* * *
“Let’s sit down for a minute,” my mother tells me, coaxing me to the dining table, away from the guards and cleaning ladies. “Your father and I have wanted to tell you something, but we didn’t quite know how.”
“What is it, Mom?” I frown. “You’re starting to worry me.”
She squeezes my hand. “We’ve made a decision with the De Vos family, and we’ve chosen your sister to marry Liam.”
My eyes widen, and I retract my hand from hers. “No, you can’t.”
“Yes, we can,” she says, lowering her eyes at me. “And it will happen.”
“But he doesn’t even like her,” I reply, totally caught off guard by this sudden announcement. “And I’m the eldest.”
“This isn’t about your age,” she replies. “We made the decision not because we think they fit best together, but because we want to keep you in our family.” She smiles at me. “Because you’re too valuable to lose.”
I swallow. Hard.
“Since you were always so keen on helping us in the business and interested in its workings, I don’t want to lose that asset.”
I’m sick to my stomach.