Chapter Twenty One_Royally fucked

Elena.

One of the worst things about having someone who loathed the ground you walked on was living with them. It had never been an issue when Sebastian had not given Ryan freedom to do whatever he wanted, but living in close quarters with him kept me on edge.

Suddenly, the estate looked too small, and everywhere I looked, Ryan and Ari were there.

Drinking coffee in the kitchen. Playing a game with the kids. Reading a book. Making out with Ari like his life depended on it, his biceps flexing, and his skin glistened with sweat.

It felt like I was in the presence of a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

"Aren't you hot in those clothes?" Ryan asked one unreasonably warm day as he watched me read a book.

Though it was fall, I made sure to wear the thickest sweater I could to hide the bruises hidden beneath my clothes, beads of sweat trickled down my neck to my back. The lemonade one of the kitchen staff made for me helped cool me down.

I scoffed. "Trying to get my clothes