A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Elite of Eden Falls Prep Book 4) Read online

  A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four

  Elite of Eden Falls Prep Book Four

  Isabella Starling

  Copyright © 2020 by Isabella Starling

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover design by Najla Qamber

  Also by Isabella Starling

  LORDS OF WILDWOOD

  Boys That Tease

  Boys That Read

  ELITE OF EDEN FALLS PREP

  A Hurt So Sweet Volume One

  A Hurt So Sweet Volume Two

  A Hurt So Sweet Volume Three

  A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four

  STANDALONES

  Pet

  Peep Show

  Confess

  His Brat

  His Doll

  His Muse

  Teach Me Daddy

  Daddy's Girl

  Daddy Dearest (FREE)

  Sugar Plum

  Mistletoe Kisses

  Wrath

  Envy

  Collaring Cinderella

  Breaking Belle

  ROSE & THORN SERIES

  Blush Pink Rose (FREE)

  Blood Red Rose

  Pure White Rose

  Last Broken Rose

  GILDED CAGE SERIES

  Entrapment

  Ensnarement

  Entanglement

  Enticement

  THE DAZZLING COURT SERIES

  Rich Man's Toy (FREE)

  Dark Castle

  Wicked Prince

  Author’s note

  Welcome, dear reader, to my dark, twisted and beautiful world.

  If you haven’t read my books before, a word of warning is in order. I write dark - from the characters, to the situations they find themselves in and the love they make.

  You’re reading A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four, the fourth and final book of Dex and Pandora’s story. The characters in this series are twisted and cruel, and you’re in for a wild ride.

  This book is part of a series and is NOT a standalone.

  Elite of Eden Falls Prep Series:

  #1 A Hurt So Sweet Volume One

  #2 A Hurt So Sweet Volume Two

  #3 A Hurt So Sweet Volume Three

  #4 A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four

  Remember to sign up for my newsletter as well! You get a full-length free novel when you do.

  xo Isabella Starling

  Blurb

  She's gone, and I let her go.

  If anyone else touches her, I'll kill them.

  I'm getting her back.

  No one will ever hurt her again.

  No one but me.

  A Hurt So Sweet is a dark bully romance told in four full-length novels. This is the final book. These books are NOT reverse harem.

  1

  Pandora

  A few hours into the train ride, I don't feel as hopeless as I did when I saw that plus sign on the pregnancy test.

  Alli is the perfect companion for the train ride that could potentially change my life for the better. She distracts me with her own past when I am panicking, and does her best to calm me down when I start crying. The thought of the baby I'd wanted so badly actually growing in my belly for real makes me feel sick. And what's even worse, I keep questioning how Dex will react. Will he be pissed off? Will he demand to get a paternity test on the child? Will he still want me, not knowing whether it's his?

  I force myself to push the thoughts as far away as possible from my mind. I don't care about Dexter Booth. He's ancient history—as he should be, after what he did to me when he leaked that photo. He hasn’t changed one bit. He’s still the twisted, cruel boy I first met. And yet the thought of his reaction won't leave my mind. And that's where Alli comes in.

  "Just breathe," she tells me with a sympathetic smile, gently squeezing my palm. "I'm here for you. Whatever you need. Everything's going to be fine. Breathe in, breathe out."

  "Thanks," I manage a few moments later. "Fuck. How am I going to deal with everything by myself? I shouldn't have left Eden Falls."

  "You did the right thing by leaving. And look... Maybe we can stay in touch." Her smile is warm, and when she pulls her hand away, I cling onto it, my eyes desperately finding hers. "I'll give you my number... You can call me when you get settled in with your mom."

  "Come with me. Please. I don't want to go by myself. I need a friend."

  "What?" She laughs uneasily. "I told you, I have my uncle waiting for me at his place when I get off in Stormcliff. He's my last living relative." She chews her bottom lip and I pat her hand. She told me her parents died in a tragic car accident, and she now has to move in with an uncle she's never met.

  "Tell him you're staying with a friend for a while. You're old enough." I squeeze her hand again. "Please. I'll..." I bite my lower lip, not knowing what to offer her. As far as I know, my mother could be pissed to see me and throw me out before I so much as step a foot in her house. "I have nothing to offer you. But you said you were dreading to go live with your uncle, Alli. Come with me instead. I really need a friend, and I think you do, too."

  She stares at me with an indecisive expression before sighing and leaning back in her chair. "Fine."

  "Really?" My face lights up with a smile. "You'd do that for me?"

  "What else have I got to do?" she giggles. "At least this way, I'll get some excitement in my life. And won't have to move in with my aunt."

  "Don't you mean uncle?" I furrow my brows.

  "What? Oh, yeah." She smiles distractedly. "My uncle."

  Just then, the train operator's voice sounds on the speaker, letting us know we'll be arriving in Stormcliff in two minutes. Alli grabs her small bag and offers me her arm.

  "Come on, let's do this."

