Eden

35

Two days before prom, my new dress is delivered to my dorm room. It’s possibly more beautiful than I remember it being, and I can’t help but want to try it on. As I slip into the smooth material and study my reflection in the mirror, my mind wanders to Saint. I’m still reeling from his confession, torn between enormous relief and gut-wrenching guilt. I know the guilt isn’t logical. Mr. Angelle should rot behind bars for the rest of his life, but I’m just not sure it’s his son who should be putting him there.

But he’s going to try to. For me.

It’s overwhelming, and I regret not telling him immediately how appreciative I am to him.

It’s at that moment that I startle at a light knock on my door. I cross the room to answer it, not even thinking about the fact that I’m still wearing my prom dress, and I open the door without hesitation.

My heart stops and my blood runs cold when I see who’s on the other side.

Nora.

What the fuck?

Her blue eyes sweep over me before she gives them a dramatic roll. “Nice dress.”

I don’t know how to respond, so I lamely reply, “Thanks.”

A strained moment of silence falls between us for several seconds before Nora gives a disgusted sniff and snaps, “Are you going to let me in?”

I’d rather not, but I doubt I have any choice.

Stepping aside to give her room, I let her come inside. Closing the door behind us, I face her, but my eyes dart around looking for a weapon, just in case. There’s nothing close at hand, but I tell myself I’m just being paranoid. She wouldn’t dare do something to me here.

Right?

“Why are you here, Nora?” I aim for a casual tone, but I’m not sure I’m successful. She doesn’t seem to notice, though. She’s examining the contents of my room, taking in my personal space and possessions with an assessing eye. Her jaw is clenched tight and rage flashes behind her gaze. When she responds, her tone is even but tight.

“Can’t a mother drop in for a surprise visit to her daughter?”

In most cases, sure, that wouldn’t be a big deal. But we aren’t most cases.

She doesn’t care if I’m dead or alive—just that she gets what she thinks she deserves.

“It’s just that … you usually send Ghost is all.” I’m cautious when I bring him up, but I can’t deny that I’m curious about what happened after he last left here. My suspicion is that’s why she’s come.

To discipline me for messing with Ghost.

She bares her teeth, and I can see she’s struggling to remain cool and collected, but it’s obvious that she’s seething on the inside.

“Ghost is gone,” she says, her voice almost a hiss.

I have enough sense to let my mouth tumble open in surprise. “Dead?”

“I’ve no idea,” she snaps. “He left without explanation. As far as I’m concerned, he can rot in hell.”

I give her a bitter smile. “That’s harsh.”

“That’s life,” she retorts.

My first instinct is to call the police. Ghost isn’t around to protect her anymore. She’s vulnerable, and this may be my only opportunity to bring her down.

Yet, I know I can’t call anyone. Nora still has Je

“Who’s watching Je

She looks at me like I’ve got IDIOT written in Sharpie on my forehead. “What do you mean? Why would someone need to watch her?”

To keep her from overdosing, for one. I can only imagine how hard Je

“Can I talk to her?”

Instead of answering me, she wanders toward my bed. I follow her, stopping when she sinks onto the mattress, making herself right at home.

“Nora…”

She reaches out and touches the skirt of my dress with the tips of her fingers.

“You know, Jameson and Benjamin both asked me to prom when we were in school,” she murmurs, her gaze suddenly far away.

“Nora, what about Je

She ignores me and continues, “It was before Benjamin and I started dating. The three of us had been friends our whole lives, and I knew they both wanted me. I hadn’t decided who I wanted, though. I was weighing the pros and cons of both of them, but I made up my mind that prom would be the perfect opportunity to choose once and for all.”

Why is she telling me this? Honestly, I can’t tell if she even remembers I’m in the room with her. She seems like she’s a million miles away as she continues stroking the skirt of my dress.

I try to ask about Je

“Benjamin and Jameson both did everything they could to convince me to go with them.”

“Nora, why are you telling me this?”

She continues to disregard me as she proceeds with her strange story. “In the end, I chose Ben. It was really a no brainer at that point because he had … more.”

This. Dirty. Skank.

I stare at her in disbelief. “Did you love my father at all?”

She blinks up at me, and she’s actually seeing me now. “At times.”

At this point, I feel like I shouldn’t be surprised by how cold-hearted she is, but she keeps stu

“Have you ever loved anyone?” I murmur. “Je

She doesn’t answer that, but grips my skirt and yanks on it, startling me.

“I thought you were more like me,” she says. “I thought you were smarter, but I was wrong. I told you to stay away from Saint Angelle, but you just couldn’t help it, could you?”

Her words are sharp, lashing over me like a whip.

“I know what you did,” I hiss, my anger boiling my blood. “I know what you did to him. He was a child.”

“And I was a captive.” She shrugs, as if neither horrible truth is that big of a deal. “Like I said, Jameson promised me my freedom. Clearly, he’s a lying piece of shit and didn’t let me go, but I was willing to do just about anything at that point to get a taste of freedom.”

I’ve never felt such disgust for another human being before, and now I’m overwhelmed by it not only for her, but Mr. Angelle as well. How Saint was able to survive them, I’ll never fully know.

Nora drops her hand from my dress and pushes to her feet.

“This was good, Eden. Cleansing.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“I’ll call you whatever I please,” she grinds out, starting for the door.

What the hell? She can’t say all this bullshit and just leave. She hasn’t even told me if Je

“You can’t leave,” I snap.

The corners of her lips curl and she cups my face. I flinch at her touch, but she doesn’t let me go. “I’ll check on you again before graduation,” she says. “I’ve lost interest in the Sunday di

I jerk my head away and blurt, “Mr. Angelle said he’d give you money if you let this all go. A hundred million. Maybe … maybe you should take his offer?”

To my surprise, Nora snorts. “He’s lying again.”

She saunters past me to walk to the door, and I’m seized with panic, thinking of Je

She stops and slowly twists back around to face me. “What in the word are you talking about?”