Page 52 of Lust
No. I was determined to survive this. The nightmare of what happened would eventually cease to exist and become a distant memory. By God, I’d get past it and achieve the only thing that mattered anymore.
Vengeance.
In the days following that awful night, I spent the first few huddled in my bed. My mind was jam-packed with nightmares. By the third day, the shock subsided, and a new emotion took root instead. Anger.
As the week ended, I left my mourning behind and became consumed by my need for revenge. I returned to work with only one vendetta in mind—to make Tristan Marcolf pay for his crimes.
However, there was a slight complication.
Tristan wasn’t in the business of handing out idle threats. If he suggested running this shelter to the ground, he meant it.
Ray and his mother arrived at our organization because the local government shelters were overcrowded with waiting lists. At the time, Ray had a broken arm while his mother was covered in bruises. The thought of forcing them back to the same abusive household or into a broken system made me shudder worse than anything Tristan could do to me.
Although my parents were initially the primary sponsors for this private shelter, they later became too busy for it. I was the only Marcolf actively involved in the proceedings of this place and begged Mom and Tristan to continue hosting fundraisers to keep it open.
Even so, cash flow was an issue. The charity functions barely collected enough funds to pay the discounted rent for this building, the staff of five (including Jen), upkeep, etc.
None of those fundraisers could possibly raise enough money to purchase this lot. Even if I sold everything I owned, it only equated to a monetary value of fewer than thirty thousand dollars. Whereas the property this building was located on cost upwards of two million.
My parents retired to work on Tristan’s campaign. They had no income of their own, other than the stipend he paid them. Their home belonged to Tristan, along with their cars. All three of us put any other expenses on credit cards, paid off by the same man.
The only person I knew with deep enough pockets and connections to keep this shelter open for longer was, in fact, Tristan. So, I had to keep him on an even keel unless I could figure something out for this place.
Unfortunately, Tristan wasn’t a patient man. “You owe me an answer.”
“I-I need more time.”
“I’m not giving you more time so you can find a way to be withhim,” he barked.
“This has nothing to do with… It’s over with Tobias.”
I got too comfortable with Tobias’ short-lived fortunes and dismissed this jinx that followed me around. Like always, my curse had struck lightning. On the same day Tobias admitted to being in love with me, he got into a car accident. Presumably, a drunk driver had tried to veer him off the road.
Tobias escaped the crash thanks to a bystander, who called for an ambulance. Luckily, there were no serious injuries. The hospital discharged him after an overnight stay, and he got a hold of me the following day to explain what had happened.
By that point, I was an emotional wreck. Tobias’ account of his night only solidified the need to break things off in order to save him from further danger. Not to mention, I felt too tainted for his pure and unadulterated form of love after what happened with Tristan.
The mere idea of hurting Tobias squeezed my heart, and my deflection only left him more confused than ever.
Tobias:“I don’t understand. I thought you wanted to progress our relationship. Did something happen that I don’t know about?”
Tobias:“Please, Princess. Don’t shut me out.”
Tobias:“Does your brother have anything to do with this?”
It had become abundantly clear that a breakup without pain was impossible, and last night, I ripped off the Band-Aid.
Sara:“I’m sorry. We aren’t right for each other. Please accept that it’s over.”
The heartbreak wasn’t good enough for my brother. Tristan gripped my hips with two firm hands and glared. “If I find him with you again—” My heart iced over when he stepped forward, forcing my back against the wall behind me. “Don’t forget our deal, Sara.”
“Deal?”
“Break things off withTobyand be with me. Or defy my wishes and pay with the things you care about.”
My eyes searched his with trepidation.
“If you don’t agree, I’ll ensure every zoning committee you apply to will be met with obstacle after obstacle.”
