Chapter 8

As soon as I find myself surrounded by equipment and machines, my enthusiasm collapses beneath my feet.

I close the door, take my phone and put on some music.

I start by doing some stretches and then I go to the treadmill. I press the button to turn it on and get on, but the speed is too high and I slip, fall, and hit my chin on the floor.

"Shit."I get up and massage the sore area. The door suddenly opens and I see those two troglodytes walk in.

My stepbrother frowns and tilts his head."It almost feels like the tape is hitting you."

In response, I raise my arm and flip him the bird. Damian doesn't even look at me. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's ignoring me.

"Would you be so kind as to explain which buttons I should press without risking breaking my teeth?"I say, reluctantly sitting down on the bench.

Strangely, I manage to get a laugh out of him; I make a face. It's cute when he smiles. It's a shame he's such a complete idiot. I see kindness in his gestures, but he quickly overshadows it with his hateful words.

"Are you going to turn that shit off?"he blurts out, pointing at my phone.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,"I muttered, glaring at him. I turned off the music and then saw Ethan's eyebrow rise for a split second, as if he were surprised. Maybe he expected me to tell him to go to hell?

"You change the speed from here,"he says, pointing to a button."Ideally, you should start at the slowest speed and gradually increase it as you begin walking. That way, you avoid what happened to you earlier."My chin nods playfully. Damian looks at me curiously, but his curiosity doesn't last long. He puts on his gloves, then grabs the iron bar out of nowhere and starts going up and down using only his arms. Oh God, he makes it look so easy.

"Pull-ups. Try it, it's fun,"Ethan winks at me, then with a fluid movement he lies down on the floor, opens his palms and starts doing push-ups.

I turn my back on both of them and start walking. Obviously, I won't be doing any other exercise in this gym while they're locked in here with me. There's no mention of it at all. I'll use this treadmill as my escape route because I don't even have the courage to stop it, turn on my heels, and walk away. No, I won't walk the path of shame.

Time passes and I only hear the quiet sounds of the boys as they train.

But how long does it take to finish?

I look at the stopwatch and almost choke on my own saliva. I've been walking for half an hour now; I'm dying of thirst and hunger.

I deserve an award. For stupidity.

"Okay, I'm done. See you later,"Ethan says, but I doubt he's talking to me.

Her kindness ran out again. I sighed and leaned slightly forward, but when the pain in my side became more acute, I pressed the off button and stepped off the treadmill.

Bad, bad move.

The whole room spins around me and my stomach lurches. I trip over something I can't even make out, and two strong arms catch me out of nowhere.

"Your teacher forgot to tell you that before you get off, you've to put it back on low speed and wait a couple of seconds. You know, to avoid losing your teeth and ending up with a concussion,"Damian's raspy voice makes me tremble, but as soon as I manage to focus on the room again, I abruptly pull away from him and walk with difficulty toward the other side. Then I left, cursing my stubbornness.

I walk into the kitchen and find Ethan sitting on the stool with his forearms resting on the island counter.

"Why isn't breakfast ready?"I ask breathlessly.

He almost spits out the orange juice he's drinking.

"What, excuse me?"he asks, stifling a laugh."Does the princess even want someone to bring her breakfast in bed?"

A wave of heat floods my cheeks, making me sweat even more.

The other day breakfast was already ready for everyone, so I thought-

"Did you think our cook was at your beck and call at any point?"she asks, throwing her head back and letting out a laugh that doesn't seem real at all.

"Interesting,"Damian exclaims as he enters the kitchen. Only now I find myself staring at him like an idiot, like I've never seen a guy in my entire life.

Her beauty is like a punch to the gut; it stuns me and makes me want to run away at the same time.

"Parasites get used to luxury quickly,"he says, grabbing an apple from the centerpiece and taking a generous bite. Then he opens the refrigerator, takes out a yogurt and a spoon, and plops them clumsily toward the island, toward me, almost like a dog."Now eat and disappear."

"Don't talk to me like that."I clench my fists at my sides and take a step toward him.

"Just like that? How do you deserve it?"The left corner of her mouth rises in a mischievous smile, revealing a small dimple.

"What the hell is your problem?"I raise my voice and move even closer, until I'm almost half a meter away from him."Didn't your mother give you enough love when you were little, and now you take it out on all the women? That's why you're an idiot, isn't it?"

Something in her gaze changes. A terrifying darkness envelops the rigid features of her face, almost like a mask that adheres perfectly to her skin glistening with sweat.

Suddenly I find him inches from my face, a spasm makes his jaw tremble.

"Try saying that one more time and I promise you'll curse the day you met me, you nosy person,"she says, eyeing the bun on top of my head and bursting into laughter."You're fucking ridiculous. And scary. Have you looked in the mirror? Looks like you haven't slept in ages."She takes a step back."Do you need your mother to come sing you a lullaby? Or—"

Ethan decides to stand up and step between us. He grabs Damian by the shoulder and pushes him back, forcing him to distance himself."That's enough, Dam. You're crossing the line. Do you know that his mother... ?"

"I don't know shit about her,"he replies cynically."All I know is that she and her father are nothing new to this house."He gives me a contemptuous look and leaves.

"He's a piece of shit,"I say, my voice trembling. Ethan sighs and stares at the ceiling, devastated.

I run out and up the driveway to the door. Knowing I'm out of this house is a relief. Everyone knows my mother died. Celeste knows. Ethan knows. Damian said it on purpose to hurt me.

I dry my eyes, look in the mailbox and take the newspaper, gripping it tightly with one hand while holding my cell phone with the other.

As I walk along the sidewalk, I hear a car door open in the distance, and then a black Ford Mustang whizzes past me. I catch a glimpse of Damian's profile for a few seconds before he disappears completely from sight.

"You grumpy bastard,"I say, making a face.