CHAPTER 11

KEITH’S POV  

Sitting down in the driver’s seat of the SUV, I took out my phone to find twelve missed calls from Kramen. There was a message too. ‘I was waiting right till the time the flight took off. Why didn’t you call me?’

My knuckles turned white as my grip on the phone tightened. Swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat, I typed the reply with lightly shaking fingers,

‘Melinda and I have grown quite close. I almost marked her today…. It is only a matter of time before she chooses me. Plus, you are going to sacrifice your life to save our parents. Why confuse her at this juncture? Forget about talking to her and focus on being a good son.’

A muffled whimper left my lips and I banged my head against the steering wheel. What was I doing? Why was I hurting everyone dear to me?

Melinda’s tear-stained face flashed before my eyes, ripping my broken heart into bits.