Chapter 7

Four years ago, Tina's stepmother had tried to send her off to an older man.

She had been locked in the basement, cut off from daylight, her phone taken, with no way to contact her grandparents.

The only reason Tina got out was that Eileen and her husband, Patrick Reed, showed up at her house with a formal proposal, saying that Jonathan wanted to marry her.

That was when her stepmother finally let her go.

The first thing Tina did after getting out was go find Jonathan. He had been lying face-down on the bed, pale and barely conscious. Dark bruises covered his body, and a high fever burned through him.

She had believed he had been punished like that for insisting on marrying her.

So for four years, no matter how distant he was, she never complained. She loved him without holding back, because when he lay there injured and burning with fever, she had made a promise never to leave him.

Now, she understood.

It hadn't been for her. It had been for Sadie.

Her fingers went weak. Something tightened hard around her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs. Her wrist gave way, suddenly numb. The porcelain bowl tilted in her hand.

She tried to catch it, but her fingers slid across the smooth surface. It slipped and shattered against the floor, fragments scattering as soup spread across the tiles.

Her hand stayed suspended in midair, fingers still curved around nothing. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, her breathing uneven.

"Tina…" Eileen reached for her.

But Tina had already turned and run, not even managing a goodbye.

Behind her, she heard Eileen telling Jonathan to go after her.

He answered the same way he always did, calm and detached. "She won't go far."

He was right.

Before, even when she was angry, she never made it past the gate. If he wanted to find her, he could. If he didn't, she would come back on her own.

When you give too much, it starts to lose its value.

Tina ran out of the estate. Beyond it, the road stretched wide and empty, too far from the city center to easily get a ride.

She walked without direction, dazed, and called Cecelia.

"Tina?"

"Cecelia…"

The moment she spoke, everything broke. She started crying, loud and uncontrolled, like a child.

"What happened? Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

She choked out the address.

"Stay there. Don't move. I'll be there soon."

Cecelia didn't hang up.

Tina could hear her grabbing her keys and getting into the car. The engine started, and she kept talking, filling the silence.

Standing on the side of the road, she told Cecelia what had happened at dinner.

Cecelia swore under her breath.

"Is he even human? He lied to you for four years. Who does that? You kept defending him, saying he was just cold on the outside. He's not. He's cold all the way through. Good thing you finally came to your senses and dumped that loser."

Tina listened, staring blankly ahead.

Then a message popped up on her phone. It was from Edward.

[Johanna, we've run into a major issue in the lab. It's urgent. Can you come and take a look? Sorry for the short notice, but if you can solve this, there's a good chance you'll be approved to join us directly.]

Tina straightened.

She replied immediately, asked for the address, and said she could come now. She planned to head there as soon as Cecelia arrived.

Just then, a black Maybach pulled up in front of her. The window lowered.

Jonathan turned his head slightly. Light cut sharp lines across his profile, his nose high, his eyes deep-set, his gaze dark and still.

"Get in," he said, as if nothing had happened, as if he already knew she would be waiting nearby.

Tina pushed herself to her feet. "No. Cecelia's coming."

At the name, Jonathan showed no visible reaction, but Tina knew. He had never liked her friends. He thought they were aimless, beneath his circle.

"Stop wasting time," he said, his voice even.

"This isn't some stunt to get your attention." Tina lifted her chin slightly. "She's here."

A blue Ferrari screeched to a stop in front of the Maybach.

Jonathan glanced at it once, then back at her. After a brief pause, he gave a small nod and told the driver to move.

Cecelia was already out of the car, striding over. She grabbed Tina's wrist and pulled her behind her, her gaze sharpening as it landed on Jonathan.

"No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Reed," Cecelia said with a tight smile. "God knows what kind of filth you've been hauling around in that car. Tina likes things clean."

Jonathan didn't respond. The window rolled up.

Cecelia pulled Tina into the passenger seat, got in, and drove off, accelerating past the Maybach and leaving it behind.

They drove until they reached a restricted area on the outskirts, where Cecelia had to stop at the perimeter.

"Go on," she said. "Call me when you're done."

Tina nodded, got out, and walked up to the entrance. Just as she was about to message Edward, someone stepped into her path.

Ben Crowley.

One of Jonathan's friends, and the one who disliked her the most. He had never bothered to hide it, always making it clear she wasn't good enough.

He had even tried to set Jonathan up with a young researcher once, suggesting he keep her on the side if he liked her.

Tina had found out and made a scene. Things had only gotten worse after that.

"What are you doing here?" Ben frowned, not bothering to hide his contempt. "You don't belong here. Get out."

"I don't?" she said evenly. "Since when do you get to decide that?"

He let out a short laugh and pointed behind him. "This is a government research facility. What are you doing here? Applying for a cleaning job? You're from a dance school, for God's sake."

"Even if I was, it's none of your business." She left it at that. Arguing with someone like him was a waste of time.

She sent a message to Edward. [I'm here.]

[Good. I've sent someone to the entrance. Do you see him? He'll bring you in.]

Tina looked around. There was no one else there. Just Ben.

At the same time, Ben glanced at his watch after sending a message to Jonathan that he had spotted Tina.

"Where is she?" he muttered.

Tina studied him for a second. "Are you waiting for someone?"

"What's it to you?" He was already irritated, and seeing her made it worse. "Get out of here before security drags you off. You're not supposed to be hanging around here."