  Hooking my arm with hers, I follow her onto the platform when the train stops. She hails a cab and we stare at the picturesque ocean-side city as we drive through it. It's beautiful here, closer to Wildwood than Eden Falls was. Something tells me I could live here. Feel at home here. More than I ever did with my second family.

  My heart beats louder and louder as we travel through the suburbs into the elite neighborhood of the city. Mom's address is right around here, the driver tells us, and I'm surprised by how rich the area is. It makes me wonder whether my mother remarried. The potential of having to meet yet another new family makes me feel faint.

  We arrive in front of a gated driveway leading up to a gorgeous, modern house shielded by tall trees. It looks like it's mostly glass, something from an architectural magazine. I can see a tennis court and a pool behind it, and the gated property is huge.

  "This is as far as I can go," the cab driver says, motioning to the gate. "You girls got someone to buzz you through?"

  "Yep," I lie, giving him the last of my cash. "Thanks for your concern. Bye."

  He gives me a doubtful look, but I stare back, challenging him to say something. I'm sick and tired of people treating me like I don't belong.

  When he finally looks away after handing us our luggage, I feel triumphant and disappointed at the same time. I almost wanted him to call us out. I could've used it as an excuse to get back to Eden Falls and forget this whole thing ever happened.

  Alli and I stand in front of the gates and I take a deep breath before ringing the bel
l.

  A voice crackles on the speaker. "Yes?"

  "Hello, err," I stutter. "My name is Pandora, Pandora Oakes. I... um..."

  "What did you just say?" The voice sounds emotional now. "Pandora?"

  "Yes, Pandora Oakes. I-"

  I don't get to finish my sentence as the gates roll open. Alli and I exchange surprised looks before walking onto the property. We walk across the driveway to the front of the house. The front door flies open and a woman appears in the doorframe.

  "My baby!" she cries out, rushing toward us. I don't even get the chance to drink it all in before her body smashes into Alli's and she hugs her tightly, tearing up as she looks into her eyes. "Oh, it really is you. I'd recognize you anywhere, my beautiful girl. You haven't changed a bit since you were a baby."

  Alli looks pale as a ghost and I clear my throat uncomfortably.

  "Err... I'm Pandora, actually."

  The woman turns to face me then, giving me a better chance to examine her. She's of medium height, with glossed brown hair and several discreet procedures stretching her face taunt over the bones in her face. I can see the signs now. She's beautiful, though. And she even looks a bit like me.

  "Ah, Pandora," she smiles with bittersweet sadness. "Of course. I'm sorry, your friend here looks just like..." She gives Alli another once over and then shakes her head. "Nevermind. My baby!"

  She throws herself forward again, this time at me. The dramatic scene Alli went through moments ago is now repeating itself with me as a main player. My new friend and I exchange amused looks over my mother's shoulder before the woman pulls back, dabbing at her eyes as she watches me hungrily.

  "I always knew you'd come here," she says, sounding pleased with herself. "I even have a room set up for you."

  "Really?"

  "Of course." She looks at me with an expression I can only describe as crazed. "I'm so glad you're finally home."

  She motions for us to follow her inside with excitement, and Alli and I exchange glances before following her into her grandiose home.

  My mother must be loaded. The interior of her modern day palace is decked out in original art, gold-plated everything and insane flower bouquets littering every available surface. The scent of flowers is so heavy in the air my nostrils fill with it, resulting in an instant headache.

  "Lovely flowers," I manage to squeak. "Special occasion?"

  "Oh, you like them?" Mom faces me with a brilliant smile, giggling coquettishly. "I have a lot of secret... and not-so-secret admirers! Now come on, I want to show you your room!"

  "You do realize she hasn't even asked who I am?" Alli mutters in my ear as we head upstairs, taking the steps of an enormous pink marble staircase. We both giggle.

  "Shh, she'll hear you. Maybe she took a Xanie to calm down," I mutter. She does seem a little out of it, but I'm not going to pass judgement on my mother just yet. My heart is already beating with more excitement at the thought of bonding with somebody normal—well... at least kind of normal.

  "Here it is!" She reveals an incredible room. It's not just a generic room—it's personally decked out with one person in mind. And having been around enough people obsessed with Lily-fucking-Anna, I know right away this room wasn't designed for me. It's here for my dead, would-be sister. "Don't you just love it?”

  "Yeah, it's amazing," I mutter, my eyes searching for Alli, my only lifeline in this place that's growing weirder by the second. "What do you think?"

  She grins, putting down an Alice in Wonderland figure she'd been admiring to lean in and whisper in my ear. "I think it's amazing! Your mom's really cool."

  I nod. I don't agree with her, but I'd seem ungrateful if I brought up Lily Anna now.

  I feel humiliated and slightly nauseous. I retch, my eyes widening in horror. I press a hand to my mouth, my eyes dancing across the room in a panic. Before I can stop myself, I've vomited all over the throw on the bed.

  "Oh," my mother mutters with distaste that strangely turns into delight the next second. "Oh, would you look at that. Just like me when I was pregnant!"

