Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Upon entering the doctor’s office, I couldn’t help but notice the way the twins were looking at me, and for a moment, I felt back in the empty classroom.

Aly’s father’s arrival eased the atmosphere, which became tense for a few seconds. I don’t know why, but I had the impression that the twins could read each other’s minds and seemed to be exchanging a joke or obscene comment about me. It was crazy, but I was very cautious around them.

Aly didn’t take long to enter as well.

“Sussan has a sprain,” John said, “it’s not serious, but she’ll have to take care of herself if she wants it to heal quickly.”

The twins’ gaze shifted to my injured foot, which was sporting a “lovely” therapeutic boot that ruined my entire look, and I had no idea how I was going to hide it from Lia and Dub, who would undoubtedly wonder how and why I had that on my leg.

“And how did you get that fracture?” Liam asked, looking up at Aly’s father, as if he owed him an explanation about what had happened.

“It was a fall, from a second-floor balcony, isn’t that right, sweetheart?” John said, looking at his daughter as if she were the one who needed to confirm her father’s version.

At no point did they think to look at me or ask me, as if I didn’t exist or they distrusted the version that I, the injured one, could give them.

“I fell from Aly’s room balcony,” I said, exasperated by the way this had turned into the most unpleasant interrogation.

Liam and Ethan looked at me, and I knew they doubted my words, but I couldn’t understand why or what reason they had for it. For a moment, I wondered if they knew about Dub’s existence and if they could suspect him, but it was ridiculous.

Why would they know? And in any case, it wasn’t him. Dub had nothing to do with this.

“Can we leave now?” Aly asked, not to her father but to the twins. Everyone’s attitude in that room was driving me crazy.

“Alright. I think we can consider this settled,” Ethan said after exchanging a glance with his brother. “Go ahead and get the car ready.”

Aly nodded and, after kissing her dad on the cheek, she left. John exchanged a look with the twins before doing the same, and I couldn’t help but feel more disturbed by what I saw around me.

I couldn’t understand why Aly and her dad acted as if they owed some kind of obedience to the twins. I even started to think if maybe they knew some terrible secret about Aly’s family or if they owed them a large sum of money because I couldn’t think of any other explanation for this “servility.”

“Are you sure that’s what happened, sweetheart?” Ethan asked as he approached me. The scent of his cologne invaded me, and I felt intimidated by his gaze, yet excited. I loved that strength and confidence he displayed when he spoke to me, although I wasn’t willing to be intimidated like Aly and her father seemed to be.

“I don’t owe them any explanation,” I said with my arms crossed over my chest. “In fact, it’s you who owes me one.”

My words surprised both of them. I noticed it right away.

“Explanation? What are you talking about?” Ethan asked.

“Is it about what happened in the hall?” Liam wanted to know.

I knew they were playing dumb with me and that they perfectly understood what I was referring to.

“I won’t be their toy. If they think it’s going to be like that, they can be sure they won’t hear from me again,” I said decisively, although I had no idea how I could fulfill such a threat.

“You’re referring to Chloe,” Ethan said, affirming it. “I’m not with her anymore.”

“And I’ve also ended things with Amelia,” Liam said. “You can relax, darling.”

“How do I know it’s true?” I asked, not wanting to tell them that Aly had told me she saw Chloe leaving their house very early that same day. After seeing how my friend and her father treated the twins, I feared getting them into trouble.

“You have to trust us, that’s all, sweetheart,” Ethan quickly replied.

“Still, in less than six months, I’ll be gone from here,” I said, not knowing the real reason behind my words. It was as if I wanted to make it clear to them that, despite everything they did and promised me, they would never have me, and I wasn’t willing to be shared, as it seemed to be their intention. “It’s better if you don’t get your hopes up with me.”

I saw them exchange another look between them.

“We’ll see each other later, at school, little one,” Ethan said as he approached and kissed me on the forehead.

“We’ll be keeping a close eye on you, sweetheart,” Liam said, imitating his brother.