جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

ScarlettIt's been five oddly peaceful days of work, eating and sleeping. I wasn't used to this life but it was way more than I could have hoped for when I was sold. I also hadn't set eyes on the Lord Lycan. It relieved me since his presence horrified and irked me to no end.I sat on the edge of my cot, blowing gently on the bowl of steaming congee in my hands. The rice porridge was bland, but it was all my stomach could handle lately. Everything else either sat like a rock in my gut or came right back up.Cassian, the overseer, had noticed. He didn’t say much. He never did. But this morning, he told me I could skip work until I was feeling better. His voice was gruff, like he was doing me a favor against his will, but I could tell. He was letting me off easy.I had learned something about Cassian in the past few days: he wasn’t as cruel as he wanted people to think. The sharp words, the constant frowning, it was all a facade. Underneath, there was a man who paid absolute attention. W

ScarlettWhen I got the chance to show gratitude, I was at the dish pit cleaning up the last set of dishes with hands that were shaking so much from the cold. I had lost feeling in my fingers from how long my hand had been in the water. And goddess, the sink had to be designed in an old fashioned way. Why? To make our suffering sting harder? We washed our dishes side by side, standing over the long stone sink where lukewarm water ran in a thin stream. I focused on scrubbing the rim of the last bowl, the faint grit of dried congee catching under my fingernails. The girl who had saved me back at the cafeteria was there standing beside me, as if by coincidence, washing silently.My pulse kept nudging me forward to say something. But what if she ignored me… What if she…“Thank you,” I blurted out very quickly in a small voice before I thought better of it. I winced at how stupid that sounded, then forced myself to look at her. “For… back there.”She didn’t answer right away. I caught he

CardanBy the time I crossed back into my own territory, the sky was bleeding out its last streaks of gold, the streets below were already wrapped in shadow. My jaw ached from how long I had been clenching it. The east side had a way of grinding you down, its smoke, its noise, its endless parade of liars.I had gone to see Xade of Lancaster. On the way back, one truth gnawed at me: People could change, yes, but more often, they only learned to bury their rot deeper.The second I stepped into the room, the fresh scent of smoldering incense filled my nostrils. Before he even knew I was there, I wrapped a single hand around his neck. He whimpered in shock, his eyes darting wildly as he looked back trying to see his assaulter. I walked him to a nearby desk in the dark office as he thrashed in fear, then I released him with a wild grin. Studying his face, I saw the fear and barely contained rage. Xade had always hated surprises. Especially surprises like this one. “What the fuck is wrong

ScarlettIf they saw my belly… I was done. The Lord would find out anyway, and I knew what he would do to me then. The only card I had left to play was him. His name. And if it killed me to use it, then so be it.I lifted my chin just enough to meet the man’s gaze. “If you touch me,” I said, trying to keep my voice low but steady to show seriousness. “you’ll have to answer to Lord Cardan.”The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on. Every woman froze, their gazes snapping toward me like arrows loosed from a bow. The man’s smirk dissolved slowly till it was no more.One of the older women let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “You’re digging your own grave, girl.”A murmur rippled through the room, half awe, half disbelief.The man’s face twisted into something uglier than hatred. “You think hiding behind his name will save you?” he sneered. “You’re nothing but—”The slap came faster than my eyes could track. The palm cracked against my cheek, forcing my head to spin in the opp

ScarlettHer words were so dark and unexpected. My face fell slowly as I regarded her with a range of emotions. First shock, then confusion, and then hurt at her words.All this time, she knew. She knew about the pregnancy I was trying so hard to hide. I had my suspicions but she had finally come open, confirming them. As surprised as I was, I still wasn't as shocked at the knowledge as I was at her words.The cruelty in it wasn’t something I was used to from her. My lips parted, ready to ask her what she meant, but Harley moved before I could. She pushed up from the chair so fast it scraped against the floor, the sound sharp enough to make me flinch.Then, she was pacing. Back and forth, one hand gripping the ends of her blonde hair, always twisted in a braid. She twisting it like she wanted to pull the thoughts straight from her head.“Don’t you think?” she threw at me suddenly, her voice rising. “I mean, you were brought here a lowlife, Scarlett. And for the next ten years, you’re