Chapter 26 I don't care
Harridan’s Point of View:
“She’s all yours, Justin.”
The words tasted like rust in my mouth.
Justin didn’t reply immediately. I could hear his breathing on the other end of the line, slow and deliberate, like he was savoring the moment. I imagined him leaning back, that smug calm on his face, convinced he had finally cornered me.
“You sure?” he asked at last. “Because you don’t sound very convincing.”
“I don’t repeat myself,” I said flatly. “Handle your father. That’s all I care about.”
Another pause. Then a low chuckle. “You really are desperate.”
The line went dead before I could respond.
I stared at my phone for several seconds, my reflection faintly visible on the dark screen. I looked… older. Not in years, but in damage. There was a tension in my face that never left anymore, a permanent tightness around my eyes, my jaw. This was what survival looked like when it dragged on too long.
I dropped the phone onto the bed and leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
I had just handed Lydia over like a bargaining chip.
And the worst part? I wasn’t even sure whether I was more relieved or more furious.
——
Amber didn’t come back that night.
I lay awake for hours, the aspirin barely dulling the ache behind my eyes. Every time I closed them, images surfaced uninvited, my sisters standing outside our seized house with suitcases, my father shouting at officials, Lydia’s face when Justin threatened me, the faint triumph in his eyes.
And Amber. Always Amber.
She liked control. Not loud control, she didn’t need to scream to dominate. She preferred leverage. Quiet threats. Smiles that meant consequences.
By morning, I had made my decision.
If I stayed still, Amber’s father would crush me. If I ran, he would hunt me. The only option left was to move faster than they expected.
I got dressed quickly, pulled on a jacket, and left before anyone noticed. The house felt colder without Amber’s presence, as if it already knew it no longer belonged to me.
——
Justin kept his word.
Two days later, my father called again. His voice was different this time. He was confused and stripped of his usual arrogance.
“They… they backed off,” he said slowly. “The bank froze the seizure. The shares stabilized overnight. Someone intervened.”
“I told you I’d handle it,” I replied.
A scoff. “You always say that.”
“Yes,” I snapped. “And this time I actually did.”
He muttered something under his breath but didn’t argue further. Progress, I suppose. But relief didn’t come. Because the moment Justin fixed one problem, another opened its mouth wider.
Amber returned that evening, calm as ever. She didn’t mention the restaurant. Didn’t mention my absence. She simply walked in, took off her heels, and looked at me like she already knew everything.
“My father is pleased,” she said casually, pouring herself a drink. “Your family learned their lesson quickly.”
I clenched my fists. “You mean you lost interest?”
She smiled. Not kindly. “For now.”
I hated how easily she read me. Hated how she could dismantle me with half a sentence.
“We should talk about the wedding,” she continued, sipping her drink. “He wants it soon. Very soon.”
“How soon?” I asked, already knowing I wouldn’t like the answer.
“Three weeks, three days.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. A sharp, humorless sound tore out of my chest. “That’s insane.”
Amber tilted her head. “So is disappointing my father.”
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “You’re enjoying this.”
Her eyes glittered. “Of course I am.”
That was the moment something inside me snapped, not loudly, not dramatically. Just a quiet fracture.
This was no longer about obligation or strategy.
This was captivity.
——
Lydia haunted me more than she should have.
I told myself it was temporary. That once the wedding was over, once my family was safe, I would forget her. But my mind didn’t listen.
I thought about the way she had stepped between Justin and me, palms raised, eyes fierce despite the fear. About how she hadn’t chosen either of us, and how that rejection burned worse than if she had chosen Justin outright.
For three days, I kept my promise. I didn’t call her. Didn’t go near her house. Didn’t ask about her.
That didn’t stop me from watching.
From afar, of course. She looked… tired.
Justin was around more. Always hovering. Always attentive. The hero. The lover. The savior.
I hated him for how easy it looked on him.
Three weeks before the wedding, and two days before Lydia went to Justin's house, my doctor finally forced me into his office.
“You’re killing yourself,” he said flatly after reviewing my scans. “The headaches, the constant pills, you’re pushing your body past its limits. You need proper care, and if possible you should be admitted.”
“I don’t have time,” I replied, and stood up to leave.
“You don’t have much of it either if you keep this up,” he warned, and faced me. “I have been your personal doctor for about a decade now. I know your body better than you, and I know that you're stressing and slowly killing yourself. Whatever you think you are doing is not more important than your life. Don't end up in regret, take care of your health!”
I left without responding. Because time was a luxury I no longer believed in. To me, Doctor Kelvin, had no idea what I was passing through. And I hoped he would never do.
———
Lydia's Point of View:
I packed the last of my bag and took a deep breath. I had spent the entire night packing my luggage, and I had gotten exhausted.
“If thinking about moving in with Justin is so tiring, then how will living with him be?” Saturn's voice echoed in the room, as she came out of her hiding spot, Venus behind her.
My eyes widened, I had no idea that they had been watching me for hours. Their faces were pale, and they looked sad.
“Guys, come on. We'll be able to meet occasionally. I'm not even traveling out of the country,” I said trying to cheer them up, but my words ended up making Venus cry.
I hugged them, and bade my aunty Yanni goodbye. “I wouldn't be gone for long. Within a month, I'll find out his secret and come back. I promised before leaving.”