HIS DOE, HIS DAMNATION (An Erotic Billionaire Romance) novel Chapter 62

Meadow’s POV:

The moment I stepped into the facility, I already knew that I was in the right place.

The orderlies were looking at me like they had seen a ghost–I supposed Alaric didn’t inform them of Juniper’s twin sister. One even charged toward me but another guy stopped him with a simple “Hey, that’s not her. We just saw her, remember?”

A shiver of tremor ran down my spine. He was looking at me like he held something against me. Like he hated me.

And that only told me that Juniper had done something awful during her stay here.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I walked over to the reception.

“Hi,” I said to the receptionist.

“Hello,” she replied, raising her gaze to look at me. And then she did a double–take. “Juniper Russell? You’re supposed to be in your room.” Her gaze narrowed

I shook my head. I’m not Juniper. My name is Meadow.” I paused, swallowing nervously. “But I’m here to see my sister.”

I already knew what she was going to say even before she frowned at me. “No visitors are allowed for Juniper Russell. None except for one person”

Alaric.

Something told me that he was going to be informed even before I saw my sister. I’d told Mel that there was something important I had to do, and asked her to cover for me. I could trust her, but not these people.

As if on cue, the receptionist reached for the telephone beside her.

“My husband knows I’m here,” I said sharply, making sure to keep my tone cold. “It’s him you’re trying to call, right?”

The young woman froze with her hand on the phone, her eyes darting to my hands, probably to find the ring. I raised my left hand to make it easier for her, and then I heaved an annoyed sigh. Or tried to

Truth was, I was terrified I wouldn’t play the part well.

“You’re Mr. Ashford’s wife?” Her eyes widened.

“Yes,” I replied flatly. “And if you must know, I’m also the reason my sister is being kept in here. So, if your could just be a darling and take me to her, I’d appreciate that.”

“But she started, but I silenced her with a look.

The receptionist got to work immediately. She led me to a private room and asked me to wait. “Would you like anything to drink, Mrs. Ashford? Coffee or-”

“Water’s fine,” I cut in “And could you please hurry up? I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to ”

She forced a smile at me, and then she was out of the room.

Over five minutes passed before the door was pushed open, and my sister walked in, two orderlies flanking her.

“Juniper,” I breathed, rising to my feet. “My words trailed off when my eyes dropped to her hands.

Her wrists. A pair of black handcuffs had been slapped onto her wrists. “Why is my sister in handcuffs?” I asked, focusing my gaze on one of the men

“She’s a high–risk patient, ma’am,” he responded. “She tried to kill one of our female orderlies. We can’t trust her to-”

“What? Behave?” Juniper cut in. Her voice was low, and she sounded like a tired robot. Slowly, she dragged her eyes to meet mine, smirking as she continued. “I mean, I did try to kill myself too, but sure, let’s focus on the poor orderly, who’s probably fine by now anyway”

Her eyes were hollow, her face thinner than usual like she hadn’t been eating–or didn’t want to eat what was given to her.

But that wasn’t my focus right now

“What do you mean you tried to kill yourself, Juniper?” My voice shook against my control.

She shrugged, raising her handcuffed hands. “Slit my wrists a little a few days ago, after your husband. came to pay me a very threatening visit”

She smirked at me as the receptionist walked out. “Not really,” she murmured. And then she leaned forward. “I just.. I’ve been trying to process things, alright? How is it that you married another man days after you got your heart broken?”

‘Hours,’ I nearly corrected her. But who’s counting?

“A billionaire, nonetheless. You know, I’ve been reading about him a lot lately. I still can’t believe ‘you‘ were able to attract him. Wow.”

I ignored the jab in her sentence. “I didn’t come here to talk about my husband.”

Her brows drew together and she leaned back. “What else could you be here for, then? I figured you’re here to boast.” She let out an exaggerated gasp. “Don’t tell me you feel bad because you’re the reason I’m here.”

“You’re the reason you’re here, Juniper!” I hissed, feeling my ears ring. “What you did to me was unspeakable, and you’re lucky you’re not behind bars right now.”

The smirk on my sister’s face transformed into a deep scowl. “This is what you call luck? And in case you haven’t noticed, this place isn’t any different from prison.” She rolled her eyes. “The most torturous part is when they try to give me a lecture on finding my inner–self. Jesus.”

I shook my head in disbelief. It was like I hadn’t even said anything. She was choosing what she wanted. to reply to, forgetting the actual reason that she’s here. A reason I was sure she was familiar with.

I didn’t like to mention it. Didn’t like to talk about it. My sister had done some pretty evil stuff to me, but nothing could be compared to what she tried to get Tyler to do to me.

“You’re not even trying to acknowledge the fact that you almost had Tyler rape me?”

Juniper froze. Her eyes narrowing into slits before she asked: “What on earth are you talking about? I didn’t have my boyfriend rape you.”

My nostrils flared. “Juniper-”

“No, I’m serious,” she said firmly, leaning forward again. “I could never do that to my own sister. Did I…” Her eyes watered. “I didn’t do that to you, did I?”

I stopped breathing.