“STOP!”
The word came out like a strangled cry. It didn’t even seem to belong to me. My baby sister was in my arms, and Mom was nowhere to be seen. She must still be in the garage. Didn’t she hear me scream?
“I said leave her alone! You can’t grab her like that!” I tried as best as possible to make my voice firm, but its wavering gave me no power over Richard, who was potato bagging my other sister—Kristine, on his shoulder. I saw his gigantic hands on Kris’s thighs. They dug into her skin, and I knew those would leave bruise marks later. I was sure about it.
My new little sister, Gabby, was a crying mess in my arms. Nothing seemed to soothe her.
I snuggled her close to my body, trying to shelter her from the screaming, thrashing, and banging. My stepfather kept climbing the stairs, and I never left his heels.
Richard looked like a demon. His face was contorted as if in pain and fury. His eyes almost bulged, and a slight vein near his temple looked like a worm wriggling underneath.
Everything appeared unreal, like something you would see in a horror movie. I asked myself what a fifteen-year-old teenager could do against such a man, and I miserably determined I couldn’t do much.
Kris was squirming on Richard’s shoulder, making him lose his balance. They both crashed into the wall. He squeezed tighter on her legs, and she stopped shifting her weight on him, muffling a cry.
Richard opened the door to his bedroom, stomped in, and threw Kris on the bed, hurrying out of the room to hold the doorknob close.
Gabby was screaming in my ears. I hugged my baby sister close and stared Richard right in the eye. Who was that man? I had never seen him so mean, cruel, or evil. There had been hard times in the past months, but our stepfather never abused us like this, unlike today.
I could hear Kris knocking on the door and crying on the other side.
“Let her out! You can’t throw someone in a room and lock them in!” My words started coming out like vomit.
Richard’s eyes became bulgier than before.
I backed away to the opposing wall. Cold sweat started prickling my neck when Richard lurched his free hand towards me and grabbed a fistful of my front shirt. It came with such force that my head was pushed back and hit the wall before being dragged closer to him.
I could see words forming in Richard’s mouth, but a dazed feeling overcame me. Blood rushed in my ears, and after many extremely long seconds, I became aware of commands being barked at me.
“Give me my baby!” He kept repeating.
I tried to turn around, but his grip on my shirt was too firm. If I tried harder, he’d surely rip it. Richard finally let go of the fabric but quickly caught my arm. His grip was like a vise. It kept getting firmer and tighter. It was so strong that I thought his hand was on fire, and my skin sizzled underneath.
Tears lurked in the back of my throat, and my body shivered. I couldn’t give him the baby, not like this. He’d hurt her… or worse.
The door connected to the garage opened and closed. I could hear my mother’s jiggling keys and the plop of her coat in the entryway. Kris bashed more ferociously on the door, and I listened to our mother climbing the steps. The sound of her feet went faster as Kris kept battering the entrance to the master bedroom.
“Give her to me!” Richard repeated. This time, the nail of his thumb cut the inside of my arm.
“Mom! Mom, we’re up here. Hur─” My words were cut short by Richard violently shaking me and throwing me against the wall.
Mother was running up the stairs two at a time, and disbelief was apparent in her eyes when she finally saw the entire scene. This was the man she had shared almost 5 years with. A man with whom she now shared a child.
At the sight of my mother, I tried to escape Richard’s iron hold. When I was unsuccessful, I saw Mom become furious. I had never seen her look as mad as she did. This was another mother completely. But the look changed slightly afterwards. It was as if she was calculating probabilities in her mind.
“Honey, just give him Gabby,” she clipped. “Where’s Kristine?”
She had the deadly calm voice she used only on rare occasions, just like a great calm before a thunderstorm. Now, I was scared.
“You can’t mean that! I can’t just give her to him. Mom, he’ll hurt her….” I said desperately, pleading.
Mother just gave me that look, and so I resigned. My lips started quivering, and the numbness kept creeping everywhere on my skin.
I pointed to the door with my nose. “Kristine’s in there.”
Mother dashed past Richard and me. She opened the door quickly but hit something at the base. Kris was kneeling in front of the door and hadn’t had time to move from it when our mother swung it open.
She grabbed Kristine’s arm and helped her get on her feet. Hot tears were flowing down her little face and nose.
I didn’t have time to give Gabby to Richard. The man simply plucked the baby out of my arms ferociously. I gasped when I saw the baby’s head jerk right to the left.
“She’s only three months old.” I tried to get her back, but I faced a towering man. “You can’t hold a baby like that!”
On a good day, Richard was a beautiful, tall, and muscular man who made women swoon in his presence. But right now, he was far from the likes of a Caravaggio painting and looking more like the devil himself, with his face all twisted up and baring his teeth.
