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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Penulis: Mairee
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-07-26 22:25:43

#Dorothy’s POV#

I don’t move.

Not even when I hear Joel’s footsteps vanish up the stairwell and the door to our—no, his—room slam shut.

I just sit there, my hand still near the edge of the ribbon-tied box like it might bite me. My eyes are locked on the ribbon, but my thoughts are still stuck on his voice. That dry, prideful tone he always uses when he’s hiding something behind his back, like a guilty boy too proud to admit he stole the last cookie.

Joel didn’t even ask if I’d eaten.

Not a word about where I was. If I needed anything. How I was feeling. How the treatment was affecting me. How the last 24 hours nearly broke my spine.

But I don’t know why I expected anything different.

“Sit,” Rico says beside me, nudging my arm like a tired big brother—but softer. “I’ll make you some tea. You look like you’re still shaking.”

I don’t argue. I sit.

I nod slowly and watch him disappear into the kitchen, hearing drawers open and the clink of mugs. I glance at the box again. Anonymous gift?
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