Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
“So I’m not sure why you’d think that she’d care if she was asking for her. Or drop everything to visit her. And, this will be your only warning, you have no right to speak to her in that tone. I never want to hear you talking to her again but with the utmost respect.”
“Who is that?” Mr. Peterson demanded.
“This is Travis, my fiancé,” she said.
“I do believe this is a private conversation,” Mr. Peterson said.
“No, it isn’t,” Travis said. “From now on, if you need to call Caren about her mother, you will call me instead. I will make the decision whether you need to talk to Caren.”
“You are not on the approved list,” Mr. Peterson huffed pompously.
“I will be. Very soon. Call me or I will not be happy.” Travis ended the call and held her closer. “I’m sorry that happened, baby. Are you all right?”
“I’m okay.” She actually was. A bit numb and her knuckles hurt. A phantom pain that she knew wasn’t real. But it felt like it.
He took hold of her hands, rubbing her knuckles.
“Can’t believe that bitch used to hit you with a ruler.”
“She really wanted me to be a piano prodigy since, you know, I was so stupid in other ways.”
“You are not stupid,” he told her fiercely.
“No, but that’s what she thought.” She shifted around, feeling uncomfortable. “I wonder if she even knows what I do now. Or if she’d care. I just feel . . . I feel like I went to visit her to get answers, to find closure, but I never did.”
“You want to go see her?” He gave her an incredulous look.
“That’s stupid, isn’t it?”
He sighed. “My first reaction is to say that yes, it’s stupid. And no, you can’t go. But I want you to have closure.”
Oh, thank God.
“But listen to me. There are going to be rules.”
“All right,” she said slowly.
“We wait another week until you’re in less pain.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going to be by your side the entire time. You will not be alone with her.”
Relief filled her. “All right.”
“If at any time she gets abusive, I’m going to remove you from her presence and you will never return, understood?”
“Understood.”
She leaned against him. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Actually, it’s me who doesn’t deserve you, my precious, wonderful girl.”
Caren clung to Travis’s hand as he led her through the home where her mother was now living. She recognized the guard at the front as the same who had helped her when she was last here. But her tongue was frozen so all she could do was nod at him.
A week had passed since Mr. Peterson called. Travis had tried to talk her out of coming, but she just needed to see her mother one last time. Perhaps it wasn’t healthy, but she felt like she had no choice. However, Travis had insisted that she wait until she felt better. It had been close to six weeks since she’d been taken by Aadan’s men. She wasn’t sure when the nightmares would stop, when she’d cease having panic attacks.
Unfortunately, her decision to come here seemed to have set her back. She’d woken up twice last night with nightmares.
This time they didn’t have to wait around to meet with Mr. Peterson, which was a pleasure she was happy to be denied. Instead, Brenna came out and greeted them.
“Caren! How are you? I was surprised to hear you were visiting today.” There was concern on the older woman’s face as she reached them. That concern turned to curiosity and a touch of hunger when she caught sight of Travis. “Well, um, hello.”
“Hi, Brenna,” she said warmly, amused by the way Brenna just stared at Travis. “This is my fiancé, Travis. Travis, this is Brenna who is my mother’s main carer.”
“Nice to meet you, Brenna. Thanks for everything you do.” Travis held out his hand and Brenna took it with a surprisingly high-pitched giggle.
“How is Mother?” Caren asked.
Brenna sobered with a sigh. “The truth is that I wish you hadn’t come. She has good days and bad. But even during her good days, she is . . .” she trailed off.
“You can give it to me straight,” Caren told her.
“Argumentative. Sorry,” Brenna said. “I wouldn’t normally be so blunt but knowing how she treated you last time and as a child along with some of the things she says . . . well, I honestly don’t want you to get hurt.”
Caren grimaced. “I get it.”
“The reason we’re here is because Mr. Peterson called and practically bullied Caren into coming.”
Right. Like Travis would allow that.
“He used guilt as a motivator. And I don’t like that,” Travis said. “He needs to stop calling and I’m prepared to have a chat with him. Maybe you’d sit with Caren while I do.”
“You don’t want me to go with you?” Caren asked with dread.