“Let him have her, Liv. We’ll come back for her with the police.”
There was something in how she said the words that didn’t seem right. It was as if she said those words slowly, purposefully, and with meaning, and they shook Richard. He sprang the baby back into my arms and backed away from us.
Baffled and not entirely understanding what had just occurred, I turned around in a daze and followed Mom and Kris down the narrow steps and into the garage.
My heart was racing.
I needed to put Gabby in her car seat before Richard charged in again. Deftly, I pushed the straps in the lock and ensured everything was secure. I then opened the front passenger door of the RAV and slid into the front seat, buckling myself up. My movements were almost mechanical. I couldn’t feel my body anymore.
Gabby was howling, but I only heard it as a muffled buzzing sound.
I knew barely that my mother and Kris had each closed their doors and that the car started moving backwards.
I looked down at my hands. My palms had dried blood on them. Tiny half-moons were embedded in my skin and had already started crusting. I didn’t remember doing it, so it must have happened while Richard had the baby.
When we finally reached the end of the street, I let go of a breath I didn’t even know I was holding and felt immensely cold. It was as if someone had dipped me in frozen water.
I realized I didn’t have my winter coat on. It was still in the house. I must have forgotten to grab it before dashing into the garage.
I pushed the temptation of looking back at the house. If I looked, it scared me to think I might see my screaming stepfather running after us, and who knew what would happen then?
I focused on the heavy snowflakes hitting the car’s windshield. It worked, but I still felt the heaviness and fear inside my heart.
Mother was driving toward the highway and sped up. I knew she was trying to leave this place quickly so we would be safe.
Mom asked me if I was alright after I felt her hand on my cheek. I had unconsciously been weeping and cradling my ribs, which were sore from when Richard shoved me against the wall. I wiped the tears out of my eyes, and as my vision became clearer, I screamed as a car in the opposite direction collided with us. It took only a few seconds of distraction from my mother for another tragedy to occur.
My body propelled forward and was jerked backwards in full force when the airbag deployed. Then, the entire world turned dark.
******
Every night was the same. I woke up drenched in sweat after the nightmare car crash, with my heart hammering inside my chest.
I could never help the tears streaming down my face or the soaked pillow under my head. Gripping fear paralyzed me in my bed, where I sobbed uncontrollably.
That dream became a painful reminder that I survived while my siblings and mother didn’t. And it was all my fault….
The most frustrating part was that I didn’t understand why I was given a second chance.
Hello dear readers! Thanks for starting my novel. I hope you'll enjoy it. This is my 4th novel and my first take on the billionaire romance genre. Please feel free to comment on the chapters. I love reading comments, and it's extremely motivating. You can also follow me on Facebook for updates and well as bonus content, and other information on my other works. Happy reading!
Present day—Fifteen years later I looked at my watch and hurried along the crosswalk. The main street was busy today, so I was careful not to get hit by a passing car as I crossed. Once on the other side, I picked up speed so I wouldn’t be late for my appointment. My cell phone rang, and I had to fight through everything I had in my purse to grab it. I smiled when I saw the caller ID and quickly swiped the screen to answer. “Hey, you! Are you at the airport already?” My best friend Lena was travelling across the country to meet her boyfriend. Chuck had nabbed a job as a graphic designer, but if he wanted it, he had to uproot and move to the other coast. Lena had been on the fence about moving. She had never left this town, and I knew it was hard for her to drop everything she knew behind. Her life was here. “The fucking plane was delayed! I’m stuck here for another four hours. Come pick me up and never let me do something stupid like this again.” Lena pleaded on the other side of
“The rent is how much for you?” Shouted Lena on the phone. “That’s three months’ worth of rent at our old place! Are you out of your mind?” I had placed the phone on my new bed in the house on Queen Street and was opening boxes while talking to Lena, who had finally joined her boyfriend on the other side of the country. “No. I’m not.” “Yes, you are. The Olivia I know would never have gone on the upper side and lived like a snobby-rich girl. You’re down to earth and go with the flow. And you’re not frivolous. I bought you fucking new underwear because I was sick of seeing holes in yours every time I did the goddamn laundry. Where did that money come from?” Stop trying to test me, Lena…. “I’ve always had it. And for the record, I never asked you to buy me those, and they are still in the package. I refuse to wear granny panties. You just bought them to have a good laugh and to make a point.” “I still want to know why you made us live in a crappy apartment when we could have had som
