Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
The third time she climbs up the levels, I run to the end to meet her, only when I get there, she isn’t sitting on the slide ready to slide down.
“Rory?” I yell, just as a loud shriek pierces my ears. The cry that comes after can only be described as gut-wrenching. I run back, unsure what the hell happened when I see my daughter lying on the ground, crying in agony.
I jump into action, ready to pick her up when I notice her arm is dangling at the elbow. Her eyes, filled with pain, meet mine, and I swallow down my emotion, needing to help her.
“I’ve called an ambulance,” a woman says as I carefully pick my baby up and rock her gently in my arms. As we wait for the paramedics to arrive, a flashback hits me hard…
“Excuse me… Are you Gage Sharp?”
I glance up and find a nurse standing above me. Unable to move, I simply nod, and she sits next to me.
“I’m not supposed to say anything. Tori’s parents didn’t want it to be mentioned, but I’ve seen you here for hours, and I heard your friend mention you were her boyfriend.”
Were… past tense… because Tori is dead. She hung herself, ending her life and leaving me to mourn her.
“There’s something you should know. Tori was pregnant.”
I snap my head toward her. “What?”
“She wasn’t far along, only about twelve weeks, but when they did the autopsy, they confirmed it was a girl. I’m sorry,” she says, gently placing her hand on my arm. “I just thought you might want to know.”
The nurse sits next to me for several minutes while I sob into my hands, wondering why Tori would take her own life, knowing she was pregnant with my baby. She had to know I would take care of her. It doesn’t make any sense. And then I remember the note…
“Can you… is there somewhere I can go to be in private?” I ask.
“Yeah. Follow me.”
She leads me to a small room with a couple of cots and a table. “This is where the doctors and nurses sleep when we work long shifts,” she explains. “Lock it behind you, and make sure you close it when you leave.”
“Thank you.”
I lock the door behind her and then sit on the cot, pulling the note out with my name scrawled across the front.
Dear Gage,
Let me first start by saying how much I love you. If you’re reading this, it’s because I’m gone, and for that, I’m sorry. They say suicide is a selfish act, and I never understood that, until now, because even as I write this letter to you, the only guilt I feel about ending my life is that I’m hurting you. You’re not only my boyfriend, but my best friend, which is why it’s so hard to write this letter. There are some things you need to know. But before I tell you, I need you to promise that you won’t tell anyone. I’m only telling you, so you understand that my taking my life isn’t because of you. If anything, the only reason I didn’t do it sooner was because of you. Because of how much I love you. Every time I imagined my future, it was with you. All I ever wanted was to create a life with you. I thought I could be strong, but I’m not. I’m weak.
What I’m about to tell you, needs to stay between you and me. Once you’re done reading this letter, I want you to burn it. Then get on a plane and go to LA and become the best damn drummer the music industry has ever seen. Promise me, please. Do this for me. Nothing will bring me back, and I don’t want you to ruin your life because of him.
Glen. For the past several months, he’s been coming into the pool house when you’re not here and raping me. I know what you’re thinking. Why didn’t I tell you? For a couple of reasons. One, I was scared of what you’d do. I know how much you love me and would do anything to protect me, and I couldn’t put you in that position. So instead, I went to my mom. I thought she would believe me and protect me like a mom is supposed to, but instead, she said that I’m sick and need help.
And then I heard them talking. You went to them and begged them to help me. God, I love you for that, but there’s no helping me because they don’t want to help me. They want me gone. Glen is planning to run for mayor, and he sees me as a loose string. He’s planning to send me away and if you stand in his way, he’s going to ruin you. He’s rich and has connections, and I can’t let him ruin you like he’s ruined me.