Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 151384 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151384 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
“Yeah, that part wasn’t much fun,” she said, turning to look at Tobias. “The mold was terrible. It would get into my lungs and I’d get bronchitis or pneumonia.”
“I needed to get us out of there. Get you out of there,” Jenner said. “It wasn’t safe for you there. I can’t believe you liked it.”
“I didn’t like being ill all the time,” she told him. “But I liked the fact that we all spent a lot of time together. I got to take care of you all. I got to see you all every day. Now, I don’t see any of you that much.” Shoot, she shouldn’t have said that. “Sorry.”
“Immy, you don’t have to apologize every time you say something that you think will upset me,” Jenner told her.
“I don’t like to upset you, though.” She didn’t like upsetting people, but especially the two of them.
“Yeah? You don’t worry when you put slime in my shoes, or fake dog puke in my bed, do you?” Jenner asked.
“That’s different.”
“Why? Because your Little does those things?” Jenner guessed. “And your Little doesn’t feel bad about creating mischief?”
“I don’t think I want to reply to that.” But it wasn’t something she’d actually considered. Did her Little play those pranks?
Maybe.
And was that why she didn’t feel guilty when she did those things?
Also, maybe.
Every other time that she’d say or do something she then regretted, she’d feel so bad. But maybe in Little headspace, she didn’t feel so guilty.
“All I wanted was to get us out of there,” Jenner told her. “To make us secure. To ensure that no one could ever have control over us again. I figured that to do that, I needed money. So I started to do whatever I could to push my career. Recording songs, doing gigs. When things started to take off and we moved, I thought I might have felt better. But the pressure mounted. Everyone’s jobs except for Isaiah’s, Maeve’s, and Cat’s depended on me being successful, on me staying successful. I wanted to ensure that you all had what you needed. So I had to make myself more famous, earn more money. I needed to feel in control, not of all of you, but of the world. And to be in control, you need money.”
“Oh, Jenner. Why did you never tell us any of this?” she asked, horrified by all the worry and stress he’d taken on his shoulders.
“I couldn’t. I know you guys would have tried to reassure me, but I felt like everything was my burden to bear. That’s why I hired Lauren. I thought she could take my career to the next level, so we’d never have to worry about anything again. And she did, but it took me away from you all the time and I hated that. Christ, if I’d known that she was actively trying to keep us apart . . . ”
“I wish we’d known how stressed you were,” she told him. “So you were trying to grow your career so we’d all be secure, so you felt more in control of the world around us.”
“Yeah, but . . . there’s more. I wish that was it, but it’s not. And this part is worse. My father wasn’t just abusing me physically.”
“What do you mean?” she whispered.
She tried to sit up, letting out a small moan of pain.
Jenner grasped hold of her shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to sit up,” she pointed out grouchily. Shoot. Why did she sound like such a grump? That wasn’t her. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to sound grouchy.”
“You’re entitled to be a bit grouchy,” Tobias told her gruffly. “And you don’t have to apologize.”
“Yes, but if you want to sit up, this bed is one of those electric ones. Here, let me do it.” Jenner hit a button so she could slowly sit.
Okay, she had to admit that was easier than trying to sit.
“That better, baby?” Jenner asked.
“Yes, thanks.”
“I don’t know if I should tell you all of this. You need to rest. I’m surprised the nurse hasn’t been in to kick us out.”
“No!” she cried. “I don’t want either of you to leave.”
“You don’t want us to leave, then we won’t,” Tobias told her.
“But they’ll make you.”
Tobias just smiled. “Like to see them try.”
Uh-oh.
That sounded ominous. The last thing they needed was for Tobias to get arrested.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure we can figure it out,” Jenner told her.
“Tell me, Jenner. Please,” she begged.
“My father used to boast about how you were going to be his next wife.”
She tensed, then groaned as pain shot through her. They really needed to give her better drugs.
Mind you, they probably didn’t expect her to get news like she’d just gotten.
She certainly hadn’t expected Jenner to say that.
“Shit. Fuck. I knew I should have waited,” Jenner said. Standing, he hovered over her. “Shall I get the nurse? Tobias?”