Chapter 3
The hatred in Elias’s eyes, dark as ink, finally spilled over. His gaze landed on my mangled, bleeding wound, and his pupils tightened without thinking.
“Your hand…”
He started, voice rough, only for Sophia to cut in.
“Elias, my hand hurts…”
Sophia held up her palm. A tiny scrape barely broken skin, not even bleeding and yet it made Elias look like someone had stabbed him.
“Apologize to Sophia.” His eyes turned deep and predatory as he looked at me. He almost barked the order. “Kneel.”
I gripped my coat and shook my head slightly. “I didn’t—”
Blood rolled down my wrist. Drip. It hit the floor.
“Do you not understand human language?” Elias grabbed my wrist and forced me down.
He was too strong. I couldn’t break free.
With a hard thud, my knees hit the ground.
My palm pressed against the floor, exposing the Buddhist bead bracelet on my wrist.
The moment he saw it, Elias’s gaze shrank.
“Iris! What right do you have to still wear that?”
Snap.
He yanked it off and tore it apart. Beads scattered across the floor in a loud clatter.
My heart seized. My eyes flew wide.
“You—”
“Give it back!”
I was gulping air, forgetting my wounded hand entirely as I scrambled on the ground, clawing for those broken beads.
This was the last thing keeping me alive.
On countless nights when pain kept me twisting and turning, it was only with those beads in my hands that I could finally fall asleep.
It had been my eighteenth-birthday gift.
He’d told me he’d climbed three thousand steps on his knees to pray for those bodhi beads.
To bless me with peace. To keep me far from Mafia disaster.
And now… they were shattered.
Dazed, I gathered the broken beads into my arms then heard Sophia whining sweetly,
“Elias, are your tricks for chasing girls always the same?”
“This bracelet… why does she have one too?”
Sophia lifted her wrist, showing a matching strand of bodhi beads.
A sharp winter wind seemed to crash into my face. I trembled, breath turning shallow.
What I’d cherished like a treasure, she tossed into the trash like garbage.
“I don’t want something everyone else has!”
“It’s not the same.” Elias rubbed her palm and soothed her gently. “Hers is a cheap knockoff. Yours, I really did kneel three thousand steps for.”
Sophia smiled at me, pure provocation.
“Cheap junk and trash. Perfect match.”
All the strength drained out of me.
“I’m bored. I’m done playing.” Sophia waved a hand. “Throw her out. She’s bad luck. I can’t stand her.”
Someone strode over and yanked me up.
Hands grabbed at my body without restraint. Someone even tugged at my shirt…
Under countless malicious stares, someone ripped up my sleeve.
Dark bruises, dialysis bruises, covered my arm.
“Look! What the hell is that…”
“Ugh, that’s disgusting!”
Elias stopped. His brows pulled tight as his eyes snapped to my arm.
His pupils contracted sharply.
