Page 56 of Broken Princess
“Sorry,” I muttered. “I didn’t know you were in here. Just ignore this. I’ll clean it up later.”
The maid opened her mouth, probably to argue that it was her job to do it, but when she saw the look on my face, she pressed her lips firmly shut, nodded, and passed me some tissues to put on my bleeding hand.
“Thanks. I’ll be back later,” I said curtly before exiting the room and striding down the hall to Chloe’s suite.
My sister was fast asleep in her specialized bed, tightly tucked under the white sheets and thick mint green blankets. I went to her side and took a seat, lifting my uninjured hand to hold hers.
“Hey, Chloe,” I whispered. Tears were stinging the backs of my eyes now.
As usual, she didn’t respond.
“I have to tell you something,” I said, leaning closer. “It’s about Willow.”
I thought that might wake her up, but her eyes remained firmly closed as her chest steadily rose and fell.
“She’s gone,” I went on. “She’s gone and it’s all my fault. I didn’t do enough to save her. I should’ve…”
I trailed off and took a deep breath, squeezing my sister’s hand. She let out a little groan, but she still didn’t wake.
“I just wanted to tell you that I’m not going to give up on you,” I said gruffly. “I still have to keep you safe. There’s others, too. I think Mom and her cronies are running some sort of sex slave operation up at Lilith Hall.”
Chloe let out another moan as her eyelids fluttered. I loosened my white-knuckled grip on her hand. “I know this is what Willow would want,” I murmured. “She’d want me to help you and the others, and I promise I will. I still don’t know why Mom did this to you, or why she’s done anything to anyone, but I’m going to find out, and I’m going to make her pay. I’ll make sure she never hurts you or anyone else ever again.”
I stood and then leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. She was fast asleep again.
A knock at the door startled me, and my gaze shot up as my mother entered the room. Speak of the fucking devil.
Fury boiled up inside me, and I strode forward to block her from moving any closer to Chloe. “She’s asleep,” I said, mustering up every bit of willpower I had left in order to stop myself from throttling her. “Probably not a good time to visit.”
Mom smiled sweetly. “I know. I actually came to find you. I thought you might be in here.”
“Oh.”
She tilted her head to one side. “Are you all right, darling? You look exhausted. And your hand… it’s bleeding. What happened?”
“Drank too much and fell over. Broke my fall on my hands,” I said, repeating the lie I told my father last night.
“We should put some Neosporin on it,” she said.
She briskly crossed the room, heading for the large white cabinet where Chloe’s medical team kept their supplies. I followed her, chest tight and aching. It was so fucking hard to pretend everything was fine. So hard to pretend I didn’t hate this woman with every inch of my soul.
I had to do it, though. My revenge had to be thoroughly planned and perfectly executed, and that could take a long time. For now, I had to act like I knew nothing. Suspected nothing.
“Here we go,” Mom said as she rummaged through the top drawer. She lifted up a small tube of ointment and some cotton buds.
I held out my hand and let her wipe the blood away before dabbing the antibacterial cream on my knuckles. “This looks very fresh,” she said, brows puckering. “When did it happen?”
“Last night. It started bleeding again a few minutes ago, though.”
“Oh. You were in New York with your father last night, weren’t you? Checking out a rival hotel?”
“Yes.”
“How did that go?” she asked, giving me a sweet smile.
“Fine, aside from the crazy hangover.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you two are spending more time together,” she said. She raised one eyebrow. “Have you heard from Willow again?”
