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“I cautioned the guard multiple times over the years.” His eyebrows draw together, lips pursing. He isn’t lying. He didn’t approve of the bullying, even for the sake of his little science project. “Sadly, his uncle runs the hospital. I had no say in the matter of his employment. Kaleb despised him, and I didn’t stop him from retaliating. He’d beat him up and only then did I intervene. I had to fight tooth and nail to keep Kaleb at Berkshire after each time he beat up Dick, the guard. I warned them Kaleb could escape had we moved him. That he could retaliate. I wasn’t wrong.”

He pauses.

My gut tells me his story isn’t over. I wait until he starts talking again.

“They ate it up. Then I had to convince them otherwise when your stepbrother asked for a short trip outside. He swore to cooperate if I just gave him this. I had to, and the board believed me when I said it was necessary.” A sigh. “It pained me greatly to hear of his disappearance. Less so that the abusive guard died as a result.”

I fight another smile, so fucking proud that Kaleb had gotten his revenge on the motherfucker.

“Long story short, I guarantee you, Miss Talbot, you have nothing to worry about. Death is not what he has planned for you.”

Not true. There are seconds, minutes even, that Kaleb fantasizes about killing me.

His eyes go dark, bleak, and painfully honest. His murderous desires bleed out of them. He doesn’t hate me, that’s not it.

He’s curious. Wants to know how easily he could squeeze the life out of me.

He’ll never admit to that. He’ll never do it.

But he thinks about it.

What’s stopping him is his love for me.

My stepbrother demands an eternity together. A disturbing ever after. He wants to consume me. Defile me. Swallow me whole.

Belonging to him means dying and being brought back from the dead every single day for the rest of my life.

Me and our future family.

I tighten my hold around my middle.

Rationally, I’m aware that I’m not pregnant right now. It’s biologically impossible for it to happen.

Emotionally, I see—no,feel—our future as it unfolds before my eyes.

“Considering what I just told you, what are your thoughts on the subject?”

Oh, hell no.

The only reason Kaleb’s therapist is here is to get him off my back, notthis. This probing.

How dare he.

“I’m going to stop you right there.” My voice breaks on purpose. Anything to protect Kaleb. Anything to keep the world’s grubby, undeserving paws off him. “Since you’ve contacted my father and probably researched our family, I assume you’ve also looked into my background. You know I majored in psychology. That I’m pursuing my master’s degree these days.”

“Correct.” His honesty brings me relief. Just a little.

I dip my chin. “You can’t analyze me, Dr. Reynolds. Not without my consent.”

My hand is back in my pocket. The knife is hot in my grip and begs me to put it to good use. No. I have things to take care of. Dealing with Reynolds’s corpse isn’t one of them.

Later. Later.

“I—”

“I’m not your patient. I’m not here to entertain you. Nothing about this story is entertaining. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

My gaze hardens as I think of my stepbrother. About the years he’d been subjected to this man.