Chapter 4 (Tori P.OV)

I remembered his face,the man who took the glass shard from me.

Was he one of them?

That night, I woke again when the drip ran dry. As usual, my hands twitched, and my eyes slowly fluttered open. My whole body trembled violently. I looked around,the room was empty. No Judith. No Dr. Kingston. The guards weren’t allowed inside, but they always stood outside with their ridiculous passcodes locking me in.

I yanked the drip needle out of my arm and forced myself to stand, though my legs barely held me.

I wanted to die. I wanted it to finally end.

I took a weak step away from the bed and scanned the room. A white flower vase caught my eye. I moved toward it, pausing when I saw the white lilies inside.

White lilies.

Zayn must have told them to put them here. He knew they were my favorite.

“Son of a b@stard,” I muttered, and hurled the vase to the floor. It shattered into pieces.

“Perfect,” I whispered, bending down to pick up a sharp shard.

This pain is nothing. It’s worth it.

I slashed my right wrist, making sure to cut deep. I stabbed myself too. The physical pain didn’t register, not compared to what I’d endured for years.

The door swung open. Judith stepped in with more drip bags, probably coming to refill what they drained into me. She froze when she didn’t see me on the bed. When she spotted me on the floor, her face twisted in fear.

She stepped closer, and I raised the shard to my throat.

“Move and I’ll slit it,” I threatened.

“Your hand… it’s bleeding,” she whispered.

“Oh, now you care?” I scoffed.

I could feel the blood loss catching up to me. My vision blurred. My body swayed. Then everything went black.

When I woke again, I saw him, the doctor with his mask and scrubs.

So it’s over. I’ll never see him again, I thought bitterly.

I lay in my glass tube, pretending to be unconscious, while footsteps approached.

“What happened?” Zayn barked.

“Sir, it was just a small issue. We handled it,” Judith replied, her voice trembling.

“Why did she wake up again?” Zayn yelled at Dr. Kingston.

Dr. Kingston answered, “She’s building resistance to the sedatives. If we switch to stronger ones, they could damage her immune system.”

Zayn grabbed my arm.

“How did she get this scar?”

“She used broken glass to cut herself,” Judith said, regaining her composure.

“If anything like this happens again, I’ll put both of you exactly where you belong,” Zayn growled.

“It won’t happen again,” Judith whispered.

“Get out,” Zayn snapped.

Kingston tried to apologize, but Zayn cut him off. “It’s fine. I just… can’t keep watching her do this every time,” he sighed.

“We’ll manage it,” Kingston promised.

Zayn stepped closer to me. He stroked my hair.

“My little sis,” he murmured. “You look like Sleeping Beauty waiting for her prince charming.”

@ssh0le.              

He must have sensed it, because he smirked.

“You should be grateful you’re alive, Tori,” he said, brushing my cheek. “If I wanted you dead, I’d barely have to lift a finger.”

“But I need you alive. You’re the key to accessing all the shares.” He chuckled. “The board refuses to release the certificates, and the family lawyer insists you must be present before he releases Dad’s will.”

He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“I am Zayn Jordan, the first son of Temple’s Corporation. I own everything.”

Get your hands off me, I thought as he finally walked out.