Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Right, because her mother was easily able to manipulate her due to the drugs she’d been given.
How could her own mother be so evil?
“Rick’s family’s financial issues have come about slowly over the past year or so.”
“Did he tell you that?” she asked.
“No, he didn’t tell me. I have some insider knowledge. Rick has developed quite the gambling addiction. And his father likes special massages. Not that the massages ate away at his fortune, but buying off people who knew about them so he could keep his clean image did.”
“What if all of this was just a dream, though? How do I tell what is real and what is make believe? I can’t believe I forgot all of this.”
“Remember that Devil’s Breath can cause amnesia. And it can alter your memories.”
God, she hated this so much. It was terrifying.
“It’s so scary. What else am I missing?” A shudder of fear ran through her as she tried to search for memories, but her head began to ache.
“Don’t force it, baby. It’s better if it comes naturally. Some things might come back to you, but you have to get used to the idea that some things never will.”
She really hated that as well. But maybe it was better if she couldn’t remember some things. Part of her wished that she hadn’t remembered this.
“What else am I going to remember? What else has she done to me, Harvey?”
Fuck.
What kind of evil person did this, especially to their own child?
But there was plenty of evil in the world, wasn’t there?
There was nothing he could do to her mother to make up for what had happened to Lily.
But he could ensure that nothing bad ever happened to her again.
Part of him hoped that the rest of her memories didn’t return.
“I just feel like I was violated,” she said in a soft voice, as though she was ashamed.
Harvey wrapped his arms tighter around her. “Just remember that none of this was your fault.”
“Clem might not see it that way. Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?”
“I think Clem is one of the best people I’ve ever met, and I know that if anyone will listen to you and believe you, it’s probably her. She has to know what your mother is like, right?”
“That’s true,” she said.
“I think you’re going to need to talk to someone about all of this, baby. You can tell me anything, and you should. But you probably need the help of someone who is qualified.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said. “I don’t think I can do it right now.”
“No, but when you’re ready.”
He held her in his arms, rocking her back and forth. For the first time, Harvey was starting to wonder if his plan to keep her here was really the wisest one. After all, her mother had forced her into an engagement she didn’t want, with a man she didn’t want.
Was forcing her to stay here the smartest idea? Was he going to make things worse?
But what else could he do? Lily was meant to be his. He knew that deep down inside him.
“You always take care of me, don’t you?” she said.
“That’s all I want to do, Mo bhreáthracht. I just want to look after you.”
He waited for her to ask him to let her go. And he worried about what his answer might be, because, for the first time, he thought it might be yes.
With conditions, of course.
But she didn’t say anything like that, and relief filled him, because he didn’t want to have to make that decision right now.
You know what the decision has to be, though. You have to choose her mental health over your own needs, or you’re no better than her mother.
Fuck. He hated being self-aware.
Things would be so much easier if he could just take what he wanted, if people would just obey him without question.
“Did I wake you?” she asked.
“I hadn’t gone to bed yet. Or I would have been in here with you.”
She tensed and leaned back to look up at him. “You’ve been sleeping in here with me?”
“Of course, this is my bedroom. And I didn’t want to be too far away from you. Especially when you’ve been sick. Don’t worry, I haven’t been sleeping in the bed with you. I figured you wouldn’t be ready for that, and I didn’t want you to wake up in a fright.”
“Where have you been sleeping?” she asked, looking confused.
Hmm. She might not like what he was about to say. But he had decided that he was never going to lie to her.
There might be some things he couldn’t tell her, but he wasn’t going to lie.
Harvey had been sleeping in here?
How had she not known that he was in the room with her? Well, she had been out of it for a lot of the time.