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)
“Everything I tell you will be the truth,” she finally said.
Hmm, did that mean there were things she wouldn’t tell him? He opened his mouth to demand she reveal everything, then shut it.
Shit.
Trying to be her friend and not make too many demands was frankly exhausting. It was easier when he was in charge.
“All right, Goldie.”
15
Oh no.
He looked like he’d swallowed a lemon. Or was having gastro issues. Caren had to bite her lip not to break out into giggles.
And she really didn’t think she’d feel like laughing today. Not after the disaster of yesterday. But Travis had this ability to make her feel lighter. Like everything wasn’t piling on top of her.
She didn’t know why. Perhaps because she knew that nothing would touch her while he was around.
He made her feel so safe.
It wasn’t something she felt often. She’d started feeling safe when she’d gone to live with Grammy. Before the older lady became so frail that she had to take care of her.
Not that she begrudged any moment of that time. Grammy saved her. Caren would have done anything for her.
“You still haven’t shown me your arm, Goldie,” he told her. There was more demand in his voice this time.
Well. She guessed there wasn’t any harm in showing him.
Standing, she set the blanket aside and then drew off her coat. She was wearing a top with three-quarter sleeves under her jacket so the bruise was easily visible on her slender forearm.
Travis sucked in a breath. “Baby.”
Caren let that word settle into her heart. She loved hearing him call her that even knowing that he didn’t necessarily mean it the way she wanted him to.
As if she was his baby.
Maybe he called lots of people “baby.”
Oh, she didn’t like the idea of that, did she?
He took a gentle hold of her hand and turned her arm from side to side.
“It’s really not that bad. Although I was surprised by how strong she is. For some reason, I thought she wouldn’t be able to hurt me anymore. Seems I was wrong.”
Caren had thought she was stronger than this, than her. And she wasn’t talking about physical strength.
“Why was no one else there?”
“Oh, her carer was but she”
“She was there while your mother, and I use that term loosely, did this?”
“Oh no! I, um, well, she left because of this.” With a flush of shame, she showed him the scratches along the inside of her other arm.
Travis sucked in a deep breath. “Fuck. Who did that?”
“Me?” she whispered. “The piano was there.” She stared off into the distance as she sat.
“And that was a bad thing? Did the piano bring back bad memories, baby?”
“Oh yeah. Bad memories. She didn’t think I was very smart. But if I’d been good at music or art then my lack of intelligence might have been more tolerable. She’s a brilliant pianist. I think she could have done it professionally. And she decided to teach me. But I wasn’t good. Not at all.”
“Did that make her mad?” he asked in a quiet voice.
Caren rubbed her knuckles. She could feel the pain as the stick hit them.
“Yeah, it made her mad.”
“What would she do when she was mad? Would she call you names?” he asked.
“She’d call me names. But she also had this ruler. She said it was the way she’d learned. Every time I made a mistake, I got smacked on my hand with the ruler. But the thing was, the more I got hit, the worse I became. Every lesson, I think I grew worse instead of better. I was so nervous. So scared of disappointing her. By the end of each lesson, sometimes my hands would be so painful and red I could barely stand to use them. Sometimes, they would bleed.”
“That motherfucking bitch. Jesus! She fucking abused you and no one did anything!”
“Who would do something?” she asked in surprise, blinking him back into focus.
Shoot. She hadn’t actually meant to tell him all of that.
“Your father, for one.”
“That was never going to happen. Like I told you I don’t think my father remembered I was alive most of the time.”
“I can’t believe him or her. Baby, you are never to go there again. You hear me? Never.”
Caren blinked at him. “I might have to . . .”
“No!” His response was almost violent and she blinked in surprise, leaning away from him. “Please.”
“W-what?” Had he really just said please? “Please what?”
“Please listen to me. Please don’t be scared of me as I will never, ever harm you. But especially please don’t go back there.”
“I’m not sure I can promise that. There might be times I have to go to do . . . something.” Although right now she couldn’t think of a reason why. Surely she could do most things from afar. It wasn’t like her mother would want her to visit. And she certainly had no plans to go back. “I’ll only go if absolutely necessary.”