I can’t possibly have wanted to be locked up in Theo’s penthouse. Can I?”
Rummaging through the bag Cruz organised for me, I find a hair tie and twist my hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head, splashing my face with cold water after brushing my teeth.
It might help me wake up a little, but it does nothing for my frame of mind.
Cruz hangs up on his phone call when I step out, still sitting in the chair.
“How you doing?” he asks, his concerned eyes tracking me as I make my way back to bed.
“Great.” I force some happiness into my voice, but from the frown on his face, I think I might have failed.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Um…” I hesitate, knowing there’s something serious that I need to deal with, but really, really not wanting to discuss it with my uncle.
“Anything you need, Em. We’re gonna get you out of this shit together, okay?”
Squeezing my eyes closed, the image of Theo and I moving together on his bed two days ago fills my mind and I force the words past my lips.
“I need the morning after pill.” Pain shoots through my insides, for some bizarre reason.
Total fucking silence follows my words, and my stomach twists nervously as I sit there, refusing to open my eyes to see the disappointment on my uncle’s face.
“Em,” he finally says, and I wrench my eyes open, shame burning inside me.
“Don’t, Cruz. Don’t give me that disappointed look. I’m sensible. I’ve always been sensible. I’ve been on the pill since I was fourteen. I take it religiously and have never missed a day ever. Until…”
Cruz’s eyes widen for me to continue.
“They locked me in one of their cells for a couple of days without any of my stuff, and then the night before last…”
“Fuck. I’ll sort it.”
“You will?”
He pushes up from the chair and comes to sit on the edge of the bed beside me.
Taking my hand in both of his, he looks down at me. I wince, expecting to see pity in his eyes, but thankfully, when I finally look, there’s nothing but understanding and love.
“Anything, Em. Plus, we can’t really have you growing a little psychopath, can we?”
My stomach knots again. But why? It’s not like I want Theo’s kid. Ever. Right?
Fuck, this is all such a mess.
“What happens now?” I ask, needing to know where we’re going next. We can hardly hide out in a hotel forever.
“I’ve got the club lawyer looking at your marriage to see if he can get you out of it.”
“We can just get divorced, right?” I ask naïvely. What the fuck do I know about ending a marriage I wasn’t even aware existed?
“Um…”
“What don’t I know?”
“There’s a pretty solid prenup, apparently.”
“I don’t want their fucking money, Cruz. I just want to be free.”