Contracted To The Beast novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The rest of the day with Natalie ended on a light note. We stayed at Wingside until dusk painted the sky in soft oranges and pinks, talking about everything and nothing, the kind of easy conversation that made the world feel smaller for a while We decided to part ways only when the streetlights flickered outside.

I cannot remember the last time we just sat down to talk for hours. I am desperately in need of a girls night. The last one I had was during Natalie’s birthday in college, and it was really a fun time. Although I did not really know anyone there apart from her, it was fun all the same. I know a little more people now than then though. I can invite Véra. Jamie and maybe Edna. She is one of my favorite nurses. I do not think it will be so hard to get them to attend.

I have never really celebrated my birthday in the last nineteen years. My father left us on my ninth birthday and left my mom for a younger woman. It is no longer much of my birthday. It is now the day my dad left. Mom was so sad she cried so much she almost could not be comforted. The memory of me standing in my pink dress with a tiara in front of my cake waiting for a man who never showed up, is tattooed in my mind.

He did not even have the decency to tell her face to face. He just mailed her divorce papers and a short note that said, “I can’t do this anymore.”

It is one of the reasons I hate powerful men. They just do things selfishly. They dish out orders and expect people to indulge their every whim. They never care for other people’s feelings and obligations. They care about themselves and themselves

alone.

Men like Victor Kane and Marcus Hale simply reinforced the notion I already had. They are all the same, just like my dad. They see individuals as pawns and use them until they have nothing to offer anymore. Then they are dumped without a second thought.

They are all the same.

By the time I arrived home, Zara and Mom had already gone to bed. I quietly went to my room, took a long shower, letting the hot water run over my shoulders until the tension eased a little, and got ready for bed. The house felt peaceful in the quiet hours, the kind of peace I rarely allowed myself to sink into anymore.

I woke up to frantic knocks on my door.

“Nia,” the voice said, barging into my room. “Wake up.”

“Mom, what is it?” I asked as I turned to check the time. Four thirty in the morning. “Is everything okay?”

“I have to run to the clinic. There was a fire incident not too far away. Some patients have been rushed in so we can and the paramedics,” she said, rushing out. I followed her hot on her heels, my bare feet cold against the floor.

“Be safe, Mom,” I said to her as she sped off into the early morning darkness.

Mom is very fond of offering out assistance even when she needs the help more than others. She has always had a very big heart. It is so sad that her heart has continually led her to meeting the wrong people

Naturally emergencies are only to be sent to a hospital, not a clinic But that rule will definitely have to be broken to be able to save lives. The patients will have to be stable at least before they are transferred to a hospital.

I decided to stay up. I grabbed my headphones and started a deep clean. Cleaning is therapeutic to me. I cannot even explain why I love it so much. The rhythm of wiping surfaces, folding clothes, and putting things in order calms the chaos in my head.

I cleaned the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms before I started making breakfast. The smell of eggs and toast filled the house, warm and familiar.

“Wakey, Wakey, Zar Bear,” I shook her slightly, trying to wake her up.

14:38 Tue, Jul 7 MA

Chapter 34

“Mamaa,” she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

“Good morning, Baby. Did you sleep well?” I asked, picking her up, her small body warm and heavy against me

I had her brush her teeth and gave her a bath to get her ready for school. I packed her lunch as she ate breakfast, watching her little hands hold the spoon with such focus.

I bid her goodbye as her school bus drove away, waving until it disappeared around the corner. The house felf quieter without her laughter.

I headed upstairs to prepare myself for work as soon as she left. I debated calling Mom but she would probably still be bury with the emergency patients.

I got dressed in a brown bodysuit, matching brown baggy pants, a beige cardigan draped over my shoulders, and my cheetah print leather tote. The outfit felt comfortable, like armor against whatever the day might bring.

I was about grabbing my shoes when I heard a knock on the door.

“Hold on,” I replied, grabbing my stuff and heading downstairs. I had ordered a package from Amazon and they were yet to

arrive.

I swung the door open to reveal Maddox.

He had a black face cap pulled low over his eyes, the brim casting a shadow across the sharp cut of his jaw. Oversized sunglasses hid most of his face, and the collar of his leather jacket was turned up like he was trying to disappear into himself

I didn’t react at first.

Of course it was him.

Even in a cap pulled low and sunglasses hiding half his face, Maddox Kane had a way of taking up space like he owned it.

My gaze slid over him once, unimpressed, before shifting past his shoulder to scan the street.

Quiet it was too quiet.

No parked cars with tinted windows. No suspicious figures lingering with cameras.

“You done checking for paparazzi?” he muttered, stepping closer without waiting for an invitation. “Or do you want to invite them in too?”

“I didn’t invite you,” I shot back under my breath, grabbing his sleeve and yanking him inside before any nosy neighbor could peek through their blinds.

The door shut behind him with a soft click, but my pulse didn’t settle.

Because if Maddox Kane was showing up at my house in disguise-Things were about to get a lot worse

“I thought I’d warned you before about showing up to my house,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended.

“And I thought I told you to stay at the fucking condo until the paps fiasco has been sorted out,” he said, adjusting his oversized shades.

He had on black jeans, a black fitted polo shirt, and a leather jacket. He looked deliciously good. Not like I would ever admit it out loud.

“You’re not going to let me in?” I stepped aside for him to step in.

“Your mom isn’t home?”

14:38 Tue, Jul 7 MA

Chapter 34

“What business do you have with my mom?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest

“Just curious,” he said, taking a seat on the couch like he belonged there.

“Why are you here, Maddox?” I said, putting on my high top Vans, trying to ignore how his presence filled the room

“Is it wrong for me to pay my girl a visit?” he smirked, leaning back.

My stomach did a back flip. His girl?

“I don’t have time for this,” I said, trying to remain as composed as possible, my fingers fumbling slightly with the laces

“Where are you going to?” he asked, his eyes following my every movement.

I stared at him in shock. “Some of us have to work to survive, Maddox.”

“Well, today’s your day off,” he said sweetly, a mischievous glint in his gray eyes.

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