Chapter 3

3: 3

3

"You're going too far. Are you really going to make me use force?"

"She had it coming."

The look he gave me before he left brought back the terror of being tortured in my last life. I clenched my fists and forced myself to stay calm.

The next time I saw him was at the train station.

He stared at me, stunned.

"Aiden Finch actually let you slip away?"

This man was the nightmare I couldn't escape even after coming back to life, and in this life he'd already sold me off this early? Or maybe I just never found out about it last time.

"Julius, what's that supposed to mean? Are you telling me you sent Aiden to break into my house and steal? Because I can call the officers at the institute right now. That would be a whole new lead for them."

"What are you talking about?"

"He was caught in the act."

It hadn't occurred to him that Aiden had been arrested. Useless. No wonder he couldn't keep an eye on me.

Afraid I'd make a scene, he lowered his voice and warned me.

"Behave yourself. Don't you touch Noreen or her son. You know what'll happen if you do."

I was genuinely curious what made Noreen worth so much to him.

Julius saw that I ignored him, his eyes burning with anger the whole time, yet the corners of them kept tracking me. Noreen noticed too.

The train car was thick with smells, and after the boy got on he wouldn't stop wailing. Noreen looked at me sitting there with my eyes shut and clearly hated it, so she deliberately carried the child over to my seat to cry.

She was furious. Why should they be stuck standing while I had a seat?

And even the standing tickets were something Julius had pulled strings to get, or they wouldn't have made it in time for the start of the term.

"Get up and let Noreen sit. Can't you see she's holding the child?"

I just glanced at him and closed my eyes again. Julius went green with rage. He yanked me up hard and shoved me into the corner.

"Are you out of your mind? This is my seat."

"Noreen's holding a baby, she's exhausted. Would it kill you to stand for a while?"

I let out a furious laugh.

"Get up. This is my seat."

Noreen acted like she couldn't hear, playing with the child, and Julius wouldn't let me near it.

The people around us kept their heads down and stayed out of it. Not one of them helped me. I tried to push him aside and couldn't budge him at all.

My face was burning, and I was shaking all over with rage.

Whenever Noreen stood up, Julius took the seat to hold it, and once she was tired he'd stand again and give it back to her.

I stood in the corner gasping for breath, watching the two of them work together so smoothly to hog my seat, and the anger made my heart physically ache.

Two full days and nights, until my legs had gone numb. When we got off, the two of them looked flushed and pleased with themselves, and I was the only one worn out, shoved to the ground by Noreen more than once.

"Beulah, you don't know your way around here at all. You'd be better off coming with us. It's too dangerous for Julius on his own."

"You brought this on yourself."

Before he left, Julius looked at me standing where I was.

"Apologize to Noreen and I'll let you come with us."

They stole my seat and now they wanted me to apologize. I shut my eyes tight and pressed down every bit of anger inside me. I knew this wasn't the time to clash with them.

"No need. You're in my way."

"You never learn. Let's see how long you keep up this act."

I'd made Julius lose face one time too many, and the last of his patience was gone.

"Beulah, Julius means well. Just apologize and come along with us. Even if the two of you are getting divorced, he'd never feel right leaving you here alone."

The sight of her fake sincerity just made me sick.

"Someone's coming to pick me up."