Chapter 92: Sadie: The Price Of Silence

SADIE

Celia barks out a laugh. "How are you this bright and this stupid? You’ll tell Trey, and he’ll do what, exactly? Come demanding answers? What will you give him when as proof? The contract you’re about to put your name on?"

She catches a fistful of my hair and pulls my head back. I gasp, reaching for her hand with my good one.

"You still think there’s someone you can run to. I’m telling you there isn’t. Nobody is coming to save you, Sadie. Not even Trey."

Her grip tightens, forcing me higher on my knees as I try to ease the pull on my scalp.

"Here are my final terms. Leave without signing, and take your chances on finding Trey alive when you reach the garden. Vincent is away. The guards on duty tonight answer to me and Trey is alone with an elderly woman. How long do you think it would take you to reach him? Who do you think will be blamed? Me or the stranger he brought home?" She pauses. "Sign it and warn Trey, and neither of you is safe. Sign it and follow instructions, though, and there’s no reason this can’t work out nicely for everyone."

The horror of what she’s saying sinks in slowly, leaving me cold. How does she talk about taking his life without even hesitating? Trey is probably sitting beside Grandma, expecting me back any minute. Is he still safe out there? What if she’s already told someone to hurt him?

"Trey will smell Ezra on me the moment I see him." With my head held back, I have to struggle through the words. "I can’t hide that. What you’re asking me to do is impossible."

"Then leave him." I stare at her, waiting for the rest, because she can’t possibly think I can just do that. "Make up an excuse. Something clever, since you have so much to say. Get rid of him." She looks over my face. "Unless you’ve already fallen for him? A few weeks, and you’re this attached? You couldn’t have loved Ezra very much."

"He hurt me." My voice strains as I push the words out. "I’m allowed to move on."

"And I’m done arguing." She rolls her neck slowly. "Sign the contract, Sadie. Let’s finish this little chat."

She lets go of my hair, leaving me to bring my head upright.

"So adorable," she sneers. "All that confidence, and no idea what you’re doing."

My hands tremble above the contract. I want to push it away, but I keep hearing her ask whether Trey will still be alive when I reach the garden. Begging won’t make her take that back. She’s watched me cry this entire time, and I’m not giving her another chance to enjoy it.

I want to go back to Trey. Sit close to him, tell him everything, and let him help me figure this out. He knew what she was like. He tried to come with me, and I keep wishing I’d let him.

But what if she means it? What if I get back to the garden and he’s hurt because I thought she wouldn’t dare? My stomach turns, and I can’t make myself look toward the door.

"You’re thinking very hard," Celia says. "Let me save you some trouble. The cameras you’ve seen are real, but they don’t show you everywhere I can watch. Some of the people you’ve passed tonight report to me. Some of the conversations you assume are private aren’t. Does that stop at the gates?" She shrugs. "I’m not telling you. But I suggest you consider the possibility before you and Trey start making plans."

A pen lands beside me. My fingers curl, but I leave it where it is.

All of this for Ezra. All of this for her bastard son, who couldn’t treat me properly when I loved him.

I want to call her bluff. She knows I’m thinking about telling Trey, and this could just be another way to frighten me. But I saw the guards on the way here. I saw how quickly all the staff followed her instructions. I don’t know where her control ends, and she knows I don’t.

Could I wait until we leave? Tell him somewhere she couldn’t possibly hear?

My eyes burn as I try to think of where that would be. Our apartment? Somewhere on campus? I hate that she’s already making me question places I felt safe in before this conversation.

And once he knows, how do I keep him away from her? He’ll believe me, but he won’t leave it alone. I can’t tell him what she’s done and expect him to think about anything else.

A tear drops onto my clothes. I wipe it away, still trying to find a way to tell him that doesn’t give me another reason to be scared.

The pen is beside me. Picking it up feels like letting her decide she can do this—hurt me, threaten him, then send me back to destroy everything we’ve been working for.

But leaving it there won’t get me back to the garden. It won’t keep Trey safe, and damn it, I don’t know what else to do.

I pick it up with my good hand. My fingers shake so badly that I pause to breathe before lowering it toward the paper.

"If I do this, I want everything you promised. No changing your mind afterward."

"Of course. I’m a woman of my word."

I wish she’d stop being a woman with a pulse, but there’s no space for that request in her agreement. I find the line for my name.

When I finish, Celia comes around the desk and holds out her hand. My teeth press together. I make her wait a second before picking up the contract, though the small delay feels pathetic once I’m handing it over anyway.

I turn my face away as she takes it. I feel dirty, and I hate that feeling almost as much as I hate her.

"That was easy." She scoffs. "I expected more of a fight."

I look up slowly. "You threatened to kill him."

"And look how worked up you got." She looks down at me. "Did you honestly think I’d murder him here, in this estate?"

My fingers go slack around the pen.

