Chapter 39

Veronica could feel Robert standing beside her, absorbing every detail of their surroundings with professional judgment. They were in a rough area, surrounded by rough people. Did he understand where she'd brought him? His tension felt like a physical presence, absorbing all the air around her and sapping her strength. She so badly wanted him to keep adoring her and thinking well of her, but she needed him to know the worst.

Years of counselling had taught her the truth about herself. Olivia, her counsellor had helped her to realize that none of it was her fault. She was the victim of both systemic violence and bad people. Yes, she'd made rotten choices in her life, but nothing in her early years had taught her how to make the right choices. Or even to recognize what the right choices were when they came along. The first good thing that had happened to her was a vicious, street smart ten-year-old boy. And she'd seized that opportunity with both hands and held on tight.

Glancing sidewa