Trapped (Bullied Book 4) (Bullied Series) Vera Hollins (best large ereader txt) 📖

Something about being in the house of my enemy, the person who’d given me the best kiss of my life the night before made my heart beat faster. I could almost feel him—the memory of his fragrance, the feel of his warmth, his skin against mine…

I wondered if he’d known my family was supposed to come here.

“It’s understandable,” my father replied, although I doubted he meant it. Punctuality and precision were virtues he put great stock in, but it wouldn’t have been wise of him to put their business relationship on the line, now would it?

The meal was served in a dining room with a round table that could seat ten and floor-to-ceiling windows leading to a stunning stone balcony. Daniela mentioned they had three dining rooms when we sat down, and my eyes almost bulged out. How many bedrooms did they have then? Thirty-three?

My mom complimented her on the interior design, which was a cue for Daniela to start talking about the renovations they had started the previous month.

I hardly paid attention to her, not the slightest bit interested in demolition, refurnishing, and other specifics she spoke about so proudly. The food they served was sumptuous and delicious, especially the salads and the chowder, and I had to remind myself time and again not to gulp it down but eat slowly.

I thought about Susan’s words from our last session to ground myself. Food was not my enemy. Balance was my friend. So, with the right portions, I could eat anything I wanted without blaming myself for it. This was as good a time as any for me to practice this.

“…Blake’s room in the left wing,” Mrs. Jones said, and I perked up, my attention fully on her now. “I have already prepared a new room for him on the third floor close to us, but he wants to stay on the second floor. He says he likes his privacy there.” She let out a quiet chuckle, but it was blatantly fake.

“Teenagers. You can’t win against them,” Nathaniel said, and my parents laughed in response. I coughed and suppressed the urge to sneeze.

“We don’t have such problems with Jessica,” my mom said, always taking any opportunity to gush about me. “She’s such an obedient and responsible child.”

“Is that so?” Daniela asked, her sharp Blake-like gaze fixed on me. I glanced away, blushing.

“And what college will Jessica go to?” Nathaniel asked.

“She’ll go to my alma mater. She’s going to be a lawyer,” my dad replied. I turned rigid as I stared at the salad on my plate.

“Really?” Nathaniel asked. “That’s good to hear. My son will also go to law school.”

I whipped my gaze to him. Blake and the law? It was like he’d said you could eat Nutella with salads.

“He’s going to become a lawyer?” I asked, unable to stop the words from coming out.

“Most likely.”

“That’s good. That’s the most promising career choice,” my dad said, which led to a talk about colleges, and I couldn’t handle being here a second longer. If I heard my dad say how proud he was of me for following his path one more time, I would scream in frustration.

“Excuse me, but may I go to the bathroom?” I asked Daniela, silently cursing my stomach cramps. They wouldn’t let up.

“Of course. All bathrooms on the first floor are under renovation, so you will have to use the one on the second floor. Our maid will take you to it.”

I nodded and waited for her to come and show me the way. I didn’t say a word as I followed her upstairs to the left wing, which sent my heart into overdrive. That was where Blake’s room was.

She led me to the first door on the right and left me to it, going back down. There were two more doors in the hallway, and my heart sped up because I was so close to Blake’s room. I took deep breaths and entered the bathroom, knowing nothing would stop my cramps for at least another hour.

I finished in the bathroom and headed to the staircase, but my legs stopped midway. My eyes went over my shoulder to the second door on the right, and then to the door at the far end of the corridor, and I got an inkling that was his room.

My chest tightened with a strange sensation as an idea formed in my head. It was beyond outrageous, but I wanted to do it all the more. I was supposed to go back to the dining room and continue being the obedient and responsible kid.

Instead, I headed up to the door at the end of the hallway.

I must be going crazy, I thought to myself. I’m turning into a stalker.

I told myself I was doing this so I could get some advantage over him in case he wanted to use my greatest vulnerability against me on Monday. His room could contain some incriminating answers.

But it was a lie, and I knew it. I just wanted to see his room. Nothing more, nothing less. It was like a hidden treasure that was so close I could practically feel it, and it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Me in Blake’s room—it didn’t get more personal than that.

If I got caught, I could always say I’d gotten lost.

Yeah, right. Like they would buy that.

My hand turned sweaty as I reached for the knob, hoping it wasn’t locked.

It wasn’t locked, but in the split second it took me to open the door, I realized Blake could be inside. Maybe he’d been home all this time and just didn’t want to come down.

Well, crap.

I bit into my lip with my heart in my throat, expecting to see him in the room, but I was met with complete darkness. It was his room, all right, but he wasn’t there. I let out a sigh of relief.

I slipped inside and closed the door behind me. I needed a few seconds to get used to the dark,