Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“You can’t know that,” she chokes out. “Maybe you’re used to living like this, but this isn’t the life I want.”
She glares my way, and I’m taken aback by her sudden hostility toward me.
“Look, I didn’t ask for this shit—” I start.
“And I did?” she bites out. “The last time I checked, this Santiago person is after your family and friends.”
“Your stepfather made a deal with her …”
“But I didn’t!” she shrieks. “My entire life, I’ve been forced to do shit I don’t want to do. Live in homes I didn’t want to live in, deal with men I didn’t want to be around. And I was finally—finally—away from my mom and her bullshit, and once again, I’m being dragged back. For once, I just want to live my life. I want to be in Seattle, in my dorm, taking my classes in person.
“I have no job, I’m stuck taking classes online, I’m living with a man who can barely stand me … albeit for good reason.”
Tears stream down her cheeks, and I have no idea what to do or say, but something tells me she just needs to let it all out, so I stand there and let her go off.
“My mother,” she croaks, “the woman who was supposed to love and protect me, agreed to sell me. SELL ME!” Sobs rack her body, and she angrily swipes several tears away. “What parent does that? All I wanted was for her to love me. To put me first. And when it was clear she’d never do that, too obsessed with finding a man to take care of her, I just wanted her to pretend I didn’t exist. And I was so close …” She sniffles back a sob and slides down the elevator wall, sitting on the floor. “I was so close,” she repeats as tears track down her cheeks.
She covers her face with her hands as her sobs increase, to the point that her entire body is shaking, and as much as I want to hate her for what she did to me, my heart aches for the woman who didn’t ask to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into this fucked-up world.
“Hey,” I say, kneeling in front of her.
She looks up at me, her violet eyes meeting mine, and the vulnerability in her gaze reminds me so much of my sister. She’s only a couple of years younger than her, with her entire life ahead of her. Before Dani moved home, all our father wanted was for her to stay as far away from the corrupt world we lived in. She went to boarding school and went away to college, and I hoped that she’d live a normal life outside of Harbor Point … until she was dragged back into this life the same way Vanessa was.
“Matteo is working overtime to find this psycho bitch, and once he does and she’s no longer a threat, you’ll be able to go back to your life, I promise.”
She blinks several times, and when a few more tears escape, without thinking, I reach out and wipe them from under her eyes.
“Maybe,” she whispers. “But that won’t change the fact that my only family was willing to sell me to a sex trafficker so she and her husband could continue to live their cushy little life.” She sniffles back a sob. “The worst part is that before I moved in with you, I didn’t know what true love looked like. I knew my mom wasn’t nurturing, but until I saw you with Leo, I didn’t grasp how little my mom loved me.”
My heart breaks at her admission. No child should feel unloved by their parent. My parents were far from perfect, but Dani and I always knew we were loved.
“I guess I have you to thank for that,” she says with a sad smile. “I’m nowhere near ready to become a mom. But I hope … no …” She shakes her head. “I know that one day, when I become a mom, I’ll make sure I love my child the way you love Leo. My child will always know they’re loved, just like Leo knows he’s loved.”
“And what about you?” I find myself asking. “Do you … want to find love?”
I immediately regret my question, but before I can take it back, she starts to speak.
“Someday,” she says. “I’ve never seen what that type of love looks like either. When I was growing up, the men she dated … they didn’t love her, and sadly, the only person my mother knows how to love is herself. Though I’m not even sure if she’s capable of that. So, I’m just going to hope that when the time comes, I’ll recognize what love is supposed to look like. And until then, I’m going to focus on my future because the only way to ensure I don’t end up like my mother is to pave the path myself.”