Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 121210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
“The, uh, father had one other child who was diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type III,” I chime in for her, and Dr. Vesper’s reaction is a soft nod.
“Okay,” she says. “We’ll plan to do a full genetic panel then, at around ten weeks, and that’ll tell us everything we need to know. Until then, I don’t want you to worry. Though osteogenesis imperfecta is a genetic disorder, it’s often caused by a mutation in the type 1 collagen genes. If no one else in the father’s family has OI, it’s likely to have stemmed from the maternal side.”
By the time we’re in the car, Norah has a folder filled with information, a follow-up appointment already scheduled, and a running river of tears streaming down her cheeks.
She’s overwhelmed. She’s scared. She’s happy. She’s terrified. She’s all the fucking things right now, and I don’t blame her one bit. I try to comfort her as best as I can.
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell her and try with all my might not to show a hint of emotion, not a hint of weakness in my voice. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise you.”
I generally don’t like to make promises I can’t keep, but I refuse to do anything but make Norah feel okay and attempt to put her fears at ease. It’s what she needs right now. It’s what her baby needs right now.
Being pregnant is meant to be a joyous occasion. It’s something you should celebrate and be excited about. But how can Norah only feel excitement when this pregnancy is coming on the heels of Summer dying?
And more than that, how will Bennett handle news like this?
It all feels a little too reminiscent of the past, too much like history repeating itself, and once I feel like Norah is calm, I start the drive back into town.
Forty minutes later, I’m pulling into my driveway when Norah’s phone rings.
“Hello?” she answers by the second ring. She nods at whatever is being said on the other line. “Of course. That’s what you pay me for.”
It doesn’t take me long to put together that it’s Breezy on the call. Though Norah and Bennett aren’t on speaking terms at this juncture, she’s still his assistant and an undeniably important part of his life. Calls from Breezy aren’t out of the ordinary for Norah or—after our heart-to-heart post-fake-wedding—me.
“Holy shit!” Norah’s mouth gapes, and her eyebrows lift to her hairline. “You’re kidding me!”
Her reaction is jarring. I listen intently.
“What?” I ask on a whisper. “What is it?”
Norah holds up one hand toward me, still nodding while Breezy continues to say something in her ear. “Jesus. Thanks, Breezy… I will.” She hangs up the phone a moment later, audaciously taking the time to put it back in her purse before explaining.
“What? What’s going on?” I probe anxiously.
“Thomas and Eleanor…they were running an underage prostitution ring.”
My God. “That is so fucked up.”
“It’s sick,” she whispers.
After I read the letter Alexis had given Norah on the day she was supposed to marry Thomas King, I was equal parts shocked and not shocked at all at the allegations pointed toward our mother and Norah’s now-ex. Inside that letter, Alexis detailed the evil and manipulative way Eleanor had nearly ruined her life. But she also hinted that she wasn’t the only young girl involved. She was just the girl who managed to get out.
And now, it’s all coming to a head.
My mind races with thoughts of all the girls’ lives our evil mother and Norah’s slimy ex have ruined. All the ways I’ve seen my mother operate in the name of money and greed and power. And all the things Eleanor’s gone on to do after ruining her own family’s lives.
God, make them pay. Please, make them pay for what they’ve done.
We sit there in silence for a long moment, but eventually, I break it by admitting my horrifying truth. “But it’s almost shocking how a large part of me isn’t all that surprised.”
Norah’s head whips toward me. “Josie!”
“I know, Nore. I know.” I reach out to grasp her hand. I know she feels shocked. I know something like this is impossibly hard for her to understand. But I don’t know if Norah has let herself fully see our mother for who she is. I’ve known how evil Eleanor Ellis is since the moment I witnessed her neglect kill our baby sister Jezzy and how she never once owned up to her responsibility in her death. I just wish I’d been strong enough to do more about it.
Unfortunately, I know Norah feels responsible too. I squeeze her fingers. “But don’t you dare blame yourself for any of it, you hear me? If you hadn’t taken off from that wedding and made all the moves you have, they might still be at it, you know?”