Page 57 of I Will Mend You
She’s already slithered into my husband’s pants—I know she fucked him with that tight, nubile body while I was hospitalized.That’s why Lyle is being so intolerant. Why, in Giorgi’s words, would he need me when he can have Miss Perfect?
I didn’t say any of this out loud. That’s what she wants. She even made a show of looking disappointed that I didn’t appreciate the special, nutrient-rich meals she and the girls had lovingly prepared to nourish me and baby Heath.
My fists clenched under the comforter. I wanted to laugh in her face, but it would come out as a deranged cackle. Instead, I said her services were no longer required, and she had until tomorrow morning to leave.
Dolly howled, clinging to Charlotte like she was the one who had carried her for thirty-six weeks. Amy stared, not knowing what to think. Charlotte explained in that sugary voice that she was employed by Lyle to help me during this difficult time. I snapped back, telling her that she was a conniving cunt.
All three of them stared at me like I’d turned into Medusa. Then Charlotte pulled the girls out of the room and comforted them outside the door with soft, soothing words.
FUCK HER! And fuck me for playing into her hands. Now, my daughters think I’m a psycho.
If this bitch doesn’t leave my house voluntarily, then she’ll be leaving in a hearse.
TWENTY-EIGHT
AMETHYST
By the time I’ve cut down the sleeves of my straitjacket and slipped them onto my feet, both sides of the hallway echo with distant noises. It sounds like they’re having a full-scale search party.
I try to remember how many men I saw the last few times they took me out for filming, but Xero interrupts my thoughts.
“Eight. Delta, Locke, Seth, Barrett. Plus the other four from the forced feeding.” He pauses. “Ten if you count Dolly, Fen and Grunt.”
Because the last two are the same person. I shake my head, wondering if Grunt left the door unlocked on purpose.
“Don’t look too deeply into his motives,” Xero snarls. “Thinking of him as an ally, even subconsciously, might make you drop your guard.”
He’s right. No matter how much they’re making Grunt a scapegoat, I should never forget the reason he joined X-Cite Media.
Noisy footsteps echo through the hallway, cutting our conversation short. We both stiffen, pressing our bodies into thecold wall. The door we’re standing behind is ajar, with the barest of light streaming in where its hinges meet the frame.
The steps coming toward us are heavy, deliberate, and growing louder. Dread pools in my gut at the prospect of being caught.
“You have the advantage,” Xero hisses in my ear. “Lure him in and take him out.”
My breath quickens. My heart pounds so hard that its vibrations reach my fingers, making them tremble. Sweat breaks out across my brow and trickles down my temple.
I’m no longer the woman who hid in the corner, trembling as Xero tortured the men who broke into my house. The cruelty I suffered has ground my human decency to dust. I need to get out of this hellscape alive, even if it means carving through every man with my scalpels.
“That’s right, little ghost.” Xero’s large hands land on my shoulders, infusing my body with the strength and determination of a trained assassin.
But where should I stab him? The neck might be a good spot, but I don’t know the exact location of the jugular vein.
“Remember the day after you read my letter about Officer McMurphy?” Xero asks. “Where did I say I’d stab her before fucking you in a pool of her blood?”
My lips twitch at the reminder of that heated morning. It was the base of her skull.
“That’s my girl.”
I tighten my grip on both scalpels, my veins filling with cold adrenaline. Every man involved in the production of these videos needs to die. Not just to save myself, but to protect others.
“Focus on your fear. Let it sharpen your senses. Let your survival instincts turn these predators into prey.”
A beam of light fills the hallway. It’s weak compared to a flashlight and has to come from his phone. I shrink against the wall, slowing my breaths to lower the volume of my heartbeat.
The footsteps get louder. I fix my gaze on the gap in the doorway where a dark figure ambles past. He pauses for a second to fill my room with illumination before continuing toward the exit.
“Amethyst,” Xero whispers, “Now.”