Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,113

and opens it. "I want that ring and pendant in this box.”

“What?” I touch my necklace instantly. “No! They are mine.”

“Petra…” Dad insists. “Just remove them.”

“I said no,” I repeat louder. “They are mine, and I won’t remove them. Get over it.”

“What behavior! This is unbelievable!” Mom scolds. “Very well…” She then beckons to the two bodyguards, who slowly but surely move toward me.

“What the hell?” I ask her.

“At the end of the day, that ring and necklace will be in this box. We can do it gently… or not. It’s up to you.” Her icy tone is enough to chill the entire room.

“I won’t remove them,” I keep saying, but my voice is already shaking at the feeling of those two men now right behind me. I can’t possibility fathom my dad letting them hurt me, but alas, today anything seems possible. I look at him and ask, “You will let those men hurt me?”

“Just remove the jewelry,” he insists. “It’s a simple request."

I glance at Dr. Nel, who is taking something from her briefcase, and as I pay closer attention, it looks like a syringe.

Now my body is starting to sweat, alarmed and in fear. My heart is even thundering at the thought of a forced injection.

“What is the syringe for?” I ask them, my blood pressure dropping with every second.

“Since we can’t trust you…” Mom starts. “We have decided to implant a chip in you.”

I freeze, totally mortified at her words. She must be kidding!

“This is illegal!” I cry out. “You can’t do that!” Then I try to stand up, but I’m instantly restrained by two hands on my shoulders and pushed back down. I look at Dad, who remains silent and just as indifferent. “Dad, please…” I keep my anguished eyes on him, hoping he will say or do something—anything.

“Just remove them,” he repeats.

I don’t recognize him. With tears blurring my eyes, I beg, “Please, no chip.”

As he doesn’t seem convinced, my gaze remains glued on him, hoping he will reconsider.

After some beats of silence, Dad finally says, “Remove the jewelry, and there will be no chip.”

Fucking jerks.

I look at the blue sapphire gleaming on my finger. A small smile settles on my lips thinking about the day Alex put it on me. He even cried when he said yes. Then he kissed my hand repeatedly and told me how much he loved me and asked me to never forget it, which I now understand why he insisted on that. With a heavy heart, I slowly take it off, leaving nothing but a white mark on my tanned skin. For the first time, I can see his family name engraved inside, and, as I put the ring in the jewelry box, I see my mom cracking a smile of satisfaction and victory.

“Don’t forget the pendant,” she says.

“This was a gift for my baptism.”

“Petra,” she presses on.

I know there is no point in arguing. After all, they had no issue taking it from me when I was seven. Why would they have one now?

I feel the first tears coursing down my cheeks as I open the clasp and take the fine golden chain off my neck. And as I look at the pendant now lying in my hand, I feel a bit dead inside, just like in my dream when I’d killed myself. Except now, I feel like I’m killing him too. Swallowing hard, I put the pendant in the box, right next to the ring. And in a sudden move, Mom closes the box and takes it away from my sight.

“What are you gonna do with them?” I ask immediately.

“Return them to whom they belong.”

“They belong to me.”

“No, they belong to a family you’ll never be a part of.”

I huff at her comment, and ask, “May I go now?”

“One last thing,” Dad says. “Your phone is being tracked. If you try to plan anything with Alex or even to talk to him again, we will know it. So don’t bother.”

“I wouldn’t have expected otherwise.”

While I don’t look surprised, the reality is that I never expected that he would confirm what Alex had just told me this morning. Damn! They have no shame whatsoever! Despite the harshness of the moment, I smile internally, knowing Alex never gave up on me, or on us. And I know that no matter what my parents have decided for us, he will come back.

I could’ve spent the rest of the afternoon locked in my bedroom crying with hate and anger over