Page 78 of Twisted Violet

It’s my sister.

What the hell is she doing here, and why didn’t either of them wake me?

“Violet is a grown woman. She’s capable of making her own decisions.”

“Rome,” Stevie says, her tone sharp and unamused. “Youcan’t be serious right now. She isn’t in the right mental state; she hasn’t been since you met her.”

I curl my fingers into fists, squeezing so hard it feels like my bones might splinter.

A beat of silence.

Then Dallas speaks, voice rough, like he’s been woken up but doesn’t want to sound careless. “We’re not taking advantage of her. If anything, we’ve been trying to keep our distance. V is... fragile. We all know that.”

Fragile.

Like I’m a porcelain doll seconds from falling off the shelf and shattering.

Niko’s voice cuts through next. Clipped. Defensive. “She’s been through a lot. That’s not something we take lightly.”

“We’re just trying to look out for her.” Rome adds.

Stevie sighs. “She needs protection. Not whateverthisis,” she snaps. “And if you can’t give her that without complicating it, then maybe she shouldn’t be here.”

The silence that follows is suffocating.

I can feel it swelling behind the door.

Rome’s voice comes again, quiet, tired. “We get that you’re concerned, but Violet is her own person with her own feelings. You can’t expect us to just avoid her.”

My throat loosens a little.

My sister is intense, but at least he’s trying to stand up for me.

“You’re being paid to keep her safe. Not to get attached.”

I stop breathing.

The word stabs into my chest like a blade, and twists.

Paid.

The ground splinters underneath me and I’m suddenlyon that frozen lake again.

Only now there’s no chance of getting to shore.

The cracks are spreading fast, and all I can do is wait for the icy water to pull me under.

They’re being paid.

I thought I was here because they cared, because they wanted to protect me, because maybe, just maybe, I mattered to them.

Butno.

I’m a job.

A fucking paycheck.

An obligation passed from one hand to another.