Chapter 24

I Dante wait at the bottom of the stairs for Maria to come from Kat’s room. She carries a tray full of uneaten food with her. “Is she still refusing to eat?” I snap. “Yes, sir,” she whispers. “Fuck!” I shake my head in annoyance. “Did you tell her I said she had to eat?” “Yes.” “And?” She looks down at the tray of food rather than answer me. “Maria?” “She said you could go fuck yourself, sir,” she says, her voice barely even a whisper this time. I scrub a hand over my jaw. Starving herself so I’ll pay her some attention is so fucking reckless. Maria fidgets as she stands in front of me, waiting to be dismissed. “Maria?” She looks up at me and her eyes are shining with tears. “Why are you crying?” I snap at her. “She’s so sick, sir,” she sniffs. “She keeps throwing up throughout the day. Even when she only drinks a little water, she’s sick. I wait outside her room like you asked and she doesn’t even sing or shout for you anymore.” “She’s playing you. You cannot trust her. You hear me?”