Page 138 of Corrupt Me

One word from Hunter, and I won’t be able to continue the farce. That’s why I prefer to hide. He deserves an explanation, but I’m terrified because I promised I’d never hurt him. That thought cuts me open, slicing at my heartstrings, bleeding the life essence out of me.

Blake places a kiss on top of my head. “Go to sleep. We’ll find a way.”

“Thank you for being here.”

“I’m always going to be here for you.”

But will Hunter?

The longer it takes for Blake to return, the queasier I become. Having trained for the last hour, sweat drenches Celine and me, but I don’t feel any better. I am physically drained, mentally fucked up, and on the verge of an emotional breakdown. I can’t stop thinking about what might have happened to Bailey.

Going back to my room, I take a shower. Water rains down my back, doing little to unknot my tense muscles. My routine has always helped me get my brain straight, but now it’s like I am a headless chicken flapping around.

I can’t find sleep as I toss and turn in bed, watching my phone for anything. Inertia is the killer of hope.

I must have drifted off to sleep sometime during the night because the sun’s rays poke at my eyelids. With a grunt, I open them. For a few seconds, I have trouble accepting the reality that Bailey is not next to me and I am still trapped in the unknown.

Picking up my phone, I don’t see a new text from her, and my heart dips into my stomach, burning in the acid of my anguish.

I am about to call her and demand answers when a ruckus breaks out on the other side of my bedroom door. I storm into the hallway, my heart pounding with worry, and find the group gathered around Blake. His sharp gaze finds me, the silence stretching to unbearable.

“Where is Bailey?” I ask him, even though all I want to know is why she’s not here.

“At the estate,” Blake replies, his voice heavy and serious.

“What did she want?”You and not me.

“To tell me something.”

“What?” Kaden interjects. Blake shifts his gaze to him, and in those seconds it takes for him to respond, the room is so quiet we can hear each other breathing.

“That she’s my sister.”

Celine’s jaw drops. “Your what?”

A line digs between Mia’s brows. “But how?”

“It actually makes sense…” Abi says more to herself.

Dane scratches the back of his neck. “You all come from one fucked up family.”

If I weren’t in such a sour mood, I would have cracked a smile at that.

As we move into the kitchen, we sit down and I stare at the empty seat. Her absence guts me.

“Why isn’t she here?” I ask, curling and uncurling my hands at my sides.

“She isn’t allowed anymore. She has to live at the estate for a while,” Blake murmurs, his voice tight with tension. Getting words out of this guy is like pulling teeth without anesthesia.

“Why?” Kaden asks, and I am grateful. It’s getting harder for me to speak, the weight of dread swelling in my throat like cotton.

“She has to do something she doesn’t want to,” Blake says, looking at me as if assessing my reaction. I am losing my mind and my shit by the second, and I cannot be bothered trying to hide it.

“She has to move forward with the engagement to Eric,” he finishes.

I hear the words blaring in my head and tearing at my sanity, but I refuse to accept them.

“She what?” No wonder she hasn’t replied and was so damn cryptic. If she thinks I will let this slide, she’s sorely mistaken.

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