Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 134133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 671(@200wpm)___ 537(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 671(@200wpm)___ 537(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
“Melanie, fetch Sophie a drink.”
As I take my seat, my gaze flickers to Silvan’s mom on her way over to the alcohol cart.
Something about him specifying the drink she’s getting is for me—paired with my existing paranoia about him—doesn’t sit right with me. “Actually, I’m not thirsty. I’ll hang out while you guys drink, though.”
“You sure?” his dad asks, watching me. “I’ve got the good stuff.”
I shake my head. “Thank you, anyway.”
His mom comes back with two glasses and gives one to her husband and one to Silvan, then she sits down on her husband’s lap as if without thought.
He keeps his gaze trained on me as he settles his wife on his lap. I lick my lips, wishing I had that drink, but also glad I turned it down. I think Silvan’s mom is super sweet and unlikely to poison me, but I also think if her not-at-all sweet husband told her to do something, she’d do it with no questions asked.
Seeming to understand I was afraid of being drugged, Silvan takes a single sip of his drink, then passes it to me.
“Thank you,” I murmur, taking a greedy sip. The breath is sucked from my lungs as I swallow. It burns like hell all the way down my throat.
I don’t know what it is, but damn, it is strong.
Maybe they didn’t have to drug me. One glass of this and I’ll be on my ass.
I hand the glass back to Silvan.
I need to keep a clear head.
“How was your weekend?” Richard asks me.
It feels like a trick, so I keep my answer concise. “Good.”
“Did my son kidnap you?”
My heart stops. He asks it so casually, and I don’t know what to say. I’m the one who originally said he did…
I don’t know what answer he’s expecting, so I hedge my bets. “Kind of…”
“It’s a yes or no question, Sophie.”
My heart skitters and my palms start to sweat. I don’t know if he wants me to lie or tell the truth. “Well, yes. Yes, he did.”
“How?”
I glance over at Silvan, unsure how much I should share.
Silvan’s frowning, but he nods and I take it to mean I can tell him.
“He…”
I stop, though, because I don’t want to.
I’m afraid of getting him in trouble. What parent would be fine with his son breaking into a professor’s house and doing all the stuff Silvan did to me?
Then again, what parent co-hosts a kidnapping for their son?
I don’t understand this family at all.
“He used some stuff to blackmail me,” I answer vaguely.
“And that was enough to keep you?”
“He locked me in the escape room that first night, but yeah. I didn’t choose to come here, but I wasn’t really trying to leave.”
“Why not?”
“I… I don’t know. It was only for the weekend.”
Richard nods, taking a sip of his drink. “What else did he do to you?”
My stomach twists and my hands clench. His question makes my skin crawl more than any of the stuff Silvan actually did to me.
When I don’t answer, his voice turns harder, and he cuts to the chase. “Did he rape you?”
Silvan’s used that word before and it didn’t trigger me, but hearing his father say it does. It feels much more like an interrogation and reminds me of last year with Dylan.
A moment ago, I cared about things like making some kind of impression on his father, but right now, all I care about is getting out of here.
I squeeze my eyes shut and try to breathe. My fists are clenched so painfully tight, my knuckles hurt.
Silvan grabs my shoulder. I shrug it off before I can think about it.
“Sophie?”
“I want to leave.”
“All right.” He puts his glass down on the table. “This is done,” he tells his father.
“Not yet,” his father says, his tone hard. “I’d like a moment alone with Sophie.”
My eyes pop open and widen. “What?” I look up at Silvan, horrified to find him thinking about it. I launch up and grab his shirt. “No. Silvan, don’t leave me here with him.”
Silvan grabs my shoulders to steady me. I can see he’s conflicted, but I don’t understand why.
Melanie stands, but she looks conflicted, too. That worries me even more. She leans down to whisper something in her husband’s ear, then she kisses the corner of his mouth the way Silvan kisses mine and comes over to get her son.
“Come on, honey. Just give them a moment. She’ll be fine.”
“Don’t leave me here,” I beg, clinging to Silvan’s shirt. “Please. I want to go home.”
Silvan looks distraught, but he pulls me in for a tight hug. He kisses the side of my head, then says softly, “I have to let him talk to you or I’m afraid he won’t let you leave at all. You’ll be fine, all right? Just let him know we’re good, and you’ll be fine.”