The doctor walks over to me while my mother falls onto the couch, the sobs that come out of her mouth irritating me. Did she really not know what kind of man he was? I thought she put on a show. Pretended to love him because she had to. I guess I was wrong.
That was two years ago, the last time I had to see Lincoln. But that’s not why my hand tightens on the piece of glass I’m holding. My breath quickens at the pain as the jagged edges cut into my skin.
“Why is he here?” I demand.
“Elli,” my mother scolds me. “Don’t speak that way. I’m sorry, Linc.”
“It’s quite all right. This will be an adjustment for all of us.”
“Adjustment?” I repeat the word, and my eyes drop to the diamond on her left hand. A sharpness in my chest takes away my breath. “Mom—”
“Laura, we’ve got a problem in the kitchen,” her head chef says, interrupting me.
“I’ll be right back.” She pats Lincoln’s chest and follows the man out.
He places his hands on the table across from me, wasting no time. “Hello, Elli. It’s been too long.”
“Not long enough.” I swallow, my tongue all of a sudden heavy. “Get out of this house,” I add, ignoring the way my body trembles in the chair. James may have fucked me, but he took his time getting under my skin. Making me believe that I needed him. Lincoln is not that kind of man.
He smirks. “Didn’t you see the ring, baby?” I jerk at the nickname. “Daddy’s home. And by the way you’ve been acting, I see you’ve forgotten your lessons.”
A cry escapes my lips, my body sinking further into the chair, trying to escape him.
His eyes drop to my hand, and his smirk grows. “Already bleeding for me, I see.”
Tears blur my vision, and my throat is closing, making it hard to breathe.
“When I get my hands on you, those six years with James will feel like heaven.”
I don’t walk out of the formal dining room, I run, down the hallway and through the foyer, needing to get out of this hell. I yank both front doors open and rush outside, only to run into a hard body. A yelp escapes my lips in surprise.
“Whoa.” Hands grip my upper arms, and my legs buckle, but he wraps his arms around me, making me whimper. “What the fuck happened, Elli?” I hear Sin’s voice, and I bury my face into his shirt. The familiar scent envelops me, and I begin to cry.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
SIN
SHE CLINGS TO me, and I look up over the top of her head to see Linc standing in the hallway just outside the formal dining room. He smirks at me, and my teeth grind. My arms automatically hold her tighter.
“Linc?”
“I’m coming,” he calls out to her mother, but his eyes are on Elli before disappearing.
The double meaning isn’t lost on me. “Hey?” I pull her away from me, and tears run down her face. I rub them away with my thumbs while cupping her cheek. “What happened?” I demand.
Her big eyes meet mine, and I watch fresh tears spill over her bottom lashes. A trail of black runs down her cheeks, smearing her makeup. “I can’t stay here. Not right now.” She sniffs.
I nod, grabbing her hand and walking her down the steps and over to my car. I open the passenger door, and she falls into it, fixing her dress that had ridden up.
Getting in, I start the car and pull out of the driveway and through the open gate. I feel something on my back. Wetness? Reaching around, I run my hand over my shirt. Looking at my hand, I see it’s bloody. “The fuck?” I look over at her and see her sitting ramrod straight, her hands in her lap and they’re covered in blood. “Elli? What in the fuck?” I bark. “Why are you bleeding?” Did he hurt her?
Her head drops to her lap, and she uncurls her shaking fist.
“Christ,” I hiss when I see a small piece of black glass embedded into her palm.
With her free hand, she yanks it out, and blood starts running down onto her bare legs. The hem of her white dress soaking it up.
I slam on the brakes, bringing the car to a stop on the side of the road, and reach around to the back seat. I grab my duffel bag and unzip it to find a T-shirt of mine. I rip a piece off the sleeve and grab the duct tape. I take her hand, ball up the now ripped sleeve and hold it over the wound on her palm and then rip the end of the tape off with my teeth before wrapping it around four times, taping it with pressure to stop the bleeding. I then throw everything into the back seat again.
Gently grabbing her face, I pull it to look at me. Her eyes have never looked so hollow. They are the prettiest color of blue I’ve ever seen but right now they look dull—lifeless. “What happened?” I ask, worried for her sanity. I’ve seen her break down before, but she looks like she’s about to lose it.
Swallowing, she whispers, “She married him.”
It wasn’t a question. “Elli—”
“She’s doing it … again,” she chokes out. “Why him?”
My chest constricts at her words. I knew Lincoln’s threat was one I should take seriously. But I didn’t realize until now that he had hurt her before. “What did he do to you, Elli?”
She swallows nervously but doesn’t answer me.
“He’s raped you.” I take a guess. He and James were close. I can only assume that if James used her, he let others as well.
Her bottom lip trembles, and she whispers, “I didn’t say no.”
My teeth clench, and I wish I had killed him when I got rid of James. “How old were you?” I can’t fix the situation unless I know what has happened. And I promise, I’ll fix every problem she’s ever had.
ELLINGTON
EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD
I’M LICKING MY lips when Kira comes to stand next to me. She watches herself in my bathroom mirror while she runs her hands through her curled hair.
“Did you ever answer Michael back?”
“No,” I say, popping the top of my lipstick and start applying it.
“Girl, he’s hot. Go for it.”
“Not interested.” There’s only one guy I want, and it’s not Michael.
“Speaking of guys you’re not interested in… so yesterday I was in the kitchen with my mom, and Sin walked in. My mother told him he should take you out.”
I drop the lipstick in the sink I’m leaning over, red streaks now covering the marble. “What? Why would she say that?”
“She loves you. Duh. Plus, I think she’s tired of him fucking her friends. Gross.” She shudders at the thought, then makes a gagging noise. “Well, he was. He’s in initiation now.” Laughing, she adds, “He can’t fuck anything at the moment, and it’s made him an even bigger dick to be around.”
“What did he say?” I shrug as if I don’t care. But I do. He’s the one I want.
“He laughed, like it was a joke, grabbed his water, and then walked out.”
My heart sinks. The words hurt more than they should. I know we have no future. He wouldn’t want me. Not after what I’ve been through. Plus, he’ll be a Lord. He’s probably got an arranged marriage in place to a pretty virgin who has been saving herself for only him. That’s what they care about. Innocence. No man wants a whore.