AllFreeNovel
Share Us
You fool, Poppy. You should have kept playing possum. Play dead long enough for the hunter to lose interest, then get up and run.
Henry. Think of Henry. Andrew is right; after what I overheard, his family would easily kill my brother. I have to make a deal with the devil, not for myself but for my last surviving brother.
“I’m sorry,” I confess. I hate myself for saying it. “I’m upset.”
It's so easy to judge people, especially victims. Why didn’t you do this? Why not that? I would have done this; there is no way in hell I would have done that.
I used to judge, too, until I walked in a victim's shoes. The laces are so tight that I don’t know how to untie them anymore.
So I play the game and keep walking in them, praying that eventually the soles of the shoes will run out and I'll be free.
"I know, baby." His index finger glides down my cheek as if he's probing a specimen. Not his hand, not a loving gesture. Just a single finger as sharp as a scalpel. "You need time. We both do.” He shrugs his head at my brother’s fresh grave. “I'm going to give it to you." His brows raise, waiting for my reply.
I know what he wants to hear: thank you. But I can't say it. I have to hold onto one shred of dignity. One last ounce.
He said he’d give me time. Is that another trick?
I can’t live like that.
“I’ll keep quiet.”
"I know you will," a smile traces his lips, "you're so good at biting your sweet tongue. I love this new side, this fire, but I love your silence more."
"Stay the fuck away from me," I blurt out, jumping back from his touch.
Another mistake.
No, no, no. Not Henry. Don’t take my last brother.
Think. How do I make sure he won’t hurt Henry?
A threat for a threat. "Come near me again, and I'll tell the world what I heard!"
He shakes his head and laughs, "Who would believe you, Poppy? You think I'm worried about what others think?" His brows knit in a mocking glare. "I'm not worried they will believe you. They won't. I'm only telling you to stay silent so you remain alive. Don't you see, Poppy, I'm protecting you from my father. I care about you, baby." he shrugs, "You better hope I continue to feel that way. If not, then you're no use to me."
Chapter 4
Poppy
Three years later.
"One more signature right here, Miss. Moore," my lawyer's voice cuts through the suffocating air in the dimly lit room.
My eyes drifted up to the empty seat. The seat I had hoped my brother Henry would occupy.
He didn’t show.
Three years have passed since Henry walked out the door, leaving me without a single word or glance in my direction. He transferred to a different college, finished his degree, and started working at our parents' company.
He moved on, but I hadn't yet.
I have tried to mend the wreckage. Trust me, I have tried countless times to bridge the chasm that had formed between Henry and me. I took a job at the family company, taking a position that would force Henry to see me every single day. I was the receptionist, the greeter, and I prayed he'd greet me one day.
Even a glance would have made me smile again.
I watched him rise the ladder quickly, and then he took over and became the company's youngest CEO.
I observed every person who walked through the lobby doors, holding my breath each morning as Henry strolled in. His eyes steadfastly avoided mine, no matter how many times I placed myself in his path.
