Page 148 of The Grand Duel

“Do you miss Dais, Lu?” I ask, leaning over and stroking her head.

I wait with her until her eyes grow too heavy and she falls asleep, and then get up and walk to where the shirt is on the floor. I pick it up and push on the partly open bathroom door. Beyond what I could see from the doorway is a washing basket on its side, the clothes pulled out across the tiles.

I smile, bending to place the items back inside.

The en suite is big, the free-standing bath and walk-in shower all white and clinical, like the rest of the house.

It’s cold and horribly impersonal.

I’d feel guilty thinking that, but Charles already told me he hates the decor.

The only thing I can find good about the space is thespaceitself. It’s a luxury bathroom and far, far nicer than my tiny space—where you can sit on the toilet and touch the sinkandshower.

I turn to look in the mirror and notice the blood on my neck. I twist to the side, seeing more covering my blouse. “Crap.”

I look like shit.

My eyes are as drawn out as Charles’s, my makeup barely holding up after the long day.

I remove my shirt and try washing out the blood, but there’s too much, and it doesn’t budge. With a sigh, I gently click the door closed and turn on his shower.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Charlie

Despite not having her dinner, Daisy shoots off up the stairs when we walk into the apartment, her nose down as she searches for her sister. Today has probably been the longest the two of them have ever gone apart.

I quickly follow her up the stairs, not wanting her to disturb Luna or get her overly excited.

When I walk into my bedroom, Daisy is just standing on the bed, looking down in puzzlement at Luna, who’s curled up in the crook of Lissie’s stomach.

“Here,” I say, and Daisy comes to sit at my side.

I don’t take my eyes off Lissie. She’s asleep, her body like a shield around Luna. There’s something oddly peaceful about watching her sleep. She’s a talker, even she wouldn’t deny it, but it’s more than just the silence. It’s her, here, in my home and my bed. Fresh faced and in my clothes.

It’s hard to explain a feeling you’ve never felt before, but as I stand here and stare at her, a warm, weighted feeling relaxingmy body, I wonder if this is what contentment might feel like firsthand.

True, this-is-it, all-I-could-need-in-life contentment.

Only she can barely stand to look at me after I lied to her.

I swallow and drag my gaze to Daisy. “Dinner.”

She takes off down the stairs, and I follow, gently closing the door behind me and setting the temperature in the room higher so that they don’t get cold.

I can’t imagine she meant to fall asleep. She’d likely want to be woken. Will probably tell me of it when she wakes up, too, but there’s no amount of Lissie that could convince me to do that right now. She’s tired. Drained from weeks of working ridiculous hours.

She needs sleep, and I’m going to make sure she gets it.

I’ll unpack the selfishness of that decision another time.

I feed Daisy and order a Chinese takeaway to be delivered at eight o’clock, leaving three hours for Lissie to sleep and three hours for me to figure out how I fix what I did.

After twenty minutes of going around in circles, I do the one thing I’ve thought about doing since I drove out to Lowerwick on Thursday. Something I’ve never done before. I message the girls.

I need some advice.

It’s ten minutes before anyone replies.