Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“He lied.”
“Yes. And everyone believed him. After all, it was Wayne—the great guy liked by everyone.”
“What happened?”
“I was discharged quickly once I was stable. I went home, and Wayne was there with Theo. He looked scary. He refused to give me Theo.” She swallowed, a long tremor running through her.
“Wayne told me if I ever said anything like that again, he would kill me. Then he told me if I tried to leave him, he would kill Theo first.”
I held her tighter, horrified. “Baby,” I breathed out. What a piece of shit this Wayne was.
She kept talking. “I knew I had to find a way out. But he was watching, so I had to be careful. One day, he told me to go to the store to get something he wanted. I was only gone ten minutes, but when I got back, he was standing beside the crib. He was holding Theo by the arms, yelling at him, furious because Theo was crying.” Her voice became thick with tears. “I guess Theo woke up and I wasn’t there, and Wayne had no clue what to do with him. If I hadn’t come home then, I think he would have shaken him to death, Stefano. I knew I had to get out fast. I had to protect my son.”
“How?”
“Two days later, Wayne was called to a fire. A big one. I knew he’d be gone for a few hours, and he always went out for drinks with some of the boys after. As soon as he was gone, I threw what I could carry in a suitcase, packed Theo into his stroller, and left. One friend who’d stayed by me, Margie, drove me as far out of town as she could go that night and not be missed. I took the next bus out of there and started running. I had what was in the suitcase, the money I stole from Wayne’s dresser, and that was it. That was over four years ago. I’ve been on the run ever since.”
I rolled her over and pulled her into my arms. She burrowed into my warmth, and I knew she was seeking my strength. The safety of my embrace. “You think he’s still after you,” I murmured. That explained her worries and fears.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I saw him once, but I got away before he found me. Another time, Margie warned me she heard he was looking again, and I ran. I thought I had gone far enough, but I bumped into someone we both knew, and I knew he would tell Wayne, so I packed up and left again. And that time, I went over two thousand kilometers. It’s been two years, and I don’t think he’d look that far or for that long. He was always an out-of-sight, out-of-mind sort of guy with things. I had no connection to Ontario or anyone here.” She let out a long breath. “But it scares me that he might. I think he might actually kill me if he found me.”
“I won’t let him near you, Tesoro.”
“What if—”
I cut her off. “He won’t get near either of you. Your life has changed now, Gabby. You have me. Friends. A community. He can’t get to you.”
“I want to believe that.”
“Then believe it. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. If it’s been two years, he’s probably given up. Like you said, you had no history here—especially the little town we’re in. You’ve been careful, you left no trail for him to follow.”
She relaxed a little in my arms.
“Why are you telling me now?” I asked.
She looked up, her lovely eyes anxious, worried, yet still so beautiful. “Because you said you loved me. You should know who the person you love is. The danger they bring.”
I slid my fingers under her chin. “There is no danger for me. I can handle myself. And now that I know, I can look out for you too.”
A tear ran down her cheek, another following in its path. I saw the emotions she was still too afraid to express. I saw her love. The worry and fear.
It would take time, but now I understood it. I wrapped her close. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“I do trust you, Stefano. I thought…” She swallowed. “I thought you might not want to keep seeing me once you heard my story.”
I shook my head. “Nothing could be further from the truth. I’m not going anywhere.” I kissed her forehead. “I have you, Gabby. I have you.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Stefano
After telling me her story, Gabby fell asleep in my arms. There beside her, I thought about what she had been through. How strong she had to be. How incredibly brave and selfless a person she was.
How much she needed someone in this life she could depend on.