  "W-What?" I manage. Alli and I exchanged panicked glances, but mother seems blissfully unaware of the silent conversation happening between us. "How did you..."

  "Know?" She smiles sweetly, stepping forward. One of her hands finds my back and straightens me up, the other leads my chin higher up in the air. She smiles proudly, and my heart skips a beat. It's the most motherly thing that's happened to me since I left Wildwood and my real family. I want more of it. "We're blood, after all, Pandora."

  Three days into my and Alli's visit to my mother, I'm more confused than ever, and Alli seems to share my opinion—my mother is slightly... bonkers.

  I've seen her popping pills on too many occasions to count. She smokes right in front of us—and it's not cigarettes, either. She switches from motherly and caring to completely detached and indifferent. Alli and I have only been here a few days and we've already witnessed so many mood swings I stopped counting at twelve on the first day.

  She's a wildcard. But at the same time, her sweet moments make her dangerously endearing. And fact of the matter is, I have nowhere else to go. So I stay in the house of wonders in Stormcliff, hoping for something to happen.

  What I really want is for Dexter to come get me and bring me back to Eden Falls.

  But the thought of wanting that stings. He's a prick who just wants to hurt me for the fun of it. And yet I'm so hopelessly, irrevocably in love with-

  "Oh my god."

  "Hm?" I look up from the book in my hands that's been turned to the same page for twenty minute.

  Alli sits in front of a TV in my bedroom. I get up from my window seat and walk over to her. I've already gotten into the habit of resting my palm protectively on the taut skin of my stomach, and when I find myself doing it again, I quickly pull my hand back, pretending I hadn't done it at all.

  I can't care about this baby.

  Not when I don't even know if I'll be allowed to keep it when someone finds out it exists.

  "Pandora..." Alli swallows thickly, jumping up and blocking my view of the screen. "Let's go take a walk."

  "What? Why?"

  "Don't look at that," she begs me, but I knit my brows together as I sidestep her and look up at the TV screen.

  "And that was Kayla Greene with the last update on the scenario unfolding in Eden Falls," a sombre looking news anchor explains. I feel like I'm going to be sick again.

  "What's happened?" I whisper just as Dexter's picture flashes across the screen. I feel hollow. Another photo pops up and I furrow my brows at the screen.

  "Suspect is now in custody after being arrested for the murder of his best friend, Lai," the anchor reads out. "More at eleven."

  "I'm so sorry," Alli whispers. "I wanted to tell you myself... I had no idea this had happened."

  "Lai's d-dead," I stutter.

  Alli grabs my hand, holding it tight. "Oh god, Pandora."

  "But who killed him?"

  She knits her brows together, cocking her head to the side. "Oh, Pandora... Honey."

  "What?" I turn my panicked stare to hers. "It wasn't him. It couldn't have been. Dexter would never... he'd never..."

  She just stares back, shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm sorry, Pandora. But Dexter Booth is a murderer."

  2

  Dexter

  They wrangle me into the police car and I spend the ride to the station staring numbly through the passenger window.

  My life is over. My best friend is dead, and my head is full of ideas on how I could have prevented the disaster that took Lai's life. But it's too late now. He's gone.

  My hands form fists in the handcuffs. I never allow myself to be weak, but the murder has made it damn near impossible not to... feel. For someone who's locked all emotion behind a brick wall for a decade, it's a fucking impossible feat to move on now. It feels as if the dam holding back my innermost thoughts is breaking down. I'm approaching a meltdown. Staring down the barrel of th
e gun. And there's no one left to help me.

  Lai is dead.

  My best childhood friend, the man who stood by me through the death of my parents, who betrayed me one too many a time, who cared more about me than anyone else did. He's gone, without a chance to make things right, to bury the hatchet. It's over.

  The squad car pulls up in front of the police station. There are reporters swarming outside the precinct and I groan inwardly.

  "Is there any way we can enter unnoticed?" I mutter as one of the cops opens the back door.

  He doesn't even bother with an answer. Instead, he roughly hauls me out of the car and marches me up the stairs into the precinct. I don't bother covering my face as the cameras flash and journalists begin shouting my name. This will all be over soon. It's a nightmare, but I've handled worse.

  They put me in a room with one of those one-sided windows. I stare at my own reflection, fully aware there's someone behind the glass I can't see, staring right back at me. I don't allow myself to get emotional. Instead, I sit there for the full forty-five minutes they make me wait to see a detective assigned to the case.

  Finally, what feels like hours later, the door opens and a short, stocky man enters. He's dressed in a suit, and flashes me his badge before collapsing on the seat opposite of me, dabbing at his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.

  "So, you're the killer." His opening statement makes me feel sick.

  "I didn't kill Lai."

  "I heard you already confessed at the scene of the crime." His bushy brows shoot up and he examines me critically. "Are we going to have a problem here?"

  "I didn't know what happened," I mutter. "But you have the wrong guy. The person you need to be searching for is-"