Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Trust me. It is easy, and you’re a strong woman, Charlotte. You have been through hell, and now it’s time to realize that you’re not alone. You’ve got us. You’ve got a family, and now there’s no going back.”
I never thought I would do this, but I wrapped my arms around Ivan and held on. This man terrified my father. He instilled fear into many, but in that moment, he was nothing more than my salvation. I didn’t want to let him go, not ever.
He kissed the top of my head. “You’re safe now.”
It was crazy, but I believed that.
The door to the penthouse opened and closed. Ivan had already sent Hubert away. My guard had tried to make my day a little better, wishing me a happy birthday, offering to take me anywhere I wanted to go.
When I’d been younger and the day had gone by with no one else but Cassie wishing me a happy birthday, I’d thought about what I’d do or what would happen when I was older. How I would celebrate. I thought about getting drunk, or going out dancing, or having a big blow-out party.
Instead, I had spent the first birthday away from my father alone on the couch, my knees pulled up to my chest and my arms wrapped around them, with a man staring at me.
Until Ivan showed up.
Ivan let me go slowly, but I knew he wasn’t going to be caught hugging me in front of my husband. Not for any other reason than Ivan didn’t like to be caught off guard. There was no secret love or any kind of affair. I got that now. Ivan and I were different and yet the same. He’d been cast aside, and even though that was what I’d been, each time my father was angry, I paid the price.
I got to my feet as Ive looked toward his boss then toward me. I had started to cry in Ivan’s embrace. His words had touched me to the very core.
There was silence. I didn’t know what to say or do. Did he want me to make a joke of him forgetting?
“Welcome home,” I said.
And much to my surprise, Ive began to sing “Happy Birthday” to me. His voice was terrible, but what also shocked me was that behind him, Rage and Cassie suddenly appeared, as if his song had magically made them appear.
Seeing my sister made me so happy, and I rushed toward her. Cassie let out a gasp, and pulled me into her arms, holding me tightly.
“I have missed you so damn much.” She held me tightly.
I looked past Cassie’s shoulder to Ive and offered him a smile. At first, he didn’t look happy, and then it was like he saw me smiling at him, and he nodded his head. My sister was finally here.
“I love you,” Cassie said. “I told you I wouldn’t miss a single birthday, and I haven’t.” She pulled away and then held out an envelope for me to take.
“You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“Don’t be silly. Every woman needs a present on her birthday.”
I opened the envelope to see that it was clothing vouchers. “Thank you.”
“I know it’s lame, but I remember how much you loved our shopping trips, and now we don’t have to…” Cassie stopped and I looked into my sister’s eyes to see the tears in them as well as the guilt.
“I know,” I said.
We didn’t have to pretend not to have fun. Cassie didn’t have to pretend to like clothes she never wanted to wear, just so she could sneak them to me.
“I can’t believe we let that happen,” Cassie said. “Nineteen.”
“Yeah, I’m nineteen.”
“And all grown up,” Rage said.
Cassie moved aside and I walked toward him.
“Hey, Rage,” I said.
There were many times he was more of a father to me than my own had been.
“Hey, pumpkin,” he said. He pulled me in for a hug.
There was a time his hugs made me feel safe, warm, comforted, but none of them compared to Ivan’s.
Ivan was giving me a promise. No, he had made a vow to me for my protection and I believed every word of it.
“This year, I didn’t know what to get you, so Cassie looked at the best spas possible, and I was able to get you multiple spa days with Cassie, if your husband would allow it,” Rage said.
“We can go shopping and have spa days. I’m staying at the hotel just across the street. It’s real nice, but I thought I could stick around for a little while, if you don’t mind.”
I didn’t mind, but I looked toward Ivan and Ive. “Can she stay?”
They were in charge.
“Yes, but there’s an apartment available below. If you stay at the hotel tonight, I’ll make arrangements for you to move in tomorrow,” Ive said.