He Bet My Life On A Table And Called It Justice For Her Chapter 02

He Bet My Life On A Table And Called It Justice For Her Chapter 02

Then Greer Maddox came into our lives.

The day Thane brought her home, he stroked my hair and said, “Auden, Greer grew up without anyone too. You know what that feels like. Let’s take her in, all right?”

“Don’t worry. You’re still the one I care about most.”

I believed him.

I was good to her. I meant it.

But Greer didn’t want kindness. She wanted everything I had.

Whenever I walked near her, she would suddenly fall and throw herself into Thane’s arms, sobbing, “Uncle Thane, Auden pushed me.”

She threw the bracelet Thane gave me into the fish tank, then burned herself on purpose and cried, “Uncle Thane, Auden said something that nice was wasted on me.”

She even slit her wrist right in front of me.

While the doctor wrapped the bandage around her arm, she said weakly, “Auden said the world would be better if I was gone.”

After one setup after another, the way Thane looked at me grew colder.

Then Greer was diagnosed with severe depression, and the scale tipped completely.

She was scared of thunder, so Thane held her all night.

I ran a fever of nearly 106 degrees in the basement and passed out until dawn. No one knew.

She needed a quiet space, so the sunny bedroom I had lived in for eight years became hers.

I was moved into the cold basement, left to live with damp walls and roaches.

She couldn’t be upset, so I wasn’t allowed to make noise at Calder House. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t walk around. I couldn’t even breathe too loudly.

That day, she suddenly smashed a vase and curled into the corner, screaming, “Auden, don’t hit me! I’m sorry!”

Thane rushed in and pulled her into his arms.

He looked at me like I was a snake.

Not long after that, I was taken to the Black Gallery.

The memories cut through me like a saw.

I trembled so hard my whole body shook.

When Thane reached for me again, I curled in on myself by instinct and tried to avoid his hand.

“I… I wasn’t being picky,” I rasped.

My voice sounded like broken glass.

In that place, a mouthful of spoiled leftovers had been a blessing.

Before I could finish, Uncle Thane’s phone rang.

On the other end, Greer was crying. “Uncle Thane, it’s my birthday. You promised you’d stay with me. Can you please tell Auden not to throw a tantrum today?”

The second she finished speaking, the look in Thane’s eyes changed.

“Auden Marlowe,” he snapped, “do you even know what day it is? It’s Greer’s birthday. If you want to die, don’t pick today and ruin it for her.”

So that was why he had tried so hard to save me.

Not because he was afraid I would die.

Because he didn’t want me dying on Greer’s birthday.

I tried to smile, but I didn’t have the strength.

I let the darkness swallow me.

When I woke again, I was back in the familiar basement at Calder House.

From upstairs came Thane’s low voice, soft and indulgent.

“Come on, sweetheart. Take your medicine. I ordered you a new tennis bracelet.”

I turned my head and looked at the thin line of light leaking through the crack in the wall.

It was already the next day.

Greer’s birthday was over.

I wouldn’t ruin anything for anyone now.

So I could die, right?

My gaze landed on a shard of broken glass in the corner.

I dragged my ruined body off the bed.

The second my feet touched the floor, agony tore through my severed tendons, and I hit the ground hard.

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

Tears slipped down silently. I bit my lip and wrapped my arms around myself.

Once I was dead, it wouldn’t hurt anymore.

Once I was dead, I could see my brother.

That thought became the last tiny flame inside me.

I braced my elbows against the cold concrete floor and dragged myself toward the glass, inch by inch.

The shards bit into my palms and arms, slicing open one bloody line after another.

I barely felt it.

At last, my fingers closed around the sharp piece of glass.

I didn’t hesitate.

With the last of my strength, I cut hard across my wrist.

Warm blood poured out, taking the last of my body heat with it.

Finally.

Bram…

I’m coming home.