Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 113464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“You couldn’t have known. I made sure you didn’t know. I’m so ashamed.”
“Honey, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You didn’t do anything wrong. And you’re safe now. He’s not going to hurt you anymore.”
“Oh, my god.” She lifts her head, holding me at arm’s length. Her eyes are wide and wild, her chin trembling. “You can’t tell Dad. Please, I’m begging you, don’t say a word about this to him.”
And she’s the one who told me she didn’t want to get in the middle of things. Meanwhile, here she is, placing me between them.
“Bianca. I’m begging you. He’ll kill him.”
That’s the thing. I do know, maybe even better than she does. As far as I know, she still only suspects her father is a violent, dangerous man. I know for a fact after what he told me in his office the day he threatened me with the gun.
I don’t like the idea of keeping this from him, especially when I know how furious he’ll be if he finds out I knew and didn’t say anything. But this is my best friend. She’s been so supportive all these years, but especially now. She could have thrown a fit when she found out about Callum and me, and I can’t risk losing her over this. I only hope I’m doing the right thing when I nod.
“I won’t say a word, I promise.” Besides, Kristoff’s still in Europe. He’s no threat to her right now. “But I have to tell you, if he comes back around again, I can’t act like I don’t know anything.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” she tells me, wearing a determined grimace. “There is not a thing he could do or say to convince me to go back to him now, not after this.”
“Okay. I believe you.” I only hope he doesn’t show up and make her change her mind.
“You know what?” She turns to face herself in the mirror and wipes the tears from her cheeks. “I don’t feel like shopping anymore. Would you mind if we just went home?”
“I want to put on my pajamas and veg out for the rest of the day. Does that sound good?”
“It sounds perfect,” she says with a sigh. It’s like magic, watching the tension drain from her body. “I want to get under a blanket and not come back out for a little while.”
“Done.” I go back to my room next door to get everything together, then take a deep breath to center myself before stepping out again. What she just laid out was pretty heavy, and I want to keep my spirits high for her sake, but my heart is like a boulder. So heavy with sadness. She must have felt like a prisoner out there, with nobody she could turn to.
By the time we’re ready to go, it’s like the whole thing is in the past. She doesn’t want to talk about it anymore, and I can accept that. It’s enough that I know, and she knows she can come to me if she wants to talk about it some more. I don’t want to risk her shutting me out by making a big deal about it.
“Are you sure my dad will know what to do with himself if we hang out tonight?” she teases me as we step out of the store and into what’s turned into a cloudy day, heavy with humidity. The air has that special feeling to it, like we’re going to get a thunderstorm soon.
Before I can make a joke, something catches my attention from the corner of my eye. I barely have time to register what’s happening before Lucas is practically on top of me.
“I thought I saw you,” he grits out, his teeth bared.
I might not have recognized him if it wasn’t for his familiar voice. He hasn’t shaved in a couple of days, and his sweaty hair could use a trim. But it’s his eyes, bloodshot and wild, that creep me out.
As usual, it’s Tatum who puts my thoughts into words. “Man, you look like shit,” she blurts out. “If I was passing on the street, I’d give you a dollar.”
She doesn’t know what he did. If I tell her right now, she might claw his eyes out in front of the dozens of people walking in and out of the store as we stand in our little cluster.
“Let’s not waste our time on this dickbag,” she murmurs, taking my hand.
But I can’t go. Not yet. “Listen,” I whisper, glaring at him. “If you’re half as smart as you think you are, you will stay the hell away from me. I know what you did. You’re lucky you’re still breathing.”
“Huh?” Tatum’s in the dark, of course. I’ll have to tell her about it later.
His tongue darts over his chapped lips.