Page 89 of Brutal Knight

TWENTY-ONE

age17

The house was quiet.

When I’d returned last night, my parents were gone. That wasn’t unusual but it was odd that, upon waking, the background noise of their TV was absent. My parents don't wake up early but they usually fall asleep to the sound.

Strange.It was oddly disturbing, and the loneliness always at bay now edged in around me.

I placed a hand to my chest.

I ached, right there in my heart-hole. The space where Knight used to occupy, now empty.

God, I was so alone.

Except for my good friend,la cava blanca. Always there for me when I needed it most.

Pushing down the encroaching darkness, I forced a smile to my face and stretched across my creaky bed towards the nightstand, looking at my phone.

"Shit!” My alarm didn’t go off; I was late for school.

I jumped to my feet, the tile cold on my bare feet as I grabbed the first pair of clean underwear and bra I could find. Slamming the dresser drawer shut with my hip, I threw off my nightgown and slipped on my bra.

My hand landed on top of the cracked laminate of my dresser, my finger pressing into the peeling top as I hopped on one foot, then the other, changing out my underwear.

Then, my body froze, my eyes tracking down my arm to the silky sensation under my fingers.

Sitting on top of the cracked fake wood was a red ribbon.

My heart pounded loud in my ears.

Memories slammed into me, moving so quickly I couldn’t grab ahold of a single one but a wave of warmth washed over me.

It had been six months since I’d seenhim.

Without thinking, I curled it around my finger, hope springing without my permission.Knight was here.

Or, he had been.

He’d been in my bedroom, and he didn't wake me.

He was probably the reason my alarm didn't go off.

I clenched the ribbon tight, wondering what that could mean.

Was he coming to save me?

True to his word, Raul had offered his hand in marriage to my parents, and they were in the process of working out the contract. I'd overheard them talking about it.

And, now that Abuelo was gone, my father was shut out of the business.

Just like that, anything he'd ever done for thefamiliawas discarded, like trash.

He'd given years to those men, and they acted like he was nothing.

I hated them.

Then, I’d overheard my parents talking about marrying me to Raul; they weren't even going to wait for me to turn eighteen.

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