Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
“That’s amazing, I’m so happy for you.”
She nods, rubbing her arms. “Yeah, my therapist recommended I try to get a job and start figuring out what I want to do with myself. I’ve never ...”
She trails off and looks down at the floor.
“You’ve never had that option,” I finish for her.
“No, I haven’t.”
She looks back up at me, and I offer a reassuring smile. “Well, I think it’s amazing and you’re strong for taking steps forward.”
“It’s hard,” she admits, sitting on the edge of the sofa. “I am struggling to get along with Briella. I just hold so much resentment toward her for upending my life. I’m working through it, I am, but it’s hard all the same.”
“Give it time. Time is the only thing that fixes these things. You’re making huge progress, that’s all that matters right now.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
I’m a little suspicious, I won’t lie. Her dramatic change of attitude does scare me just a touch. Mostly because I have to wonder if there is another reason she’s suddenly perked up. Like maybe she’s planning on tricking everyone into thinking she’s fine so she can do a runner, or she’s saving money so she can go back to her old life. She struggled hugely with being taken away from Bryant, the man who bought her. I just don’t see her getting over that so quickly.
I could be wrong, too.
Perhaps finding out about Colton has helped her realize that everyone is on her side.
Maybe that’s all it is.
“I heard you spoke to Briella about Colton ...” I say, letting my voice trail off.
I don’t want to push her if she doesn’t want to talk.
I just want her to know that I’m here if she does want to.
She gives me a sceptical look, her eyes narrowing slightly. Behind her gaze, I can see her hesitation. I’m certain now that she’s not doing as well as she’s making out. I see the dullness and the doubt. I know she’s not over what happened, and I know she’s not okay with Briella. This is a ticking time bomb, and I feel bad that she’s living through what she is, because it must be confusing as hell.
I make a note to spend more time with her.
She needs someone she can trust.
“Yeah,” she finally says. “He’s an old ... I don’t know ... person I was involved with. It’s really complicated. I’m not interested in going to see him.”
Her shoulders tighten and, by the time she’s finished her sentence, I can see just speaking about him is bringing some sort of weird reaction to her body. There is certainly more to the story, coming from someone who has lived through those tiny reactions—I know now what they mean. I also know it’s not my place to ask her, or push her, or do anything but listen.
“That’s your call.” I shrug, trying to brush it off.
She tips her head to the side. “She told me it was you that made her tell me. Why is that?”
I exhale and give her a small smile. “Because I’ve lived without choices, and I thought you deserved the right to make the choice about Colton yourself, not to have someone decide for you. You’ve already had enough go on, the very least you can be given back is your choice.”
She looks shocked by this, and it seems to take her a moment to snap out of it. “You really believe that?”
“Yes,” I say, my voice unwavering. “Yes, I do.”
“Because you have lived through it.”
I nod. “Yes.”
“Thank you,” she tells me, looking away quickly. “For having my back. It hasn’t been easy ... everything since they took me from—” she pauses, and I can see her visibly gather herself “—Bryant. It has been really hard. I didn’t know what was coming and now I’ve been thrust into a world I didn’t anticipate. I’m clean now, so I can see more clearly, but I also struggle daily not to go back down that road. To drugs. To toxic people. I’m grateful to have a choice.”
“I can’t imagine how hard it has been for you. I’m sorry your world got quite literally ripped out from beneath you.”
“You know the worst part?” she says, fidgeting with her hands. “Is that nobody has actually sat down and asked me what my life was really like. They decided I was in a bad place, they decided that I needed to be saved, and they took me out without ever considering that I might not have wanted to be taken away. They never asked. They never even tried to see my side of things.”
Poor girl.
Even if being with Bryant was toxic to her, she didn’t know that. Hell, she probably still doesn’t. She’s been living a life that felt okay to her, and because of that, she sees Briella and the club as the bad guys, because they took her from a place where she honestly believed she was happy.