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“Don’t worry, sweetheart. Bradley’s been invited back to our nuptials, and he’ll have another front row seat in watching us in the holy room.”
“No.” I shook my head in disbelief. The one comfort I had held on to was knowing that Bradley wouldn’t witness what would surely be my own personal wedding from hell.
“Oh, baby, we’ve really got to teach you to be silent, don’t we? Perhaps you’ll learn after a few days in the cages.” He brushed his fingers across my lips.
“I promise, I won’t…” I stammered.
“That’s what I thought.” Conrad smiled proudly. “Now if you’ll excuse me. I must print off the final payment information for Mason, and then they’ll be off. See you at dinner, my love.” Conrad forced his lips on mine.
Everyone dispersed except for Bradley and me. I took two steps forward to be closer to him, but he quickly looked up in a corner of the room.
A small camera focused directly on us.
“It’s off. I snuck into the security room because I knew this would be our final goodbye.”
“Don’t come to the wedding,” I said pleadingly.
“You know I have to, Dem.” He looked down at my feet. “Did you try your shoes on?”
The simple yet completely ordinary question made me almost smile, and maybe if this situation wasn’t abnormal, I’d be able to respond like a normal girl who had a crush on a guy.
“I did. They’re the perfect fit. Thank you again. But I won’t be able to wear them…”
Bradley looked back up at me. He didn’t even need to ask why. He already knew. How could I explain where they came from?
“But I’ll wear them in my room. And every time I do, I’ll think of you and how I wish I could use them to run away with you.” I bit my lower lip, full of nerves.
“One day, I’m going to come back for you, and we won’t have to run. You can wear the highest heels and it wouldn’t matter because we’ll walk out of this house of horrors hand-in-hand.” Bradley lifted my chin with his index finger and locked his lips onto mine.
“Demi, I really, really like you.” He brushed his lips once more before pulling back.
I couldn’t help the tears that fell. It was all too much, and the thing was… I didn’t think I really liked him.
I think I loved him. And not because I had lost my virginity to him, or because he bought me shoes I had only dreamt of, but because for my entire life, I had never had a home.
But if I knew what home felt like, I’d take a wild guess that it was what I felt whenever I was with Bradley.
He was home to me. And now, I was losing the only home I had ever known.
CHAPTER
FORTY-ONE
The car drove down the winding driveway, and I could see Bradley look over through the back window.
I walked back inside with Ian, Daphne, and Conrad. If a neighbor had been out walking their dog or pushing a stroller, they’d assume a beautiful family was spending quality time together. They’d probably even be envious of us donning matching, beautiful, designer clothing. A gorgeous set of two couples casually going into a sprawling estate.
But behind these giant, double doors laid a haunted house full of death and prisoners. This wasn’t a house, it was a morgue.
“The house feels so much lighter, almost brighter. Wouldn’t you agree, Father?” Conrad followed behind Ian to the golden bar cart in the corner of the room. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.
“It truly does,” Dr. Ivory agreed as Conrad handed him a glass of whiskey.
“You won’t miss him, Ian? Bradley’s been with our family for years. It’ll be strange not having him around. Granted, he will return for the wedding.” Daphne sighed as she sank into the accent chair and brushed her hands across her white pleated skirt.
“Of course, we’ll miss him. I’m not a heartless monster, Daphne,” he said with complete seriousness as he took a seat next to his wife.
“Come sit with us, Demi. Why are you standing there like the damn maid?” Conrad barked at me.
