And with my escape, I could’ve set all that information loose.
He was probably scared I would.
I frown to myself. I don’t even know why I care, but somehow that little tidbit makes me smile.
Even when I thought I had no power … I did.
And still, I let him drag me back here because I thought they held all of it.
Suddenly the door opens up again, and I’m surprised to see Dr. Audrey again. “I, uh … I feel a bit silly, but I forgot to check for something. And I think it’s important.”
I frown as I sit up in bed. “What?”
She closes the door behind her and fishes something from her pocket. “Can you take this for me? I just wanna be sure, that’s all. It could be the reason for your fainting.”
She hands me a box, and the words inscribed on top make my eyes widen and my stomach flip. My hand immediately covers my mouth as I squeal.
“No,” I mutter, and I jump from the bed, throwing the blankets off me so I can run straight into Eli’s bathroom.
“Calm down!” Audrey calls out right as I lock the door. “It could be something else.”
I don’t respond. I don’t know how to. Words escape me as panic floods my veins. Because this thing right here … is the worry I’ve carried with me ever since I came to this godforsaken house.
Because for all this time spent in this luxurious cage, not once have I had my period.
I sit down on the toilet half-naked and with shaking legs, trying to keep my cool while I unpack the stick, but it’s not working. Sweat pools at my back as I position it between my legs and pee a little.
“Amelia?” Audrey knocks on the door.
But all I can do is stare at the stick resting on the sink in front of me while I chew off my lip.
Slowly but surely, the line turns pink. And then another one.
Unbridled agony floods my body, and I scream out loud, sinking to the floor with the stick in my hand.
I’m pregnant.
Chapter 22
Eli
I sit in the living room and stare at the fireplace. My fingers are splayed against each other as I lean over on my knees. The backrest of the couch hurts too much to lean against. My back feels like it’s been raked open by the claws of a tiger.
Still, it’s not enough to quell the demons raging inside my head.
“Sir?” I look up. Mary is standing in the doorway. “I knocked, but you didn’t respond.”
“Oh,” I mutter with a frown. I guess I really was gone for a second.
“Are you okay?” she asks, stepping inside with a cup in her hands. “Here, I brought you some warm cocoa.”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I respond when she places it on the table.
“Sorry, Sir. I just wanted to cheer you up.”
I look up into her sweet eyes so full of joy when mine can only spew hatred. “I know. And I’m thankful. But nothing will cheer me up right now.”
“Did something happen?” she tentatively asks.
I nod and grunt, hiding my face in my hands so I don’t have to show her the emotions scarring me. “I tried so hard to keep her close, but the more I did, the harder I pushed her away. I wanted her so badly that I did anything for it … including betraying the very foundation of our House.”
“What do you mean?” she asks.
I sigh. “I brought her in as a sinner, but I wanted her to become my wife.”
“Oh,” she responds.
She doesn’t know what it means, but I do.
Because to be a wife to one of us is to be chained to this House for life. There are no returns, no backpedaling. You get married, you have babies, you continue the line, and the husband passes on the torch once the time has arrived.
“She hates me,” I say. “I tricked her. I tricked her into it.”
Mary grabs my hand and sits down beside me. “Don’t worry, sir. It will be okay.”
“It won’t,” I bark. “You don’t even know what I’ve done.”
Even through my suffering, I lash out at her, and she’s still kind to me. “Sir, I don’t need to know. All I know is who you are, and that is enough. I know you will make the right decision.”
I stare at her for a moment as the realization dawns on me that she may be right.
“I’m not going to pry, but I know you, and I know you work hard for what you believe in, and I know in my heart you will do what’s right.”
“But what if I can’t?” I reply.
She squeezes my hand. “I believe in you. And every guest that ever came here to be judged does too. They’ve seen what you are capable of. And I am sure that Amelia knows too, somewhere deep down.”