Since she was born when I was six, I’ve considered it my mission to protect her with my life. The fact that I couldn’t last night has been chipping away at a part of me.
“Enough about me. Are you okay, Anoushka? Do you need anything?”
“Aside from being set free of my Rapunzel tower? I don’t think so.”
I ruffle her hair. “It’s for your security.”
“Oh, please. You just like locking me up.” She swats my hand away. “And stop treating me like a kid.”
“No,” I say point-blank, and she makes a face.
“Come on, Jer.” She takes my hand in hers. “At least let me go to the dorm. I miss the girls so much, and they’re worried sick about me after they heard about the fire.”
The girls.Including, but not exclusive to, Cecily.
“No.”
“Jer!” she whines. “Please. You know how hard it was for me to make friends, and these girls really like me despite my status as a mafia princess and my last name. I can’t just lose them.”
“There will be no going back to the dorm temporarily.”
“You’re so heartless.” She drops my hand as if it’s an expired object. “I pity the girl who will have to marry you.”
“I was going to let you have lunch with your friends, but since I’m heartless…” I shrug.
“Oh, don’t be silly. You know I was kidding!” Annika laughs and lunges at me with a koala embrace. “Thanks, Jer!”
“You’ll be escorted by guards,” I tell her with a hand on her back.
“Okay!” She jumps down and disappears into her closet, probably to pick a dress from the hundred purple ones she owns.
Shaking my head, I step out and pause when my phone vibrates.
The name on the screen shouldn’t be there.
It should’ve been deleted, but it wasn’t.
I shouldn’t have been reading and rereading her last text about the manga that I stole from her room that night.
It’s that fucking obsession that I can’t shake.
Cecily:I heard about the fire. Are you okay?
I stare at her words or, more like, glare at them.
Why the fuck would she act so worried when she’s obviously hung up on someone else?
But then again, since when do I care about that?
I gave her a chance to escape me, but she didn’t take it.
If I want to own her, I will.
When I’m done with her, no other fucking man will be on her mind.
17
CECILY