The Bonds We Break by Becca Steele
TWO
The next morning, I stumbled out of bed and into my bathroom. Looking at my reflection in the mirror after my shower, I sighed, thinking back to my life before the incident. You wouldn’t know it to look at me now, with my tired eyes and dull, dark brown hair, but I used to be the girl everyone envied. Along with my former best friend, Portia, we’d ruled the halls of Alstone High, and then Alstone College, constantly surrounded by girls who wanted to be our friends because of our status. We hung out with the most popular boys, and life had been…easy, I suppose. My dad was of the sort to give me whatever I wanted without question as long as my grades remained high, so I’d enjoyed freedom and an almost unlimited supply of material things.
Then, everything had started to go wrong. It had begun with Winter Huntington showing up at Alstone College, turning Caiden Cavendish’s head with her beauty. I’d hated her then, for stealing the attention of the most influential, hottest guys in Alstone. Caiden, his brother Weston, Cassius Drummond, and their friend Zayde Lowry, collectively known as the Four.
To begin with, everything was normal, but it soon became clear that our position at the top was slipping. The Four picked Winter and became so protective of her, and they began to turn on me and Portia, bit by bit. We hadn’t helped ourselves, if I was honest, and I really wasn’t proud of my behaviour back then. At one point, Winter and I had almost ended up in a fight, but Caiden had come along and made it crystal clear to me and everyone else that he’d chosen her.
It hurt. Not so much because I wanted him, because although he was one of the hottest men I’d ever seen with his jet-black hair, gorgeous face, and sexy, tattooed body, there was never really any spark between us. It hurt because I’d wanted what he represented. Power. Status. Security. Social standing. All the things that had been important to me.
Everything had begun to fall apart. Portia was hiding something from me, and we were growing apart. When the incident had happened, I’d finally cracked and called her, after hours and hours of sitting there on my sofa, numb. Her only concern had been the fact that I was pulling out of our planned shopping trip to London. She never even gave me a chance to tell her what had happened. That had been the first nail in the coffin. The second nail was the first day she’d seen me after the incident, and she’d berated me for the way I looked.
“What happened to you? You look…”
The expression on her face was disgusted, her mouth opening and closing as she stood in my flat, clearly lost for words.
I took a deep breath. I needed to speak to someone about this. No one knew, except for those that had been there that night, and really only Cassius and Weston had actually seen me properly. Every time I thought about what had happened, my throat closed up, and my heart raced so fast that I grew light-headed.
“A man—”
“Was he hot?” Portia was suddenly in my face, her gaze fixed on me.
“No. No. Portia, he assaulted—”
“Don’t want to hear it. If he wasn’t hot, then forget him.” She waved her hand in the air. “Are you actually going to put some makeup on?”
Suddenly angry, I glared at her. “No, I’m not.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her lips thinned. “I see. You… Ever since your father started cosying up with the Cavendishes and Drummonds, you’ve been different. I suppose you think you’re too good for me now, do you?
“What?” I stared at her. “No! I never said that.”
She treated me to one of her disdainful looks. “You didn’t have to say anything. It’s obvious by this…” Her hand flicked up and down in my direction. “You can’t even be bothered to make an effort.”
“Portia, no. You’re getting the wrong idea.” My voice cracked, ice freezing my veins at the thought of my best friend abandoning me. And how fucking pathetic was that? I was Jessa De Witt, the girl that everyone wanted to be.
Hot tears filled my eyes.
“I’ve seen enough.” Portia lifted her head, her mouth set in a flat line. “As far as I’m concerned, you can lose my number.”
Then she turned on her heel and left, my apartment door slamming shut behind her.
The tears fell.
I’d never felt so alone.
Now Portia had moved away, for good, and I was left with the pieces of my life. I’d realised just how shallow my existence had been when my other so-called friends had drifted away in Portia’s wake, and it was only my family name that had stopped me from becoming completely invisible.
The people I spoke to most these days, if you could call a group chat mostly consisting of memes “speaking,” were Cassius, his sister, Lena, Winter’s best friend, Kinslee, and Winter herself. Yes, Winter. We were far from friends, but after everything that had gone down, I guess you could say we were civil. Life was too short to hold a grudge.
