Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 85342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Seeing Nico go from laughing to serious and then hearing Julia’s name, everything in me turned to stone. The thought something happened to her was literally too much to bear. The only thing that went through my head was getting to her. The only thing that went through my head was that I never told her how I feel. If anything happened to her, she would never know how much I love her.
Waiting for Nico by his car is agonizing. I take out my phone, seeing if Max or Julia texted me back but nothing is there. I look around when I see Nico rush out the door and unlock his car door. I get in as Nico gets in the driver’s seat and the back door is opened. “Can we get going?” I say when the back door closes. I don’t bother looking over my shoulder, the only thing I can do is stare out the window urging Nico to rush.
CHAPTER 35
Julia
The minute I saw the letter with my name on it, everything in me stopped. I had zero idea of what could be in here. I waited until I was sitting in the chair before I opened the letter in front of Stuart, Matthew, and Max. My hands shook like a leaf on a tree during a windstorm as I opened the flap and took out the folded white paper. “Dear Julia,” I read aloud, right before I cover my mouth to stop the sob from coming from me.
Max, who is sitting next to me, rubs my back. “Do you want me to read it?” he asks and I just shake my head.
“No.” I take a deep breath in, trying to get my emotions in place.
“She’s got this,” Matthew says and I look over at him. “You got this.”
I take another breath. “Dear Julia, I guess if you are reading this letter, something bad must have happened to me. I don’t have to tell you how hard it’s been for me, if anyone knows it, it’s you.” I wipe my cheek with the back of my hand. “I just want you to know how hard I tried to be the person you always said I was. I don’t think I would have been able to do anything without you by my side.” My lips tremble. “I hope you can forgive me.” I close my eyes now as the tears just run down my face.
“Let me finish,” Max says softly as he takes the paper from my hands. I listen to his words but I don’t grasp any of it. “The last thing I will say,” Max reads and I look over at him. “Penelope needs to be raised by a family who loves her. Who will keep her safe. I never contacted the father. But his name is…” Max looks up, his eyes going big as he passes the paper to Matthew, who jumps from his chair.
“What is it?” I ask him and then grab the paper from them.
Stuart claps his hands together, the smile on his face like the cat that just ate the bird. “Let the fun begin,” he says, nodding at me. “I’ll be right back.” He walks from the room.
My head is spinning around and around as I read the letter over and over again, the tears just running down my cheeks. I use my fingers to trace the letters, knowing she wrote this for me. “I tried.” I look over at Max, who is sitting beside me, his hand rubbing my back. “I tried so hard.” The sobs rip out of me. “I was rooting for her so hard.”
“You did everything you could have done,” he tells me, and I know that I did.
“She wanted so much to be a good mom.” I wipe the tears off my face. “She wanted to be so much better than her own mom.”
The door opens and Matthew steps in. “Nico is on his way,” he says softly as he sits down beside Max. “This kid’s life is going to change and he has no idea.”
“I can’t even imagine what is going to happen,” I add, looking around the table. “At the end of the day, this is about Penelope. She needs a fighting chance.”
“She needs to get the hell away from her grandparents,” Matthew declares. “From what Abigail said, they went to visit her once or twice.”
I close my eyes, trying not to put it on myself, knowing there is nothing I could have done. My hands were tied. “Nico is here,” Matthew says when getting up and walking out.
It takes maybe thirty seconds for him to come back in, followed by Nico. I look behind Nico and I’m shocked to see Chase right there, almost pushing his way toward me. He steps around and finally gets to me. I get up when he is close enough. He wraps his arms around my waist tightly, pulling me to him. He doesn’t say anything to me. He just hugs me as tight as he can. He finally lets me go, and his hands hold my face, his eyes search mine. “Are you okay?”