Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Even though I knew it was coming, my pulse still jackknifed when I heard my ringtone.
Foregoing pleasantries, the first thing I said when I answered was, “You saw them?”
The silence on the other end of the line didn’t bode well, but I stuck it out, waiting for Graham to set the tone.
“I saw them.”
There was no missing the tension in his voice. My muscles twitched as if my body was preparing to receive a blow. I was about to ask him what he thought about the things he’d seen when he spoke up again.
“She knows about the cameras?”
“Yeah, she knows.”
“Does she know you’ve been sharing the footage with me?”
“No,” I said. “Should I tell her?”
I waited through another long pause. Graham was clearly alarmed by the turn my relationship with Hailee had taken, but he seemed to be making an effort to stay calm.
“Yeah. Tell her.”
The call ended. I sat in my office for a long time, struggling with a new wave of impending dread. I’d been worried about how Graham would react to the news, but that fear paled in comparison to how I felt about coming clean to Hailee. But she deserved to know the truth.
Steeling myself, I left the office to go look for her. My feet seemed to weigh about a thousand pounds each. Not knowing how she was going to react to the information I had to share was killing me. I found her in the den, curled up on the chaise with a book in her lap. I lingered in the doorway, silently watching her fiddle with the frayed edge of the blanket draped over her legs.
I entered the room, and she immediately glanced up at me with a smile that made my throat clench. But her good mood quickly fell, no doubt having picked up on my somber expression.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, sliding a bookmark between the pages of her book.
“For now, yeah.” I sat down on the end of the chaise. “I uh…need to talk to you.”
Hailee sat up straighter, looking as nervous as I felt. “What is it?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. After too many false starts, I forced myself to take a breath and began to speak.
“Hails, there’s something you don’t know. The footage I’ve taken of you over the years… I’ve been sharing it—all of it.”
The color leached from her cheeks.
“Who have you been sharing it with?”
Just say it. Rip off the Band-Aid.
“I’ve been sharing it with your dad.”
Hailee’s eyes widened. She remained still and silent for a long moment. I braced myself for a well-deserved tirade and then grew anxious when it didn’t come.
“I know I should have told you sooner, but—”
“Yes, you should have,” she interrupted. “How could you? I mean, why would you…”
Her bottom lip trembled. I reached out to grasp her hands, surprised that she let me hold them despite the pain in her gaze. “I didn’t know how to tell you. First you asked that we not talk about him—”
“For good reason.”
“I know. I know you’re still upset with him. That’s actually why I installed the cameras.” I ran my thumb over her knuckles. “He missed you, Hails. He wanted to feel like he was still involved in your life, so I came up with the idea to start filming you. Nothing sexual at first, just everyday things. Then, last year, I accidentally sent him one of the more intimate videos. He asked for more, so I gave him more.”
Hailee stared at our joined hands for a while without speaking. I could practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes as she realized the full breadth of my betrayal. She inhaled sharply.
“Sweetheart?” I said. “Talk to me.”
She burst into tears.
I slid closer to her before I could stop myself, gathering her against my chest. Wrapping my arms around her, I stroked her hair and rocked her gently.
“I’m so sorry, Hails.” It ripped my fucking heart out to see her in pain. I’d have done anything to make her feel better, but I found myself at a loss. How could the person who’d inflicted the damage be the one to fix it?
Suddenly, she grasped my wrist. I didn’t realize what she wanted from me until she’d already slid my hand into her track pants.
“You want me to touch you?” I asked, confused.
Hailee nodded against my shoulder. I waited a moment, in case she changed her mind, then began gently rubbing her clit. She continued to hide her face in my shirt, but I noticed her hips rocking in time with my circling fingers. I caressed her faster and harder, dipping inside her briefly to wet my fingertips before returning my attention to her clit.
She cried the whole time I fingered her, sobbing as her climax shuddered through her.
I slid my hand out of her pants and resumed holding her for as long as she’d let me. My mind raced with anxious thoughts and unanswered questions. Finally, she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and sat upright.