I closed my eyes, summoned every last ounce of strength in my body, and said, word by word, "I agree to your terms."
As long as Grandma lived, I could bear it.
He beckoned me over the way you'd call a pet.
He buried his face in my neck and bit down, hard.
"There you go."
He seized my waist and yanked me into him so roughly my arms ached from the force.
"If you'd been this obedient from the start, you could've saved yourself the pain."
"Willow, I love you."
He said all the pretty things that night. All I felt was the humiliation.
A long time later, he was finally satisfied. He lit a cigarette.
"Relax. As long as you behave, I'll cover all of your grandma's treatment costs."
I turned my face away so he wouldn't see the tears sliding down.
The moment I had the money, I transferred it to Uncle Ferris. But I was one step too late.
"Willow, it came on too fast. Your grandma's gone."
My legs went out from under me. My forehead cracked against the corner of the table and I didn't feel a thing.
I still couldn't save her.
Before the grief had even begun to loosen its grip, my phone lit up with a message from an unknown number.
"Let's meet. This is Zelda Harding."