Read Online Unexpected by Lilly Avalon - Free Book Online Page A

me. The anger flashes from her eyes. “That little bitch stole my
stuffed bear.”
    “ Wait,
what?”
    “ My bear.”
She frantically checks different places around her bedroom. “My
parents gave it to me when I was a baby. I slept with it all
through elementary school. It's the one thing I have left from my
childhood and it's gone!”
    My heart sinks.
Victoria wouldn't...
    Damn it. She
would.
    Alina lets out a
growl and runs out of the room. I blink for a second, then I'm on
my feet following her. She's in Victoria's room and I can tell
she's about to ransack the whole thing. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I say,
reaching for her before she yanks anything to the floor. “Alina,
you're angry.”
    “ Damn right
I'm angry!” She twists out of my grip and spins around to face me.
“I want my bear. I should have grabbed it last time. Why didn't I
think of it?”
    “ Because you
didn't think she would be this vindictive.” I take her hand in
mine. “I know you want to tear this place apart looking for it, but
you shouldn't stoop to her level.”
    “ But
it's my bear.” She rips her hand away out
of my grip and starts to shuffle through Victoria's things. “I have
to at least try to look for it. As soon as she knows I know, she'll
hide it where I can't find it.”
    “ What if she
already did?” I hate telling her this, but it's the sad fact about
this situation. Victoria apparently has no heart and is willing to
punish Alina for the mistakes she's not responsible for making. It makes me want to help
her tear this room apart to find it because she doesn't deserve
this.
    Alina frowns. “You
might be right.”
    “ Come here,”
I say, reaching out to put my arm around her, walking us to the
door. “Let's finish packing what we can and worry about this later,
okay?” She nods, leaning into my chest as her arm comes around me
to hold me closer.
    After we pack what
we can into the boxes and load them into the truck, I ask Alina for
the key to the apartment so I can lock it up. Just as I'm about to,
an idea comes to mind—one that might get Victoria to relinquish her
power. Instead of just locking the door, I go into Victoria's room
and put my plan into action.
     
     

 
     
    Chapter Nine
    – Alina –
     
    It ’s
unbelievably infuriating that Victoria has stooped to this level by
stealing my bear. It's bad enough
she slept with my boyfriend, but this is even worse. It's cutting
because it's vindictive and childish. The worst part of it all?
There's nothing I can do. At least, not without resorting to
something even more childish like destroying her room in an
attempt to find the damn thing. While that may give me immediate satisfaction, it would have
enormous ramifications.
    “ Are you
okay?”
    Ryan's question
breaks me out of my reverie and I realize we're back at his
apartment already. I say, “It's Alina's Law all over again.”
    “ Alina's
Law?” He gives me a look as if he's trying to understand what I might mean by
that.
    Sometimes I forget
my random thoughts don't make sense out loud until I explain them.
“Oh. You know, like Murphy's Law, except it's happening to me.”
    He laughs and I
swear it's only because he finds me funny, not that he feels sorry
for me. “Come on, Alina. Things may not be completely back on
track, but you're getting there. An optimistic attitude will help
you reach that point.”
    “ How can you
be so positive?”
    “ Practice.”
He reaches over and taps my chin a couple times and I smile. “Let's
unload and chill out for the rest of the night.”
    Half an hour later
we have the boxes in his apartment and several pieces of furniture
moved around to accommodate them. I look at the mess we've made.
“I'm sorry about this.”
    “A bout what?”
he asks, surveying the room.
    I gesture to all
the boxes. “My crap is everywhere.”
    He shrugs.
“So?”
    I bring my hands
up, covering my face as I shake my head. “You're just so relaxed
about everything. I'm practically a