Library

Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

BELLA

W hen Sofia and Matt arrive for her next lesson, I know I am right about Matt deciding to distance himself from me silently. He won't even look at me when I open the door. Instead, he stares over my head, his jaw clenched, his temple pulsing like he's infuriated by just being here.

Fine. Screw him. It's not like there's anything to ruin anyway.

"Shall we?" I ask, fixing a smile on my face.

"Uh, yeah ," Sofia says, clearly not sensing her brother's mood. Or maybe he's been like this the whole ride, and she's just used to it. "I can't wait!"

Heading into the bedroom, I remind myself to focus on the lesson. I feel so stupid for the dress I'm wearing, the low cut, the cleavage, showing my legs. I feel desperate and sad. I almost want to change into something that covers me more, but that would be too obvious.

I leave Bella in the bedroom as I take a quick bathroom break. After I've flushed the toilet, I should quickly return to her, but then I notice that the front door is slightly open. Maybe we forgot to close it? Or did Mr. Hudson come by and forget? He does that sometimes since he has a key. He might've run out of milk.

Just as I'm about to close it, I pause. Matt's voice comes to me. He's standing in the hallway. He sounds so, so different. His tone is dark and low and somehow violent. "Do I give a fuck ?" he growls. "The answer's no. If I have to, I'll do it myself."

I try to stop listening. If he or Sofia catches me snooping, it could be bad—a disaster. I need to be smart.

Instead, I lean further into the doorway to hear more clearly. It's probably up there with the stupidest things I've ever done. It makes no sense for me to risk everything, but this side of Matt seems so different from his texts. He isn't being poetic and insightful here. He sounds savage. Brutal.

"I'll beat every single one of them to death with my bare fucking hands if I have to," he growls. "I'll take them out ."

My heart begins pounding. From the toilet, I hear the flush. Quickly, I turn and walk into the kitchen, reaching into the fridge and grabbing a carton of OJ. I hope Sofia can't see the panic on my face as she walks over to join me.

"Everything okay?" she asks.

I plaster the fakest of fake smiles on my face. "Yeah. I'm not sure where Matt is, though."

"Oh. I guess we'll wait, then." She offers me a shaky smile. She's got this searching look in her eyes. She has for a while now. At first, I thought she felt awkward about how much wealthier she was than me, but what if she's hiding something?

"Want some OJ?" I ask.

"Sure."

Pouring two glasses, I carry them into the living room and set them on the table. Sofia clasps her hands together and glances at the door, biting her lip. "He shouldn't be much longer."

"There's no rush," I say, replaying the words in my head. He said he'd beat them to death with his bare hands, whoever they are. Maybe he was talking figuratively. That would make the most sense—a business deal gone wrong. He's pissed, so he's using colorful language.

Yet there's something deep down in me that isn't so sure about that. His tone was so savage, so genuine somehow. I almost flinch when the front door whines, and Matt returns to us. He's trying to look friendly with a slight smile, but it seems forced in the extreme.

"Ready to settle up?" he says, not looking at me even as he speaks.

"Sure."

Sofia averts her gaze as Matt counts out the bills. Again, it's like he purposefully avoids trying to touch my hand. This stings me way harsher than it should. It's just annoying, isn't it? All that texting stuff, sending him that pathetic video, and now I'm left feeling like a clingy, needy dork.

"Thanks," I murmur.

"Come on, Sofia," Matt says. "I've got work to do."

I try not to let myself wonder and question. It's almost like a form of self-torture, but I can't stop it. What sort of work, exactly? I nearly ask as they leave. Instead, I stare stubbornly down at the cash. Once they're gone, I carry it to the bedroom and put it in my safe.

I've never had this much cash in the safe before. Staring at the bills, I make another mental note to head to the bank. I keep putting it off between the videos, tutoring, and waitressing.

"Soon," I mutter, closing the door.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.