I had a sneaking suspicion she pitied me, though, and that was a thought I couldn’t stand. I made sure to avoid her in person, because being pitied—that would be the final nail in my coffin.
With all these thoughts whirling through my head, I pulled on a summer dress and flip-flops, taking my time to brush out my hair and apply a small amount of makeup for the first time in a long time. The sun was shining outside, and as I stepped out of the front door, pulling on my sunglasses, I could almost convince myself that I was okay.
Almost.
Firmly pushing everything from my mind, I made a beeline for the apartment block car park where my grey Mercedes S560 was parked. Once inside, I hit my half-brother’s name in my contacts list and sent him a quick message.
Me:On my way. Don’t forget our lunch date
He replied immediately, which was surprising in a way. Austin De Witt was always busy running his empire. He’d decided not to go into the family business, instead building up his own company that he’d started from scratch, first in the drinks industry, making a name for himself with a small range of spirits, and now he’d expanded by way of a merger with another company to run his own nightclub with an attached bar, right in the middle of prime London territory. All that, and he’d only just turned twenty-four. I had big shoes to fill.
Austin:Haven’t forgotten. See you soon
Dropping my phone to the passenger seat, I let a small smile cross my face.
After checking myself in the car mirror to make sure I looked presentable, because Austin would ask too many questions if I showed up without perfect hair and makeup, I started up the engine. I headed into central London and down to the sushi restaurant close to my brother’s bar. I’d suggested meeting at his bar, but he wanted to be away from his workplace.
“I ordered for you,” was his greeting when the hostess showed me to our table, tucked away in a corner of the restaurant. He flashed me a quick grin, all white teeth and tanned skin, and I smiled, relaxing. Even though my brother could be a bit standoffish at times, and we didn’t see each other often, he still looked out for me, and I knew he cared.
As we ate, we made small talk about my degree course, and he told me about a new gin he was acquiring for his brand. I found myself relaxing, my troubles melting away as we talked.
“The final part of the merger’s going ahead,” he told me when we were finishing up the last of our food. “I’ll soon be working out of that building there.” Lifting his finger, he indicated towards a huge, shiny skyscraper. “The whole place is new.”
“I hope you asked for a corner office,” I said absentmindedly. Something out of the corner of my eye had caught my attention. The back of a head—pale, shaved hair—something about it tugged at my gut. I shifted in my seat uneasily.
“I couldn’t talk Creed into a corner office, but my view is insane,” my brother was saying, but I barely heard him. My ears were ringing, my whole body frozen, as the man who’d caught my eye turned around and I saw the scar running down one cheek, those flinty eyes, and that harsh face that starred in my nightmares.
It was him.
The man who’d taken me captive.
The man I’d thought was dead.
Petr Ivanov.
* * *
Somehow, I managed to hold on to my composure while Austin paid the bill and we said our goodbyes. Lucky for me, he was distracted by a business call, and after a quick kiss to my cheek and a muttered promise to talk to me later, he disappeared. My heart racing, I melted into the lunchtime crowds, scanning everywhere for a glimpse of a shaved head. When I reached my car, I slid inside, thankful for the automatic locking, and with shaking hands, pulled out my phone.
I navigated straight to Cassius’ number. Tears blurred my vision as I typed out the simple text.
Me:Petr’s here
My phone rang almost instantly, Cassius’ name flashing across the screen. I hit the speaker button and sat back, closing my eyes.
“Jessa? What was that text supposed to mean?”
“I just saw him. You-you told me he was dead.” My words were accusing, but my voice broke, and I bit the inside of my cheek, unwilling to allow myself to cry in front of him.
“Where are you?” His voice gave nothing away. “Where did you see him?”
“You told me he was dead,” I repeated, my throat swollen with the tears I was holding back.
“Can you meet?”
“Y-yes.”
I heard him sigh softly. “Come to my house.”
The drive back to Alstone was made on autopilot. My head was spinning. Had I actually seen him, or was it a figment of my imagination? Cassius had told me he was dead, after all. I needed answers, and now. I was only just beginning to drag myself out of the nightmares, and there was no way I was going back.
Pulling up outside the huge house that the Four shared, I sat for a minute, gathering myself.
Then, I climbed out of my car, stepped up to the door, and knocked.