Chapter Twenty

Tori’s POV

A light wince escaped my lips the moment my fingers brushed against my belly, the pain shooting through me faster than I expected.

"Fuck, arghh," I groaned under my breath as the burning sensation intensified almost immediately after I applied the ointment.

It felt worse, but I was getting used to the pain.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my shoulders tensing as I tried to endure it, my fingers pressing lightly around the wound like that would somehow help.

The door creaked open. My head snapped up instantly.

I reached for my clothes without thinking, panic rising in my chest, but it was already too late, my boobs jiggling in the air.

How could I forget the kind of people I was living with? I wasn’t just expecting him to be here that early.

Kael was standing there.

His expression was blank, unreadable, like he had walked in on nothing important.

My left arm moved quickly, covering my chest, though it wasn’t enough. It barely did anything, but it was the only thing I could manage at that moment.

A quiet chuckle left his lips. "There’s no point in hiding," he said calmly. "It’s too late."

I let out a frustrated sigh, refusing to move my hand despite how useless it felt. My other hand fumbled slightly as I grabbed a piece of fabric nearby, quickly wrapping it around myself before tying it tightly behind my back.

The movement pulled at my wound, and I had to bite down on my lip to stop another sound from slipping out.

He stood there while he watched everything I was doing at that point.

My fingers tightened slightly against the fabric as I adjusted it, making sure everything was properly covered before I finally looked up at him again.

I bet he was hoping for the fabric to slip or something to happen, that wasn’t going to happen though.

"That’s wise," he said once I was done, his tone almost amused.

A fake smile curved on my lips despite the tension still sitting in my body.

"I don’t think we’ve ever had a proper conversation," I said, my voice steady even though my chest still felt tight. "Ever since your little favorite toy got stabbed."

He didn’t react immediately.

Instead, he started walking toward me, slow and controlled, each step deliberate until he stopped right in front of me..My breath hitched slightly, but I didn’t move.

I lifted my head slowly, forcing myself to meet his gaze. His eyes held mine, "It seems you are not finally getting to understand your role here and who exactly you are."

I scoffed again. He couldn’t even sense the sarcasm in my voice?

"What’s your name?" he asked, Confusion flickered across my face before I could stop it.

My name? Now?

I had been here this long, and this was the moment he chose to ask? It felt strange Like there was something behind it that I wasn’t seeing yet.

I didn’t want to answer.

But I knew I didn’t have much of a choice.

"What if I told you I can’t remember?" I said instead, watching him carefully.

"And you expect me to believe that?" he replied immediately, he snuggled after. I shrugged slightly, ignoring the way the movement tugged at my wound.

"Is there any reason for me to lie to you?" I asked calmly. "Anyways... call me Tori."

The name left my lips easily. My real name. I’m sure it just sound extremely weird to him, and that was why I had no problem telling him that.

"Tori?" he repeated, his brows narrowing slightly. "That’s unusual. What’s your last name?"

"Hale," I replied after a brief pause. "Why are you asking? Do you suddenly feel like calling me by my real name now?"

"No," he said flatly. "What I want to do is none of your business."

I let out a small breath, shaking my head slightly.

"If you’re trying to figure out who my parents are or where I come from, you’ll be wasting your time," I said. "My name doesn’t hold any value here."

"That would help me figure out who might want to kill you," he clarified..The words made me pause.

A quiet sigh slipped out as I shifted slightly on the bed, trying to get comfortable, but the discomfort didn’t ease.

My brows pulled together as I thought about it again. It was already clear. I was a target.

"How are you so sure it wasn’t Riven?" I asked, my voice quieter now.

"He told me it wasn’t him," Kael replied without hesitation. "That’s enough for me."

I stared at him for a second.

"What if he’s lying?" I pushed. He shook his head almost immediately.

The certainty in his expression made something in my chest tighten slightly.

He trusted his brother, but I don’t think I will be able to trust any of them. They were all the same thing to me

.

"I know you didn’t come here just to ask for my surname," I said, shifting the topic before the silence stretched too far.

A small, satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"You’re right," he said. "I came to see how well you’re recovering, but it doesn’t look that good."

His gaze dropped to my belly, lingering there for a second too long. I stiffened slightly.

His eyes narrowed, like he noticed something, but he didn’t comment on it.

"I need to know when you’ll be ready to join the others," he continued. "The last competition is coming up."

Of course it was. I didn’t even feel surprised. Nothing about them suggested they would stop.

"Can’t you postpone it?" I asked quietly. "Or just cancel it completely?"

The shift in his expression was immediate. His face hardened, the softness gone like it was never there.

"Do you realize you already broke our deal?" he said, his voice dropping slightly. "You were supposed to be eliminated, but I let that slide."

"What?" I shot up to my feet despite the pain, my body reacting before my mind could catch up. "I didn’t break anything. Someone cheated and almost killed me!"

The sudden movement sent a sharp wave of pain through my abdomen, but I ignored it, my focus locked on him.

"Before she stabbed you," he said calmly, "you told her something."

My heart skipped.

"You know exactly what it was."

My lips parted slightly. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

How did he—

"Oh—"

"Riven doesn’t know about that," Kael continued, cutting me off. "And I wonder what he would do if he found out you were the one who broke the deal."

The words settled heavily in the room. That means he was doing me a favor right now, and I had no right to ask him to postpone the entire thing.

Crazy.

I wondered what’d happen after the competition, but this wasn’t the best time to ask.

My throat went dry and I couldn’t respond. It was my fault, and he somehow found out about it.

"It seems like you already have enough issues with him," Kael added, his gaze moving over me slowly. "You should focus on fixing that first."

His eyes dropped briefly to my wound again, his expression unreadable as he watched me struggle to stay standing.

He was able to tell that his brother did this to me.