Ruthless Empire (Royal Elite #6)(73)

And then she punches me again. I push her away, keeping a hand around my midsection. But Elsa is like a bull who’s not only out to hit me but also out to kill me.

Oh, God.

My baby.

He’s going to die.

I bend over, trying to shield my stomach while pushing blindly at Elsa.

No, no, no…

Aiden grabs Elsa by the arm and pulls her back against his chest.

She fights him off, trying to get to me again. I’ve fallen to the ground, trembling and still holding my stomach.

If something happens to my baby, it’s all because I couldn’t protect him.

Aiden squeezes Elsa’s neck and she finally stops trying to reach out for me. She blinks a few times and looks at Aiden who whispers, “Don’t go there again.”

She nods and he hugs her as she buries her head in his chest.

“Make her go,” Elsa murmurs. “Make her go away.”

He glares down at me. “Leave.”

I stand on unsteady feet, ready to bring hell on her head. My face burns and I’m sure that bitch left bruises, but all I focus on is the damage she might have done.

The fact that she may have hurt my —

My gaze strays to behind them and all the words I meant to say disappear.

Cole stands at the entrance of the King mansion, camouflaged by a creepy angel statue. Both hands are in his trousers’ pockets and a smirk tugs his lips.

If you follow Aiden and play this game, you won’t like how I’ll react.

He’ll come for me. He’ll find me. And I’ll pay.

Blindly reaching behind me, I open my car door with trembling fingers, barge inside, and speed out of the premises.

I know it’s a matter of time before he finds me, so all I can do is run.





29





Silver





I plan to drive as far as my gas can take me.

Maybe I can leave and never come back.

I can go to an Eastern European country and live there alone forever. I can go to Finland. They have the most beautiful landscape I’ve ever seen.

Instead, I find myself in the park.

The same park I ran to when I was eight. The same park I run to whenever I feel like the world is closing in on me.

I ignore the rain and park my car, step out of it and head inside. The rain soaks me in an instant.

My hair glues to my face and my clothes stick to my back all over again.

I stand in the middle of the empty park, my breathing harsh. My face burns, but it’s nothing compared to the thing clawing and beating inside me.

It needs to be out.

Throwing my head back, I stare at the dark grey sky and scream.

I scream so loud, I think someone will call 999.

I scream for all of the accumulating emotions and the pain, none of it having to do with the burning bruises Elsa left on my face.

I scream because the option of going to another country is impossible. No matter how much I theorise about it.

Mum, Papa, Helen, and all my life are here. Even the bastard, Cole.

I place a hand on my stomach and let the tears loose. The thought of getting rid of the baby rips a harsh sob out of me.

It’s weird how I haven’t even taken a test, and yet, I somehow feel it. It could be my imagination, right? I could be making up a pregnancy because I’m going out of my mind.

Or it could be real and I’ll have to deal with it.

On one hand, I have my family, my future — our future. Cole and I are eighteen. We still haven’t gotten a proper start into life. We still have our entire futures ahead of us. I’ll never be able to go into politics if I become a teen mum — or worse, go through childbirth before marriage.

Aiden is out. I know his limit is to stay engaged to me. He’ll never — and I mean, ever — hurt Elsa by taking responsibility for the baby.

Worse, Cole and I are stepsiblings. He can’t take responsibility, even if he wants to. Our world doesn’t work that way.

On the other hand, there’s a life growing inside me. Little hands and feet. A human being. How will I ever live with myself if I murder it? How will I have a future? How will I wake up every day and pretend I’m not a killer?

I scream again, the intensity popping my ears. There’s so much pent-up frustration inside me, broken pieces and wishes for an alternative reality.

A shadow appears in my peripheral vision and I jump back, my heart stammering in my chest. If it’s Adam, I swear to God — “You’re kind of predictable, Butterfly. The park, really?”

Cole comes into view and pauses when he notices the tears in my eyes, the way my hands are balled into fists, my trembling lips, and the general mess I’m in the midst of.

His brow furrows. “Why are you crying?”

“Why am I crying?” I hit his chest. “Why am I fucking crying? Fuck you, Cole, okay? It’s all because of you.”

He lets me hit him, curse him, and doesn’t attempt to stop me. “Correction, Silver. It’s because of you. You shouldn’t have provoked Elsa. You knew she’d snap one day.”

He thinks it’s because of Elsa? I hit him over and over again. Hit. Hit. Hit. “Idiot. Wanker. Bastard. I hate you. If it weren’t for you, none of this would’ve happened. You barged into my life and invaded my space and now…now look at this mess!”