Chapter 164

When Dante left, my stomach couldn't take it.

My trachea was acidified, turning as grimy as the floor soaked with vomit. I threw up everything I had accumulated, emptying my stomach and my soul as much as my system could handle. Each time I heaved, I sobbed more. I wouldn’t doubt if blood came out of my mouth too. I wouldn’t doubt being able to spill my intestines onto the floor. I was bathed in my own filth. And I kept going, kept going, and kept going until there was no way to numb what was creating ulcers inside me and reopening healed wounds.

My parents had been monsters. Perverse. Lunatics.

People who didn’t have a shred of human essence.

Yet, I still believed in every smile, kiss, and caress that marked the days, months, and years I spent with them. Damn, how would I survive this dilemma?

Now, I was being cornered into accepting a deal to quench Dante's revenge, which included the decomposed bodies of my parents.

Their death was tempting to me. It would be the perfect dish of revenge I needed to move on. But I never imagined them in those terms, especially with him being the one to propose it.

I should have spent hours, intoxicated by my own shit, curled up in a corner, rethinking everything in my life.

Some sudden barks reminded me that time wasn’t stopping.

Rachel came running, barking and wagging her tail, begging to play with me.

“Go annoy someone else, bitch,” I warned.

She didn’t care, sitting down and opening her mouth, panting with her tongue hanging out.

“Go.”

I waved my hand in a kicking motion, but she didn’t even blink.

I gave up trying to convince her, so I stood up, adjusting my clothes, though I was disgusting.

“I need water,” I muttered, triggering more barks from the dog. “Not you. Me.”

She continued happily, rolling and running around my feet. And, following the path from that room to the kitchen, she followed me like a disciple.

I reached the place bathed in rays of sunlight. The windows were open, and the space came alive. I caught Jaxon at the counter, cutting some food and with a pot boiling water.

“There she is,” he announced, with a diplomatic smile on his lips. I wondered how someone like him could be in such a bloodthirsty world. “From your face, I can conclude Dante told you everything.”

My stomach sank.

“You all knew,” I stated, opening the cupboard door to look for a glass.

They were missing, especially after I broke a few.

“I’m really sorry, Emília. It was never our intention to harm you.”

“Of course not,” I said sarcastically.

Jaxon’s jaw trembled, then he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, placed the vegetables into the water, and closed the pot.

“If Dante told you everything you needed to know, you already have an idea of what happens in this city.”

“Don’t talk like you’re the superheroes people need. All you want is revenge. You don’t care about the consequences. Only the pleasure of stepping on your victims’ corpses.”

“You’re refusing, and I understand,” he said softly. “It was hard for me to learn certain things after the kidnapping. We’re not trying to be heroes, but even if Dante tells you it’s all for revenge, we still take down important people for the Factory. We condition the sale and exchange of people. We still save people, though.”

“Still…” I repeated. “So, saving anyone isn’t in your plans.”

“You’ll only understand when you’re there, and I hope that doesn’t happen.” His words were sincere. “Despite everything, I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve this.”

His hand rested on my shoulder, his fingers moving slowly, mirroring what he was saying.

He raised his mouth into a friendly smile, and reluctantly, I returned it.

“I’m sorry for you guys too,” I said, after milliseconds of internal distress.

I didn’t want to offer empathy, but it was impossible not to imagine the huge amount of trauma and nightmares that kidnapping and the Factory must have caused them.

“I know,” he said. “I’m glad and relieved you won’t be executed. I admit I couldn’t handle your death. I’ve known you since you were little. The other guys are my friends, but you were still part of our group for a few years.”

Shyly, my fingers curled into my coat. Memories infiltrated like water, and I drowned in them.

“It’s in the past. You asked me not to get attached to Dante. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Cole asked. I liked you, even though I was an idiot.” He smiled sadly. “But your loyalty was admirable. You fought for your friendships. You fight for yourself. I like that.”

I made eye contact with Jaxon, scrutinizing his face, finding humanity and a warm persona. His brown hair and amber eyes were a nice addition to the soft-toned clothes he wore. No one would suspect he killed. He dismembered. He couldn’t even handle torture devices.

On the outside, he was an angel, but inside, his soul was demonic and thirsty.

“Thanks, I guess.”

His eyebrows raised in silent response.

“Why do you have the glass in your hand? Want some water?” I shook my head. “Don’t drink from the tap. The plumbing here isn’t very good. Some of the guys drink it, but I don’t like it. There’s a bottle of mine in the fridge. You can drink from that.”

I nodded and made my way to the fridge.

“Do you all live here?”

“Me, Dante, and Vance. I have a house in another city since my parents moved, but I wanted to stay here. Vance decided to leave his parents’ house. Dante’s been alone since forever. The others live with their families.”

“You stayed only because… of this?”

“Well, I like Olympus. The university is amazing too. I study Computer Engineering, which is one of the best in the country, but yes, I stayed because of the guys.”

Jaxon rolled up the sleeve of his polo shirt, showing his wrist. He slowly traced a scar, and after squinting and analyzing his skin, I realized it was an internal mark, made and circumscribed on the epidermis.

“We did this on the day of Sic Infit.” The name reacted like acid in my core. “It’s a pact. A promise. We’re in this until the end, and none of us can leave.”

“And what if you want to quit? If one of you…”

“That option doesn’t exist. We may have different ways of being, but we think the same and live the same. And we all know that anyone who tries to run will be hunted.”

I controlled the impulse of my heart internally.

“What do you mean?”

“Whoever doesn’t want to be part of this anymore, will be killed. It’s one of the vows.”

The seriousness on Jaxon’s face dried my mouth. They were intense and committed to taking revenge to the end. Their logic worked differently from mine, beliefs and values forged through discord.