Chapter 2
“Hey, assistant” Mina’s gentle voice called out just as Alicia ended her phone call…
Alicia spun around, nerves coiling in her stomach as she found Mina waiting in the staff kitchenette
There was something almost intimidating about Mina, despite her gentle smile and poise. Just standing there, she radiated an effortless grace that made Alicia feel small and awkward.
“Yes, Miss Holloway? Is there something you need?” Alicia managed, voice barely steady.”
“I just remembered–I forgot to pick up a few things for the trip. Would you mind going out and getting them for me?” Mina handed her a handwritten list.
Her handwriting, neat and delicate, reminded Alicia of Mina herself: elegant, soft, and impossibly refined.
Alicia’s eyes skimmed the list and froze on one word–condoms. For one breathless moment, it was like an ice pick to the sternum, that sharp, that sudden.X
“Please keep it between us, okay?” Mina whispered, flashing her a conspiratorial wink.
Alicia nodded, flustered, and all but fled the kitchenette.”
The first time she’d ever been with Vincent, she’d just turned nineteen. It was her birthday–he’d come by with a bouquet and a tiny cake… Alicia had grown up in foster care, and no one had ever gotten her a birthday cake before. That single, small cake and a bunch of flowers had been enough to sweep her completely off her feet. She’d given him everything, heart and soul.
A bitter smile flickered across her lips. She really was a joke.
Maybe that’s why people say girls should grow up with a bit of luxury–otherwise, the first guy to show them a cake can steal their hearts, In all four years with Vincent Alicia had never once bought condoms herself. Vincent didn’t like them–he always made her take the pill. But for Mina, he wouldn’t dream of that. He’d never ask Mina to mess up her body; he’d make sure she was taken care of.
On the way to the airport, Alicia sat silent behind the wheel, barely blinking
“Time’s tight. Can you speed up?” Vincent’s voice cut in, sharper than usual, as if he’d noticed her mood.
“Yes, Mr. Lawson.” Alicia turned left at the green light, barely glancing at the traffic
The car in front had just cleared the intersection when, out of nowhere, a little boy darted across the road. Alicia jerked the steering wheel to avoid him, swerving hard–and crashed straight into the median planter
“Mina” in the split second after impact, Vincent reached over and pulled Mina into his arms, shielding her.
Luckily, they hadn’t been going fast; only the driver’s side was badly crushed.”
The airbag exploded into Alicia’s chest, pinning her in the twisted seat. Her left leg was wedged under the dashboard, the pain so sharp che could barely breathe…
“Vincent..” Terror made her voice tremble. “Help me ”
She hated the feeling of being trapped, unable to move, boxed in.
Back in freshman year, Mira and her friends had stuffed her into a wooden equipment crate–no matter how much she screamed and pounded, no one had come. That horrible, suffocating pressure had nearly driven her mad.
If the janitor hadn’t found the puddle on the floor the next day while cleaning, she might have died in there.”
“Vincent Seeing him about to get out, Alicia panicked. She didn’t care that Mina was tight there. “Don’t leave me–please…
“Let the rescue crew and the police handle it, Vincent said coolly, helping Mina out of the car while already dialing for assistance. “The assistant’s still in there,” Mina remarked, her tone skeptical–no professional assistant would call her boss by his first name. Vincent pulled Mina close, glancing dispassionately at Alicia, then at his watch. “We’re out of time. The crash wasn’t that bad. We’ll take a cab to the airport. The rescue team will handle her.”
Mina nodded, giving Alicia a long, unreadable look before slipping away with Vincent, leaving the wrecked car behind.!!
Alicia thrashed against the seatbelt, pounding the window, but Vincent never looked back.!!
She knew why–Vincent didn’t want Mina to get the wrong idea.
As she watched him leave, Alicia finally broke down, sobs wracking her body. “Vincent! Please, help me. You promised you’d never leave me”
Liart Vincent, you’re a liar! You told me you’d protect me!”
Her emotions spiraled out of control, depression and mania crashing together until all she could do was struggle and scream in the clamped, broken space.
Her injuries weren’t even that senous, but she couldn’t stop herself from clawing at her own skin, thrashing against the seat
Let me out Please, let me out? Alicia’s voice was hoarse as she hammered the glass
The old trauma from college came roaring back, robbing her of reason as the acrid smell of smoke drifted in from the engine
“That car’s on fire!“*
“Is anyone still inside? I saw the people get out.
Someone shouted from the street!!
Alicia, trapped and hopeless, started counting under her breath.
“One, two, three, four..
The night Mira locked her in the crate, Alicia had counted all the way to 6,788.
She wondered now–at what number would she die this time?