Thursday arrived, and I got ready for my shift at the pub. I had seen little of Kat, and I certainly didn’t have time to tell her all about my encounter with her brother. I had to hand it to Dominic; I thought it was sweet to have his sister’s back the way he did, but it also insulted me he didn’t trust her more—or me, for that matter. It made me wonder if something had happened in the past to warrant such protectiveness toward Kat. I took a quick shower, then put on my Crowns uniform, which consisted of a green, low-cut T-shirt, an embroidered crown on my left breast, and tight black pants. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and put some mascara on. As much as I hated it, the more makeup I wore, the better my tips were. The same went for the amount of cleavage I showed, which meant I needed to buy good bras that showed the girls off—not that I needed any because I was naturally busty. But when in Rome, right? I went into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat and came face to face with a
I hadn’t seen Dominic since my shift at the pub, and I was thankful for it. Instead, I got to know his sister a little more. I had lived with Kat for over a week and spent only a few hours with her daily. She had a busy lifestyle, which suited me because it gave me time to think about what I wanted to write during the day. But we had a great time talking about nothing and everything when we were together in the evenings. It was late afternoon Monday, and I had prepared a surf and turf dish that I hoped Kat would like. She returned from work, and I called her from the kitchen to tell her I was there. Kat almost hovered off the ground, following the smell of our dinner, and I laughed when I saw how cheery she was. “Well, you look like you had a good day.” Kat sat on a bar stool and leaned over the kitchen island, grinning from ear to ear. “More like I had good news.” She said as she drummed her fingers over the marble countertop. “Is that so?” “Yes, but first… Wine!” Kat shouted w
The first snowflakes fell over the city and covered the ground with a light blanket of cold dust. The Christmas season would be upon us soon, and I loathed that time of year. Thanksgiving was only a few short weeks away, and I wondered what I would do. Had it been possible, I would have liked to fall asleep now and only wake up after the first of January. Missing that time of year would be less painful, as it brought so much anger, sadness, and regret. My life would be better if I could skip it entirely each year. There was a knock on my bedroom door. It opened, and Kat slipped her head in the crack. “Hey, Liv, do you have any plans for today?” Yes. Banging my head against my desk until words bleed out from me. “Not particularly. I’ve been sitting in front of my computer and waiting for words to appear magically on the screen.” I pouted. “Missing inspiration?” “I’m not sure if we can even call it that. I don’t understand. I have an idea, an outline, but it’s just not coming to me
I had successfully dodged Lena’s questions during the last few hours, but she was getting on my nerves. She kept calling and pestering me, even from the other side of the country. I groaned and closed my computer when I saw her caller ID on my phone. I had finally found some inspiration for my book, but the main male character I had initially drafted had changed from a blond-haired, green-eyed man to a tall, broad-shouldered man with brown locks and deep, piercing blue eyes. The more I wrote, the more I thought my character looked like Dominic, and I hated it. He was constantly in my mind. “Alright. I’ll tell you.” I instantly said to Lena when I swiped to answer. Might as well pull the band-aid immediately. Lena squealed. Then I heard her apologize to Chuck, who was probably working in the background. “The last two times you asked me to call and pretend something horrible happened was to get you out of a bad date—although ‘date’ is a big word since you don’t really date guys. So,
The girls from the pub usually went out for drinks and a late-night snack after work. I had never gone with them since I used to live on the other side of town, so they were ecstatic when I asked to tag along. We ended our shift and left to get a cup of coffee. Then I wondered if I could spend the night at Jody’s, and she was happy to lend me her couch when I mentioned it was a little too late for me to walk home alone. I texted Kat to let her know I was sleeping over at my friend’s house just so she wouldn’t worry. When morning came, I got up, had breakfast with Jody, and then walked home in dread. My legs were heavy coming up the few steps to the house, and I closed my eyes when I entered, thinking Dominic would come charging in. But it was silent, so I quickly closed the door and hurried through the hallway. Kat was on a sofa in the sitting room. She lifted her eyes from the book and frowned at me. “What happened last night?” She called, jumping from her seat. “Dominic came ove
I laughed nervously. “Strip,” Dominic ordered. His eyes followed my hands as I lifted my shirt and threw it on the ground. His blue orbs trailed them once more when I placed my fingers over the string that held my pants to my waist and dragged it until the knot was undone and the fabric slid against my legs. Thank God I had shaved in the shower this morning. My clothes fell into a pool at my feet. I only had underwear on and felt the urge to cover myself. This was embarrassing. When my arms hugged my body, Dominic walked over and lifted my head so I’d look into his mesmerizing gaze. “You never have to hide from me, and you clearly have no reasons to cover that gorgeous body of yours,” he whispered hoarsely. “I haven’t been able to remove the naked image of you out of my head.” My heart raced when Dominic dropped his hand and took my arm so I’d follow him. We went into my bedroom, where he made me stand before the bed and brushed his lips against mine. “I have been dreaming of fuc