Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Dante’s expression is serious. It’s a look I’ve seen before, one that reminds me this man will do anything for me. He already has.
“I will come to you,” I promise. “I have my family now, and I know I never have to feel helpless or alone again.”
Dante’s smile makes my heart flutter. And when I turn to look at Harper, I see she’s grinning as she rests her head on my shoulder.
Their closeness sets me at ease, and I know for sure that going home will be good for us.
No more running.
This is our forever.
EPILOGUE - HARPER
SIX MONTHS LATER
Happiness was out of reach for most of my life.
When I was growing up, I remember the feeling of relief and thankfulness that coursed through my veins on the days I knew I wasn’t going to be hurt.
It was no way for anyone to live, but it was my daily existence.
When Drake found me working in Thanos’s club, I didn’t think for one moment I would be reunited with my sister. I certainly never once considered I’d find someone to love me. But then I saw Dante, and I knew my life would be forever changed.
I never expected him.
Dante Savage walked into my life, sauntered actually, and from the moment I met him, there was no turning back. I didn’t know it at the time, but the emotion I first felt for him was lust. I’d never experienced such a physical attraction to a man before, so I was clueless as to what it was. I was enraptured by his dark demeanor right from the start. I couldn’t stop myself from falling for him.
He’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Most people are scared of him, and for a long time, if I’m being honest, I was too.
After running away from my father and Bane, I was determined never to allow myself to be at the mercy of another man.
But Dante wasn’t just any man.
He’s a Savage.
It meant he knew what I’d been through as a young girl. He told me about the videos his father owned. He’s never hidden anything from me. We don’t keep any secrets from each other.
That’s how I’ve come to feel safe with Dante. There are no hidden agendas. And when I ask him a question, I know he’ll give me the truth. He doesn’t care if it hurts, because he knows a painful truth is much better than being lied to.
I watch him and Rayne in the garden, and I smile because I know I’ve found something special with the two of them. Even though our relationship is not what most people would consider normal, we don’t need their approval. We aren’t hurting anyone, and as they say, love is love.
That’s the fucking truth.
You can’t stop yourself from falling. And you certainly can’t tell your heart not to care for someone, or two someones. As long as you’re all consenting adults, then I don’t see what the problem is.
“Are you happy?” my sister, Caia, asks as she steps up beside me at the back door of her house and leans on the frame. The garden laid out in front of us is bathed in sunlight.
She hands me a drink, which I take gratefully. It’s a hot summer’s day, and the gin and tonic is refreshing as it cools me from the inside out.
“I am.” I look over at her and grin when she giggles.
Even though she’s been through her own nightmarish experiences, she’s been able to find happiness with River and Drake.
None of us have conventional lives. It doesn’t make us wrong—it makes us unique. Our family might be different, but it’s filled with loyalty and love.
“I didn’t think I’d get to this point,” I tell her honestly. “There were so many times I was convinced that dying would be my only saving grace.”
“I don’t like that you had to think like that,” she murmurs, and the pain is clear in her voice.
I know she still blames herself for not being there for me, but she wasn’t in a position to help me after she was taken and sold.
“You know what happened to me was not your fault, right?” I turn to focus on my sister.
When I look at her now, I still find it strange that’s she’s a grown woman. Before we were reunited, my last memory of her was as a girl of eighteen. She headed out to a party and never returned. We’ve never sat down to talk about it. Maybe one day we will, but for now, our focus is on the present.
“I know it’s not my fault,” Caia says sadly. “But I will never not feel guilt for what happened to you as we grew up. I’m the older sibling, and I should have ben able to do something.”
“You couldn’t.” This time, I touch her shoulder, which causes her to look at me. The tears that sparkle in her eyes make my chest ache. “Even though I wish the past could be changed, it can’t. And I’m a stronger woman because of it. Now we both have our futures to think about.”