I woke up on the cold concrete floor of the storage room, my body curled awkwardly under a scratchy blanket that smelled of mold and stale oil. Every inch of me ached — ribs, hips, the side of my face still raw where my mother’s ring had cut into my cheek.
I shifted, trying to sit up, and bit back a scream when pain shot through my shoulder. That was when the door creaked open and Nadia stepped in.
“Oh, look who’s finally awake,” she cooed, voice dripping with fake sweetness. She turned to Xander standing just behind her. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.”
Xander’s eyes flicked over me like I was a stain on his floor. “Just let her rot. She’s nothing to us now.”
Nadia turned back, her smile sharpening like a blade. She shut the door and knelt next to me, pulling a first aid kit from behind her back.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, hmm? Poor thing.”
She pressed a cloth to the cut on my lip — too hard, too long, like she enjoyed the way I flinched. I hissed in pain, but she only laughed.
“You know,” she said, pressing down even harder, “you’ll never be enough for this family. Got it? Never. Not when you’re nothing but a little seductress stealing what was mine.”
My voice cracked. “I never stole him. You left—”
She slapped a hand over my mouth, nails digging into my cheek. “Shut up. I went for my dreams. You think you’re special because you were the perfect replacement? Look where that got you.”
She pulled out a battered lunchbox, flipping it open so the stale smell hit my nose immediately. “Eat,” she said, voice too bright. “I made it myself. Don’t be ungrateful.”
She shoved a spoon toward my lips, and I realized it was shrimp. My throat closed up on instinct — I was allergic. I turned my head away, but Nadia’s grip on my jaw was iron.
“Eat it, Lauren! Don’t be dramatic now. Eat it!” she hissed, jabbing the spoon against my lips until the shrimp touched my tongue. My stomach turned, bile rising up so fast I nearly choked.
In that moment, something in my mind flickered — a memory from when we were kids. Nadia and I giggling under blankets, sharing secrets. Back when we were sisters in the truest sense — until I won that school contest, until they put my face on the cover of the community paper. She’d been so furious. She’d told everyone I cheated. One by one, my friends turned their backs. The teachers glared. The principal called me a liar.
And Nadia just stood there, pretty and innocent, saying, “I’m sorry. I tried to stop her. She loves attention too much.”
The taste of the shrimp snapped me back. I gagged, vomiting onto the floor. Nadia jerked back, shrieking in disgust. “You bitch! You did that on purpose—”
The door flew open. Xander stepped in, annoyance already etched into his features. “What the hell is going on now?”
Nadia turned to him, her eyes wide, voice trembling. “I was trying to help her, Xander! I made her food and she threw it up! She hates me—”
Xander’s face twisted with disgust as he looked at me, weak and trembling on the floor. “You ungrateful bitch. She’s trying to feed you and you can’t even be thankful?”
They mocked me then. Both of them. Their voices mixed together — little jabs, half-laughs, like I wasn’t even there. But I didn’t hear it for long. The edges of my vision went fuzzy, my head spun, and the world finally went dark.
When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed. The walls were clean. The sheets smelled like bleach. A nurse hovered over me, frowning as she checked the bruises blooming across my arms.
“You’re lucky,” she said quietly. “You went into shock from the allergy and the injuries. You need rest.”
I stared at the ceiling, tears pooling but never falling. “Do you need me to call your family?” the nurse asked gently.
Family. The word scraped against my ribs like broken glass. I turned my head away and whispered, “No. There is no family anymore. I’m all alone.”
The nurse squeezed my shoulder, pity in her eyes. She left me with my thoughts. The steady beep of the monitor filled the room. My phone vibrated in my pocket. For a moment I thought it was my father — maybe he’d finally come for me. But when I answered, the voice on the other end wasn’t his.
“Lauren.”
My breath caught. Noah. His voice was the same as always — smooth, sharp, a warmth I hadn’t felt in years. “I heard from your father,” he said. “So you’re finally divorcing him, huh?”
I swallowed, my throat raw. “Yes. I’m done with him. I… I want out. Noah… do you still want me?”
He laughed — low, easy, like he already knew my answer. “Of course I do. You’re mine, Lauren. You always have been. I’ll pick you up myself — give me a few days. I can’t wait to make you mine for real this time.”
I shut my eyes, a strange heat blooming in my chest. “Yes. I’ll be waiting for you.”
When the call ended, I let myself hope for a breath — just a small taste of freedom. But then a shadow fell over my bed. I looked up — and there he was.
Xander. His eyes narrowed, lips curled into that cold half-smirk.
“Who were you talking to?” he asked, his voice low. “Are you cheating on me now, Lauren?”
Before I could reach for my phone, his hand shot out and snatched it from my fingers.
