Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 125465 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125465 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
“I can’t. I’m not strong.”
“You’re one of the strongest people I know, Scar, and you’ll be able to find happiness again.”
I pull back, staring up at him. He is soaked to the bone, and just like me, he doesn’t seem bothered by it.
“What if I can’t?”
Gently, like he’s touching an injured animal, he cups my cheek. I can’t explain the feelings that rush through me because there are too many all at once.
“You will. I’ll be here to ensure you find happiness again. For as long as I live, you’ll be protected, secure, safe from the bad of the world, and you’ll be happy because I won’t let anyone take that joy from you.”
That was the first time I realized I felt more for Ren than a silly teenage crush. I knew then how easy it would be to utterly and completely fall in love with him.
The memory pops like a bubble, and I’m pulled back to the present by an insistent knocking on my door. This nightmare is now my reality, and there is no escaping it. How could I believe something so ugly and dark about him when the memory of his promise constantly rang in my ear?
The door creaks as it opens, and my mother’s head pops inside. I can see the concern etched into her features. Features that make me feel like I’m looking in the mirror. She brushes a few strands of blond hair from her heart-shaped face. Older or not, she is still beautiful, oozing a youngness that sometimes makes me forget she is my mother and not a best friend.
“Is everything okay? I was knocking, and you didn’t answer, but I didn’t want to barge in.”
“Everything is fine,” I lie through my teeth.
He promised me forever, but I only got a few stolen moments and kisses in the shadows. Was I really ever his? I already know the answer. I look up at my mother, wishing I could tell her all the secrets I hold inside, but knowing how loyal she is to my father and the rift it might cause between them if I tell her, I choose to keep it to myself. It’s for the best, even if it means I’ll have to drown in my own sorrows.
“Your father told me about Ren. I know he was like a brother to you.”
I almost snort. Brother. Ren was nothing like a brother to me. He was so much more. “If you want me to stay with you, I can. I’ll just sit here and keep you company. You look sad, and I don’t want you to be alone.”
I love my mother, but I need to be alone.
I need to mourn the loss of something I never really had and the love of a man I’ll never be able to move on from.
“I’m okay, Mom. Whatever it was that happened, I’m sure it was a misunderstanding. He would never hurt his family or friends.”
My mother nods, but I can tell she doesn’t believe that statement. I force myself to believe it because there is no other option. Ren isn’t the villain. He isn’t. He can’t be, not when he’s played the knight in every memory and thought I’ve ever had about him.
“I want to believe that too, honey, but I don’t know if I can. The proof is right in front of us, and the odds are stacked against him. Unless he comes out of hiding and explains himself, we’ll never know.”
I frown because the alternative is crying, and if I start that again, I’ll never stop. No matter what they think, I know Ren. I know the softness and good that he shows only to me. I love him, and nothing anyone says will change that.
I’ll hold on to the promises he made me until the day he breaks them.
Ren was never a choice for me; he was always my end goal.
5
SCARLET
I stand in front of the mirror and run a hand down the front of my red velvet sequin dress. It’s beautiful with a sexy low neckline and crisscross straps across the back. It comes to rest against my thighs and fits as tight as a glove. I look gorgeous in it, and if we were anywhere else but at home with our friends and family, my father would never allow me to wear this.
Not with how eye-catching and short it is.
I peer at my reflection one last time. My hair is curled, the blond strands resting against my breasts. Tessa—my cousin and confidante—did my makeup, giving me smoky eyes.
I have every reason in the world to smile tonight, but I can’t bring myself to do so. In just a few moments, I’ll walk down the stairs to the birthday party my mother spent countless hours planning. Everyone will smile, converse, and enjoy themselves. Everything will be perfect except for the one missing piece. The one person who matters most to me.