Page 27 of Cup of Lies

Not a lot, but enough to bruise. The bumper of the vehicle smacks against my butt, sending a radiating wave of pain through my tailbone and up my spine.

But it doesn’t knock me over and it doesn’t flatten me.

I’m okay.

Oh my God.

“Romy?”

I’m caught. No!

Frantically, I turn toward the sound of the voice. It’s not Seth or Doc Junior. The voice is female. I meet the gaze of the woman now rushing my way.

I know her.

I love her.

“Mom?”

Eva—my beloved stepmother—grabs hold of me and hugs me. “Get in the car, hon. Now.”

I sob in relief and scramble for the passenger seat. I’m barely inside with the door closed when she peels away. We pass by a car coming from the lab. I meet Seth’s stare as we zoom past him.

I’ve barely escaped.

Now we have to lose him.

Caius

Theo hasn’t returned, which is fine by me. It’s given me ample time to dissect the folder with my name on it.

Like Olivia, I was someone to be reformed and recreated into something new. After bouncing from multiple group and foster homes, I’d eventually landed myself in psychiatric care.

More like a torturous prison.

The memories from that time are murky, but I do know that’s where Orion found me. He adopted me and my fixation for Calista, the sister who never existed.

Then who is the girl humming softly as she draws nearby?

My gut twists painfully. I’m overcome with a mixture of grief and utter confusion. Next, anger bleeds through, boiling my blood.

My father—Orion—has crafted a new story for me and it’s one I had no part in creating.

Is Calista really named LuLu? Is that why she had that on her iPad wallpaper? It makes sense now how strange her behavior has been.

She must think I’m completely and utterly insane.

Aren’t you?

I rub at my temple, hoping to ease the headache forming there. Shutting down under the weight of my newly discovered memories isn’t a possibility. Getting LuLu the fuck away from these people is the only option.

When?

How?

I have a car. I have money. I have means.

And somewhere, lurking in the dark recesses of my mind, I have an arsenal of knowledge.

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