"I’m annoyed that you care about him this much. Annoyed that my son still wants you." She lifts the contract. "But pleased we’ve reached an agreement."

What is she doing? She made me afraid to leave, afraid to speak, afraid he might already be hurt.

"Imagine what Trey would think if he saw how readily you signed. For money. For another chance with Ezra, this time with my approval." She waves the pages. "He’d probably kill you before I got the chance."

My stomach turns. Bile rises in my throat, and goosebumps spread over my skin as I look from her face to the paper in her hand.

"What do you think you’re doing?" I push myself to my feet, keeping my injured hand against me. "You said you’d leave him alone if I signed. That was the agreement."

"Yes, but he wasn’t here for that, was he?" Her smile stays in place. "Trey hasn’t trusted easily since he lost his mother. He keeps people away, tries to control everything. And then he lets you close." She shakes her head. "What a disappointment this will be."

"He knows me." My voice trembles. "He won’t believe I chose your money over him."

She walks behind the desk and touches her phone.

"If I do this, I want everything you promised. No changing your mind afterward."

I go still. It’s my voice, right down to the breath I took before speaking. Without everything that came before it, I sound like I’m making sure I get paid.

My knees weaken, and I catch the desk with my good hand. I try to breathe through the dizziness, but I can’t seem to take in enough air.

"How would he interpret that?" Celia asks. "Would he still believe you? We’ve been talking for quite a while. I’m sure he’ll want to know what kept you."

I stare at her phone. I said those words because I wanted him safe. How can she make them sound like I never cared about him at all?

"He won’t hear it unless you tell him," she continues. "What happens next is entirely up to you."

Tears run down my face. I bite my lip, waiting for one full breath before I try to speak.

"You’ll get what you want." My voice shakes so badly that I barely recognize it. "I’ll do what you asked. Just leave us alone."

"Good. You can go." She dismisses me with a wave.

I nod because I don’t trust myself to speak. My legs feel stiff as I turn, and I pause to wipe my face before reaching for the door.

Once it closes, I lean against the wall.

The first sob gets out before I can cover my mouth. I press my good hand over it, trying to swallow the next one, but my chest keeps jerking with breaths I can’t control. Trying to keep quiet makes my throat hurt, but I can’t bear the thought of Celia hearing me through the door.

Trey is outside waiting for me, and the harder I try to pull myself together so I can go back to him, the more I want to cry. I should be able to tell him. I want to tell him.

I stay against the wall with my hand over my mouth until I can draw a breath without sobbing through it.

This isn’t the end, Sadie.

It can’t be. I just need to get back to him, and then I can figure out what to do.

I wipe away the tears and smooth my hair as best I can with one hand.

"I can get through this," I whisper. "I can."

My lips won’t quite hold a smile, but I make another attempt as I start walking. By the time I pass the guards, I’m concentrating on keeping my steps steady. Celia’s voice keeps interrupting, reminding me of what she wants, what she threatened, and how carefully I have to hide all of it from the person I most want to tell.

I suppose this is what happens when you let your guard down. You start feeling safe with someone and forget there are people who can use that against you

My heart pounds harder when the pergola comes into view. Trey is sitting alone, and I quicken my steps, trying to make my smile hold before he sees it.

He gets up and comes to meet me. "I was about to come drag you out myself." ℯ𝕝.

His hand closes around my wrist as he pulls me closer. Pain shoots up my arm, and I press my lips together before I can cry out.

He stops, looking at me. "Are you okay?"

"I’m alive. Don’t worry."

"What happened in there?" He looks over my face. "Why did she want you?"

I swallow. "She slapped me. Told me never to show my face here again. Said a bunch of things about Ezra."

Both his hands come up to my face. I try to keep smiling, but being held so carefully after what happened in that room makes my eyes sting again.

"She hit you? She—"

"Hey." I rest my good hand on his chest. "You know I can answer back, right? I didn’t hit her, but she got a fairly detailed explanation of what I think of her. Please don’t confront her tonight. Let’s just..." I look past him. "Where’s Grandma?"

"Don’t change the fucking subject."

I swallow. I’ve had enough for one night.

"She hit you, Sadie. This isn’t about who won the argument. She needs to understand she doesn’t get to put her hands on you. Come on."

He takes my good hand and turns toward the house, but I stay where I am until he stops.

"Trey, please listen." I lean up and kiss his cheek before he can answer, giving myself a second with my face hidden beside his. "I’m fine. Trust me, okay?"

As I pull back, he searches my face, and I’m afraid he’ll keep looking until I can’t manage the smile anymore.

"How the fuck can you be fine? I brought you here, and she—"

"You can make it up to me by letting me hug you, okay?" I wrap my arms around him, careful of my wrist, and press my face into his chest. "Let’s just hold each other."

His arms close around me, and I hide my face against him before the tears spill. I’ve spent so long trying to get back here without crying that I don’t know how to stop now that I’m finally in his arms.