Page 133 of His Cursed Heart

Fuck, it hurts so much that I feel like dying.

I feel his cold hands gripping my shoulders tightly, rising me from my position. I feel his fingers into my skin, and I'm suddenly jerked onto my feet, with his hard face close to mine.

"Everette, please," I sob. His jaw tenses and I curse myself when I realize that I called him by his other name.

For the first time since that day, I called him Everette. I almost fall to my knees again when his hands leave my body. I don't beg, especially to men, but I will beg my husband to listen to me and to believe me, because if the first time I survived, this time it will kill me.

"Why, Althea?" My whimpers get ahold of me and I try to calm myself. "Fucking talk. Didn't you just beg?"

I close my eyes at his harsh words, but hell, I deserve everything he says. My eyes open and with one last sob, I talk.

Vincent's cries tore at my heart, and I almost cry with him.

It's been two hours and he's still wide awake. His little lungs are letting him scream the house off and his angry face turns redder and redder. He's a calm baby, and even though he just turned one, it's the first time he makes this fuss over falling asleep.

"Do you think he knows his mother died?" I hear Keres's small voice ask me. I turn toward her and she looks at me and Vince with a soft face.

My gaze moves to the baby in my arms and I let out a sigh. Yesterday, Hanibal killed Vincent's mother, Anna, in cold blood. It took him long enough to kill her. Anna was a pole dancer who got tangled with the wrong man. When she got pregnant with Vince, Hanibal kidnapped her and made sure he got his heir. Anna didn't want the child, but for some money she managed to carry him.

I always knew she's crazy, and in a moment of weakness, she wanted to kill Vincent. Thank god, Keres has the scream of a banshee and Papa heard her, saving Vincent.

I look at my sister again and continue rocking Vince to sleep. "She was never here for him to actually realize that she's not here anymore."

"Yeah, but still."

And that's my sister. Always with a good heart even for those who are psychopaths. The better daughter.

"Keres, she tried to kill him because she hated the fact that she birthed his child. That's what Hanibal does best. Breaks women like it's his favorite hobby. It's a

surprise that she lived a year more."

"I know, I know. I'm just sorry for Vincent. He doesn't deserve any of this."

"He doesn't, but he has us." I say and a wave of protectiveness claims my body. I look at Vincent and his tantrum is finally over, his blue eyes looking tired at me. I bring him closer and kiss his forehead multiple times.

"Alert, code red, code red! Jealous sister here." Keres whispers because Vince finally closed his eyes, sleep taking over his body.

I bite my tongue to not laugh and wake the tired baby. With little steps, I walk toward her and throw my hand around her neck, smashing her to me and Vince.

Keres giggles, but wraps her hands around us. I inhale her strawberry scent and let her arms calm me. She has this aura around her that always makes me content with life.

When Mamma left us, Keres took her role as a big sister more serious than anyone. She's always there for me, but she doesn't know all the things that happen in the house. She doesn't know that Papa smacks me every day, she doesn't know that I'm dying slowly on the inside.

And she'll never know.

One day, she'll leave this house and never look back. She'll find someone that loves her and she'll eventually stop caring about me.

I'll make sure of that.

"Ti amo, mia sorella da questo universo." She kisses my forehead and I feel tears gather in my eyes.

"I see that you're jealous of Venus, too." I smirk and she puffs.

"If she's your sister from another universe, then I'm your sister from this one." Keres murmurs and tighten her

arms around me.

"Ti amo, il mio spirito." I say back.

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