Chapter 3 Chapter 0003

•KRISTINA•

I looked down at the check Andrea had thrown at me, and my stomach dropped when I saw only sixty dollars written on it.

It was the start of the month, and I usually made good money on weekend shifts because customers were happy and tipped well. But now I had lost the job that paid for everything at home, and I had no idea what I was going to do.

For a moment I felt bad about going back to Miss Betty's house. My mother would scold me if I couldn't pay my father's hospital bills, and I didn't want to lose the only home that I had known my entire life.

Now that I was unemployed, being thrown out of the house would mean that I would have to be homeless. And I couldn't imagine that happening.

So I told myself that I would go home and tell my mother that Andrea had laid me off for a few days. That would give me time to find another job before she found out that I was actually fired for being late.

While walking back home, I kept having this strange feeling that someone was watching me, except that I couldn't see anyone who looked strange or like the man I had seen earlier in the alley.

I slipped my cell phone out of my pocket and called Sara so I could take my mind off what had happened earlier.

She answered on the second ring. "Kristina. Can you— Ah—" She cleared her throat and sounded as if she was moving somewhere else. "Get off the phone, Sara. We are not done here." A strange voice came from behind her, and it caused my chest to tighten.

I stopped walking, wondering what was going on because her parents were often away on business, and she was usually left alone with their housekeeper.

She worked in the diner on weekends so her life could have some normality. And even though she was filthy rich, you could never tell.

"Sara, are you okay?" I asked.

"I'll call you later." She hung up the call.

I stood outside the front porch of my home and decided that I would change my clothes and go to her house to confirm that she was safe.

But before walking inside the house, I looked at Miss Betty's front door and saw that it was partially closed.

I knew that she was okay when I saw her gawking at me through her living room window.

When she saw me staring back at her, she immediately pulled down the curtains.

I breathed and walked inside the house, hoping that she wouldn't tell anyone about what had happened.

I was surprised when I walked inside the house and saw a man's jacket on the hanger near the door.

I knew that my father wouldn't be out of the hospital so quickly, and we had never really had any visitors before.

I walked down the corridor thinking that maybe something had happened to my father.

He was the one who made sure that my mother didn't throw me out of the house when I turned eighteen. I had to work hard after that so Sandra wouldn't change her mind about letting me stay.

"Are you sure that I won't be held accountable if something happens to her?" My mother asked, and the moment the man was about to answer her, he lifted his head and saw me approaching.

He stopped talking. My mother followed his gaze, and she sighed when she saw me before she got up from the chair.

My chest felt tight as I looked at my mother. She smiled at me, but the smile didn't calm my nerves at all. "Kristina, come sit down."

I didn't move. "Who is this?"

"This is Mr. Voss." She waved a hand toward him. "He's here to help you. Don't worry, he's a good man."

Voss gave me a small nod, but he barely smiled.

"Help me how?" I asked, confused.

My mother folded her hands in her lap. "You lost your job this morning. So that's where he comes in. He will help you get a new job."

I blinked in surprise. "How do you know I was fired from work? I never—"

"Andrea called the house after you left," she answered, cutting me off. "Kristina, we cannot afford for you to be without a job right now. Your father's medical bills are not going away."

"I know that," I replied. "I'll find another job."

"Mr. Voss has already offered you one." She tilted her head toward him. "He runs a training program. You'll go with him for a few months, learn a new skill, and come back with a real career ahead of you."

I looked over at Voss. He looked right back at me without blinking.

"What kind of training?" I asked him.

"You will do very well by the end of it, Kristina," he answered. "I've helped many young people find their purpose and succeed in whatever career they chose."

My eyes drifted back to the bag on the table. The moment I saw a few hundred notes peeking through the opening, my throat clenched.

"What's all that money for?" I asked my mother.

"This money is for your father's hospital bills," she replied. "It will also cover the house while you're away, so we don't fall behind on anything."

I studied my mother's face and felt like I was missing something important. It seemed strange that this man would show up in the house, promising me a better future as if Sandra had ever wanted that for me.

I had heard stories of parents selling their children for money, so it wouldn't be surprising that Sandra sold me to save her husband.

My stomach twisted into a knot. "No," I murmured. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Kristina—"

"No." I stepped back from the table. "I'm not going anywhere with him."

I turned toward the hallway, but I only made it two steps before a hand clamped around my arm and yanked me back so hard I stumbled. Voss had moved faster than I ever expected from a man his size.

I opened my mouth to scream, but a sharp sting hit the side of my neck. My legs went numb almost instantly, and my arms followed right after.

I grabbed for the doorframe, but my fingers would not close around it. The floor seemed to tilt beneath me.

I heard my mother laughing before speaking to Voss. "I want you to ensure that she never comes back here again. Take her far away from Elderwood."

"Don't worry," Voss answered. "You will never see her again. From now on, she's nothing but someone's property. Death will be her freedom."

The kitchen light blurred at the edges of my vision.

The last thing I saw before everything went dark was my mother looking down at me with a smile on her face.

I had always known that she hated me, but I never knew that she hated me this much.

"Oh, Kristy. If your parents couldn't love and keep you, what makes you think that I could?"